Adam
How can I get a Game Reviewer job just coming out of High School?
I am a Junior in High School and I have been watching YouTube videos of "Let's Plays" (which are videos of people playing a certain game and recording it) and I've been really getting interested in this kind of thing. So I decided to research a little bit on if they make money or if it's an actual job and I came to the conclusion that it is a legitimate job. Since I've figured that out I've always wanted to do it and I also saw that some people can get the job straight out of High School. But, I did some more research and saw that I would need a degree of some sort just to be aplicable. Now, I dont really want to make the games but I would like to be a reviewer and if I dont know much about it, I am completely willing to learn. All I need is the direction I need to go towards and what I need to be able to apply. I was planning on graduating High School then (if possible) waiting a year and having this as a job, then go to college and get my degree in Computer Engineering then possibly either get an Engineering job or going back to this job if either I really enjoyed it or it didn't work out because I need a degree. If you could give me a very detailed and explicit answer as soon as possible I would be so greatful. #job-search #computer-games #console-games
2 answers
Jonathan Chen
Jonathan’s Answer
I'm an avid YouTube watcher and Twitch.tv viewer so I can speak to those two avenues.
There's two ways to do what you want to do: YouTube, which means you're going to be creating, editing and posting video content, and Twitch.tv, which means you're going to be broadcasting and streaming your live activity to your viewers.
Both can do what you want to do, but to make a living you're going to need to become a "Partner".
To be a partner on YouTube, each video needs to get a certain amount of hits. Once this happens, YouTube will start serving ads on your video and you'll get paid for each ad that is shown. However, I believe that you'll need several tens of thousands of viewers before YouTube will put ads on your video. If you put out good content, you're entertaining and people continue to come back, you'll be able to get a group of viewers and be on your way.
To be a partner on Twitch.tv, you'll need to have a Twitch channel where you'll broadcast your video game play and interact with viewers. You'll have to have a certain amount of viewership each day to qualify to be a partner, but I don't know how many that is. (I heard last year required 400 concurrent unique viewers at any given time.)
Regardless of the method you use, you'll need to be creative, entertaining and constantly listening to your viewers. You can turn this into a career/job but keep in mind that this is entrepreneurship and it involves a lot of personal motivation and drive. You'll need to find a niche and serve it.
Once you become a partner, the work doesn't stop - you have to continue serving content to your viewers!
I've watched YouTube videos and Twitch streams from people with all sorts of backgrounds: people who have graduated school in videography, people who have quit school, people who have worked and quit to do videos full time, professional gamers...the list goes on and on. Anyone can start!
The best part about all of this is that you don't even have to wait to start. You could start today by capturing the game you're playing now. You don't even have to give up going to college to do this. I've watched streamers who broadcast in the evening after their classes are over. Again, this is an entrepreneurship; you have the flexibility to work around your schedule.
Best of luck and I hope to see you online soon!
Brian Cheng
Brian’s Answer
Hello Adam!
Great hearing from you. One of the items to consider is that when I was in high school, I thought there are certain paths I could take, to go towards a career. This isn't necessarily the case and there are actually many different paths that go towards a career. For your case, the best way to get involved is to show passion. How do you show passion of becoming a game reviewer? Start doing it, whether it be on YouTube, or on a blog. For blogging, you can go see what reviews are like on GameSpot or IGN. Start from here, gather feedback, and keep generating content. Whether or not you build a strong user base of readers/viewers, it's still valuable experience and helps you build confidence.
Sincerely,
Brian