Could You Get That Dream Job In Gaming?
Perhaps the vast majority of people who call themselves “gamers” have dreamed of this at some point or another. They want to work in the world of videogames. To many, that seemed unfeasible and they eventually gave up to work in something more attainable. But the truth is that working in the world of gaming isn’t as impossible at it might seem. Here, we’re going to look at three sides of the industry you could easily jump into.
Breaking into the industry
Working on video games themselves is going to likely constitute the overwhelming majority of people who want to work in the industry. The truth is that there is no one set path. Rather, most video game careers are built off a particular skill or two. Coding, background art, modelling, animation, sound design. Names as famous as Yoshinori Ono, the head behind Street Fighter IV and the resurgence of fighting games, started off as a sound engineer. It’s all about getting your foot in the door of a publisher by working long enough and hard enough on one aspect that you have a portfolio you can work. From there, you have to hope that you get the opportunity to keep expanding and showing off your skin. Of course, there’s every possibility you could just as likely contribute to an indie game. Nowadays more than ever, it’s clear that the big publishers aren’t the only way to go.
Putting pen to paper
You might think that your strength is in your opinions and well-formed critique of videogames as well. Video game journalism is a hard job, being caught visually between not only competing games and systems but competing fanbases as well. It can be harrowing at times, but there are plenty of peaks, too. For instance, you might get free copies of games and even systems like an X Box One X. The best way to build a career in sharing your opinion on video games is to create your own voice. Create a blog, start a podcast, start vlogging. You can look for work amongst the video game news websites and online publications but if you don’t work on your personal brand, then once it sinks you might well be a brand-new writer again.
Remember, it’s not all videogaming
Video gaming has a lot of intersectionality with other pop culture hobbies such as tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons and tabletop strategy games like Warhammer. If you want to work in tabletop, then you can, for instance, set up your own modelling company and make models of customer characters and monsters or add supplements to the official rules. If you’re setting up your own company in the world of tabletop gaming, then it’s a good idea to learn about branding, as well, such as creating a distinct identity with tools like DIY Logo maker. If you’re freelancing or working independently in any of the fields above, having a professional-looking brand matters. They’re the ones that stand out to customers.
The demand for both video games and traditional roleplaying games continues to grow. There’s no shortage of talent needed in both world so if you feel compelled to work on either, you should go for it. The path can be winding now and then, but once you get it rolling, you can boast of working in an industry you truly love.