How does one get into the gaming industry?

Hello!

If you are interested in the Gaming industry, you have many options of what to study and how to get started. You could study graphic arts and animation for video games if you like the visual design aspect. You may want to start with basic courses in Computer Programming if you are more interested in writing the code behind games. Programming for mobile games is a popular industry as well.

The Gaming industry can be a lot of fun, but will also be challenging. This field is very competitive. However, new systems, platforms and gaming technologies are being developed all the time. Follow your dream!

Hi Vincent!

There are a few different paths you can take in order to start a long and successful career in the games industry!

The first and obvious one is education! If you'd like to specialise in art, programming, or design, then gaining those skills through qualifications and education is imperative. The games industry is a competitive one and growing with popularity with every AAA title that comes out. The best advantage you can give yourself is to specialise in a certain field and gain a university degree.
If you're not sure what you'd like to specialise in then consider free tutorials only. Try out some coding languages, or learn how to use 3D modelling software like Maya Autodesk or 3DS Max. You can also create your own levels and practice games design in Unreal Engine.

If following the education route isn't your forte, then you can consider getting into games testing. QA testing is a very rewarding job and many people make long and successful careers working up from QA.

Ultimately you need to find something you enjoy and start taking the steps to excel at it.

Good luck! :)

The number one way (in my opinion) to get into the gaming industry is to start being a game maker. There's nothing stopping you from learning how to make games on your own using free software and tutorials online (i.e. Unity, Unreal, GameMaker, etc). Obviously being passionate about gaming and the industry also helps!

Many people get their foot in the door by being a QA tester, typically an hourly position where you play one game all day every day and try to find bugs in it. That's where I started, back in 1999! However, it is increasingly hard to get promoted out of QA into a design / programming / art gig though, as many new hires are coming in from collegiate game development programs - notably Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, and FIEA.

If you want to go to college, try looking into one of those programs. If not, start learning how to make games! Do you want to work for someone else, or for yourself? :)

There are several sections to get into gaming industry. Best way is to be a game tester pr graphic architect.

Hi there!

Good question, there are plenty of ways you can break into the industry. A lot of colleges hosts career events and or summer internship. If you are interested you should reach out to career adviser at your campus to get things started, you can also reach out to the the companies you are interested in for more info on what types of internships are available and when.

Another way is to connect with professionals in that industry or attend industry specific trade shows or meet up. Good luck!

Lots of good advice above!

The video game industry continues to grow, with plenty of innovations on the horizon!! Continue to be excited about new technology, try new things, and get to know people who support your motivations and goals.

I work in the cyber security department and there are plenty of opportunities if you like to see what the 'bad guys' can do, problem solve and work with lots of people. You'll see that as you keep learning different things, you can apply them on various projects and keep trying out different parts of the gaming industry.

Echoing a lot of what has already been said, the one addition I'd make is have a specific point of view and specialty in a particular vertical/genre. If you love action strategy games, really focus on them and be an expert on what you think works. Then be willing to start at the bottom.

The keys to entering the game industry from my experience are: 1. Education, 2. Passion and 3. Networking (social not technical). Any one of these alone is not enough, you need all three.

With that in mind, ways you can get there include:
- Joining organizations such as the IGDA and attending their events. This is a great way to see how the sausage is made and get to know people.
- Enroll into a Game Design program. Not only will it take give you a taste of every role in game making, but it is also a great way to build a network with professionals (most instructors are industry veterans). Many of these schools also have great reputations in the industry.
- Learn basic design and programming. This may seem daunting, but design platforms such as Unity and languages such as Python are fairly easy to pick up and there are a ton of free resources online to learn from. Take what you learn and build a handful of prototypes you can show off to prospective employers.
- Play, play, play everything from console to PC to mobile across all genres. Figure out what you're most passionate about and become an expert in that genre.
- If you can, try non-gaming software development. Chances are you will pick up skills that can carry over (examples: Programming, Project Management, Visual/UX Design).

Above all, persevere. It's been my experience that our industry is one of the few white collar jobs out there where hard work really can pay off.

Gaming companies are interesting in the way they hire people, I've noticed that they always prefer someone with prior experience. This makes it difficult to "get in". Here's my advice:

• be willing to start at the bottom and move up (moving around inside the company is easier)


• be a gamer, be familiar (and play) different games and understand how they work (mobile, console, PC, boardgames, etc)


• attend events like GDC to really understand the industry and meet people

Good luck!

Here is an additional path that I haven't seen in the comments so far: start elsewhere.
Although QA or game schools are a more direct means to enter the industry, sometimes building your resume in a similar field will get you where you want faster. Say for instance you want to be a programmer, producer or marketer. There is no shortage of industries that require those same skills and produce similar products. Once you've worked a couple years in a similar field (look at it as an education except you get payed instead of taking out a student loan), you can easily transfer those skills over to the games industry!