For some strange reason, people seem to ask me how to get into the gaming industry. Maybe it’s because I play lots of video games and they think I’m in the gaming industry or know somebody in the industry. Well to set the record straight; I have no clue how to get into the gaming industry. But that won’t stop me from finding out about the industry and with that being said, I introduce to you my research on what it takes to get into the gaming industry. I will compile a list of facts from various reputable people in the industry and we will come up with some sort of a standard on what it takes to get into this prestigious business. Hopefully you the reader will learn as much about the subject as I did researching it.
Let’s start with some basics. In order to get into the gaming industry, you need to have some kind of love for video games in general. There isn’t a single company that will hire you if you don’t have some kind of level of respect or love for what you plan on creating. This also helps in an interview environment because if you plan on being interviewed by a gaming company, you should at least have some knowledge of the company and what games that they have created in the past. Another tip is to know somebody in the industry. The industry is a very tight knit group and usually employees rely on the word of a colleague instead of having to go out and interview somebody new. This saves time and doesn’t require any interview process and is much more of the case in the gaming industry as opposed to other jobs like accounting firms. Age and location are other factors as younger is usually better and the closer that you’re located to a gaming company will increase your chances at getting the job as opposed to someone who must relocate or move to get the job.
Other factors are less obvious and rely on many different answers to certain questions. Lots of people ask whether their amazing portfolios or 4 year computer school results will help them in getting the job-The answer is NO. Most employers certainly take these things into account but it most certainly doesn’t mean that you’ll get the job. For a job such as a Graphics Artist, a person who does doodles in the back seat of a classroom has as much of a chance to be hired as someone who spent 4 years at M.I.T. The employer looks at the person’s drawings and if they’re good enough for the job, then they’ll be chosen to work for that particular company. If you also have an impressive resume but haven’t done anything related to game work then your chances of getting the job are pretty slim.
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