Yes. It's why I decided to quit my first college and study game design instead. Can't see myself doing any other job honestly, and I'm really looking forward to graduating and getting my first job in the industry.
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Is Working in The Gaming Industry still your Dream job?
- Thread starter Kliemie
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Currently rn, i'm trying to learn how to program. But to be quite honest, i'm slowly loosing interest in it due to numerous of reasons including how boring it can be.
Since i'm a college dropout atm (22 years old), i'm kinda screwed because i have no career atm. Rn, i'm only a beginner chef making $11 an hour... and I can confirm that working as a chef is literally the same thing as game development. Tons of overtime, working on weekends, can be dreadful, and worse, low pay (lower than the gaming industry average salary I believe). I,m not sure what's the lowest pay in the gaming industry, but here, it's pretty obvious that living as a chef can be a struggle due to low $$$ salary. My average chefs with more experience (5-20 years of cooking) only makes $13-$17 an hour. An average chef in 5 star restaurant could make the same thing too.... How can you live with that?
Anyways, I still have thoughts about it, but gut is telling me that this field isn't for me due to how boring it is (or how programming is boring I should say). I can only imagine myself being a game tester to point of bugs which I'm really good at and always complain in gaming forums hahaha. But i've heard there aren't make QA tester jobs out there. If there is and it can make me at least 30K-50K a year, count me in. Because there's no way i will be able to get my own house by being a chef.
Since i'm a college dropout atm (22 years old), i'm kinda screwed because i have no career atm. Rn, i'm only a beginner chef making $11 an hour... and I can confirm that working as a chef is literally the same thing as game development. Tons of overtime, working on weekends, can be dreadful, and worse, low pay (lower than the gaming industry average salary I believe). I,m not sure what's the lowest pay in the gaming industry, but here, it's pretty obvious that living as a chef can be a struggle due to low $$$ salary. My average chefs with more experience (5-20 years of cooking) only makes $13-$17 an hour. An average chef in 5 star restaurant could make the same thing too.... How can you live with that?
Anyways, I still have thoughts about it, but gut is telling me that this field isn't for me due to how boring it is (or how programming is boring I should say). I can only imagine myself being a game tester to point of bugs which I'm really good at and always complain in gaming forums hahaha. But i've heard there aren't make QA tester jobs out there. If there is and it can make me at least 30K-50K a year, count me in. Because there's no way i will be able to get my own house by being a chef.
I've been in the industry for around 18 years - I've seen things that are as bad and worse than what media has been reporting on - but also things that completely disagree with "shitty practices are inevitable and the only way to ship projects" crowd.
The positive is that it's a passion/creative drive for most people that get into it, so if your motivations are the same, it tends to be easy to find rewarding environments to work in, and work on things where people genuinely care about their work, rather than primarily focus on business side of it (though you can find that too, if that's more to your taste).
The downside is that this very point is often exploited - compensation typically lags well behind other tech-sectors (there are exceptions, but those are definitely not common-place, and many of the well established names aren't among them), which combined with sometimes problematic work-practices leads to significant talent drain as well.
I do some game testing on the side that I found out about through a thread at the old site. I'm sure many here do the same testing as well. It's usually only a few times a year but it's awful. I couldn't imagine doing that for a living every day.
Game development is even more tricky right now with loot boxes becoming popular so you might have to work hard to dodge those types of games (plus dodge Casino game dev companies).
If you go into game development I recommend having a backup plan like programming, etc. So you can get out if you get burned out on crunching all the time and you'd like to spend more time raising your children, etc
sure when you're single you're like, "omg I'd be happy to work more hours for my dream game!" But it's not -your- dream game-- it's a game the publisher designed in a board room to reduce risk. So you're working on CoD #216782.
All that said making games is loads of fun. just have a Plan B. Just being a pure Game Designer means you have no backup plan. you want to go into management, Art, Programming, etc not just "I want to be the next Warren specter"
If you go into game development I recommend having a backup plan like programming, etc. So you can get out if you get burned out on crunching all the time and you'd like to spend more time raising your children, etc
sure when you're single you're like, "omg I'd be happy to work more hours for my dream game!" But it's not -your- dream game-- it's a game the publisher designed in a board room to reduce risk. So you're working on CoD #216782.
All that said making games is loads of fun. just have a Plan B. Just being a pure Game Designer means you have no backup plan. you want to go into management, Art, Programming, etc not just "I want to be the next Warren specter"
It was until I learned about crunch and all the instances of developers facing extreme hardships due to crunch (like divorces). It killed me desire to get into game development.
7 years QA, 3 years design.
It's great, really. But some studios are better than others. And sometimes you'll work on a game you like with a team you don't gel with, or the team is great even though you aren't into the game that much. But it really is the best when you get both, the day just flies by.
It's great, really. But some studios are better than others. And sometimes you'll work on a game you like with a team you don't gel with, or the team is great even though you aren't into the game that much. But it really is the best when you get both, the day just flies by.
Yes, I think it is. Always loved games and wanted to be a part of something I wanna play. I was lucky to join a studio who respects their employees.
Art direction is the hardest from all art positions. Our art directior is always busy, always on meetings and if not, everyone wants his attention and feedback. Feedback on animations, cutscenes, environment, props, characters, concept art, vfx... He did the least number of concepts from all 2d department and now he's forced to work on 3d environment (because we need more hands on that aspect of the game)
I don't even want to be a lead concept artist in the future, that one is demanding too when it comes to managing. I'm a regular now, then I'll be a senior and that's all I want. No managing, no meetings. Just doing cool stuff.
Art direction is the hardest from all art positions. Our art directior is always busy, always on meetings and if not, everyone wants his attention and feedback. Feedback on animations, cutscenes, environment, props, characters, concept art, vfx... He did the least number of concepts from all 2d department and now he's forced to work on 3d environment (because we need more hands on that aspect of the game)
I don't even want to be a lead concept artist in the future, that one is demanding too when it comes to managing. I'm a regular now, then I'll be a senior and that's all I want. No managing, no meetings. Just doing cool stuff.
Still is, can't imagine doing anything else. And to anyone who wants to get into the industry but is worried after hearing all the crunch horror stories, just know that it isn't a constant across the industry. I know experiences vary from company to company, but in my ~10 years working in games at 4 or 5 different companies I've managed to mostly avoid crunch. I dealt with it more back when I was working in QA (They generally get the shortest end of the stick when it comes to overtime), but I can count the number of weeks I've worked more than 40 hours in the last couple years on one hand.
When I was in elementary and highschool I used to make custom visual mods for counter-strike. If I remained focus on that, I would have been already in the games industry as a freelance artist as quite a few of my peers from that time have been industry professionals for years now due to their modding experience. However around 2010, I became more aware of the problems surrounding game dev and transitioned into experience design and currently go to school for it. I can still theoretically work on games as a UX designer, whether I think it's the best use of my skillset is a different question.
I totally didn't make that connection. Haha.
Apologies Jason, of course I know who you are! No burn intended. But yes it's full time. I'm also a part time developer. So between the two jobs I spend well in excess of full time working in the world of games.
On the device side it's great, as a creative, making games is incredibly fulfilling. On the other hand, writing about them, especially with the way SEO works, can be a bit of a chore. Of course, it can also be amazing.
I guess my final thoughts on the matter is that it is, at the end of the day, a job. With all the good and bad that comes from being under someone's employ.
No and it never was. I can't imagine a industry with worse work conditions (perspective: I live in the EU) and I worked in film for years lol.
EDIT: worked as an editor for a games website for six months. Learned how "games journalism" aka how making money with a website and a random topic works. Actually that was the worst.
EDIT: worked as an editor for a games website for six months. Learned how "games journalism" aka how making money with a website and a random topic works. Actually that was the worst.
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Yes there is much worse industries than gaming. Truck drivers have to work overtime, can't get any accidents, and have STRICT medical requirements. My bro is a Truck driver and works 60 hrs I think minimum. Plus hes trying to go to school to switch careers. Even worse, they want to measure his sleep. So he has to wear some medical device when he sleeps to make sure he's getting 8 hrs sleep lol its horror
Won't be the case for everyone, but this is how it turned out for me. I got burned out so fast and stopped playing/enjoying games when I developed for EA. Took a few years afterward to get back into them. Turned out it was more important for me to have a public sector job I like day-to-day--one that lets me enjoy my hobbies (whether that be playing or developing in my spare time).
That said, I still sometimes get the itch when a recruiter reaches out.
Wasn't really ever a dream job for me. I always wanted to do international support work which is what I do now.
It's just like any Creative industry. There are dreams realised. There are horror stories. But the large majority are just working hard in a position they worked hard to get into, helping to make things.
(some more life advice from a guy that has worked over a decade making games) Maybe it's just me but I think it's a bad idea to "have a dream job". I always reply to my friends I don't have a dream job beyond maybe being my own boss one day if that counts.
This way you start thinking more like a boss rather than someone that is just scrapping by trying to impress recruiters. you want employers to pursue YOU, not the other way around. When you go into an interview, make sure you interview the game company and ask the hard questions. One day, if you are lucky, you'll get multiple offers because you are exuding confidence. You don't have a dream job. You are their DREAM employee
This way you start thinking more like a boss rather than someone that is just scrapping by trying to impress recruiters. you want employers to pursue YOU, not the other way around. When you go into an interview, make sure you interview the game company and ask the hard questions. One day, if you are lucky, you'll get multiple offers because you are exuding confidence. You don't have a dream job. You are their DREAM employee
I don't think I want to work directly in the games industry developing games. I started that path and college and realized it's not for me. Found another love in advertising and branding. So one day, I'd love to work on a video game client.
But I'm in Chicago, and I don't think any agency out here has a publisher as a client. (I know Leo Burnett has Nintendo, just not sure which office) All the game clients are on the east and west coast.
I might have to bite the bullet and go in-house working for a developer/publisher marketing department one day.
Edit: also, overtime and crunch is not specific to any field. There's TONS of unpaid overtime in advertising. Like, it's expected and known. It's a part of being salary honestly.
But I'm in Chicago, and I don't think any agency out here has a publisher as a client. (I know Leo Burnett has Nintendo, just not sure which office) All the game clients are on the east and west coast.
I might have to bite the bullet and go in-house working for a developer/publisher marketing department one day.
Edit: also, overtime and crunch is not specific to any field. There's TONS of unpaid overtime in advertising. Like, it's expected and known. It's a part of being salary honestly.
I won't argue with that. Of course there are worse jobs. I guessed we were talking college degree entry jobs. After school I delivered pizza for two years before entering university. Ask me how that was.
I'm in college as a marketer and I would love to try out an internship for marketing or sales in the games industry! Every time I do interviews for internships during career fairs or off the record things. My main thought every single time is. "This is cool but dang I wish you made games" haha. Also might as well ask here since this thread has some visibility. If anyone who works in marketing in the games industry is looking at this. Please tell me what HR typically looks for in applicants. I've tried getting the right keywords into my resume when I submit it to get it looked at. But that never seems to work.
When I was a kid, I wanted desperately to be a game developer because of how much I loved gaming. I still love gaming, but as I got older, I heard more about the kind of work environment, and being a software engineer in general seemed like a better path with more opportunities and more compensation, so I ultimately went chose to be a software engineer outside of gaming.
I'm still thankful for gaming to get me interested in programming in the first place, and part of me still wants to develop a game on my own time, but it's definitely an industry fueled by passion, and I don't think I could see myself doing it as my main job. I have huge respect for those who decide to go down that path though.
I'm still thankful for gaming to get me interested in programming in the first place, and part of me still wants to develop a game on my own time, but it's definitely an industry fueled by passion, and I don't think I could see myself doing it as my main job. I have huge respect for those who decide to go down that path though.
I wanted to use being a developer for Lockheed as a stepping stone to getting into the gaming industry, but realized that it isn't worth taking the chance to "try" to make it as one and ditch the salary I make now, living in a rather affordable part of the US, and most likely with less stress and strain as my gaming SE counterparts. So nah. That ship sailed.
It was my dream for almost my whole life. Ever since I first explored Link to the Past.
For the past 4 years though, I've changed career paths, and do mostly IT related work now.
I really want to design games, but as I grew up, the odds of that happening shriveled up. I didn't want to be a programmer, and I cant draw for reasons. I wanted to come up with ideas and lead people towards making those happen.
I don't want to work so much it destroys my marriage.
And most importantly, I don't want to make shitty games at some cynical small studio just to build my resume, and just maybe make the games I want to make later.
Indie work isn't too feasible for me, either. I got responsibilities that need consistent income.
I also just kind of got bored of games, and tired of the toxic masses of people who consume them and identify themselves with consumption.
Around 3 years ago, I got back into games again, though I've changed.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted still.
These days, however, I think I'd rather actually work for a Japanese studio, which I never would have wanted back when I was younger.
For the past 4 years though, I've changed career paths, and do mostly IT related work now.
I really want to design games, but as I grew up, the odds of that happening shriveled up. I didn't want to be a programmer, and I cant draw for reasons. I wanted to come up with ideas and lead people towards making those happen.
I don't want to work so much it destroys my marriage.
And most importantly, I don't want to make shitty games at some cynical small studio just to build my resume, and just maybe make the games I want to make later.
Indie work isn't too feasible for me, either. I got responsibilities that need consistent income.
I also just kind of got bored of games, and tired of the toxic masses of people who consume them and identify themselves with consumption.
Around 3 years ago, I got back into games again, though I've changed.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted still.
These days, however, I think I'd rather actually work for a Japanese studio, which I never would have wanted back when I was younger.
I'm not in the industry, so I obviously have no clue. lol It just sounded nice to have other artist ask what I feel about how things should look in a game. =)
I mess around with unity and UE4 a lot, actually got a few games close to being done, but I don't think I can work at a gaming company too much church an I don't wanna work on games every day. I think I would rather get into gaming marketing instead.
I've been in the industry about 4 months (starting in QA). And I love my job so much thus far. Of course, not all studios are created equal, but I've landed in one that treats its employees well. I feel incredibly fortunate and can't imagine working anywhere else. I'll get back to you once crunch hits.
It's one of the only industries I could see myself being happy in, honestly. Either as a Designer or an Animator, though. So far, my experience with the minutiae of coding has been less than ideal, but I know How I want things to work. It's been a challenge, but it's been fun too. The important thing to me, though, is that it's something I want to do. I already spend all day on a computer working for people I don't want to as it is without being creatively fulfilled.
I for a long time planned to working with games, am (sort of) working with them and likely will be working in the game industry for a long time but I've never been disillusioned enough to consider it a dream job. And then it probably has gotten a bit better than it has been some years back.
But since I am in Europe it isn't that bad and a lot of it depends on what company you work at.
But since I am in Europe it isn't that bad and a lot of it depends on what company you work at.
I worked in gaming for like 3 years as graphic designer. I moved from So cal to Austin, worked in general 50hr weeks, and watched the studio slowly wither away into nothing.
And yeh I'd go back if I wasn't married now and had to take care of someone. It's all up to how much you love gaming and want to be around it, to me it was awesome. It's just up to the individual and how much they want to sacrifice. It's still the most fun job I ever had by far, and for me the positives outweighed the negatives.
And yeh I'd go back if I wasn't married now and had to take care of someone. It's all up to how much you love gaming and want to be around it, to me it was awesome. It's just up to the individual and how much they want to sacrifice. It's still the most fun job I ever had by far, and for me the positives outweighed the negatives.
Yes. I'm on my way there. The more I hear about the conditions and expectations in the industry the less excited I get though.
In 1992 i saw some artwork from Yoshitaka Amano...after that i wanted to make art for games.
Before i worked in the industry i worked in every non-creative field you can imagine..for 15 years ,and at every job i just dreamed of doing what i have been doing for the last 5. Though the capacity of what i do may change , i wouldnt change working on games. After visiting Tokyo 20 years ago..and going back many times, my goal is to get into a Tokyo studio..even with all their work culture issues. Ill take location enjoyment over that. I think the goal for lots of people, myself included , is to eventually work on your own game..but not as many people have that goal as you would think.
Before i worked in the industry i worked in every non-creative field you can imagine..for 15 years ,and at every job i just dreamed of doing what i have been doing for the last 5. Though the capacity of what i do may change , i wouldnt change working on games. After visiting Tokyo 20 years ago..and going back many times, my goal is to get into a Tokyo studio..even with all their work culture issues. Ill take location enjoyment over that. I think the goal for lots of people, myself included , is to eventually work on your own game..but not as many people have that goal as you would think.
