Want to make games? What’s stopping you?

Can you imagine spending each day working alongside a team of super-talented game designers and artists, creating a new video game destined to be loved by millions of passionate fans?

What about waking up on Monday morning and being glad the weekend is over — because you absolutely love your job?

If your dream job is making games, you’re not alone. Every month, 40,000 eager readers visit this site to learn about the game industry and hear advice on how to turn the dream into a reality.

But are you actually serious about this? I’m talking to YOU, the one reading this right now. Are you serious about getting a job making video games?

If you are, then I have another question for you: What steps have you taken to get there? Are you actually working to turn your dream into a reality… or are you just dreaming?

Three questions

I want you to do something right now. Take a moment to pause right here, and ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. What job do you wish you had in the game industry?
2. What are you doing to turn your dream into reality?
3. If you aren’t doing anything (yet), then ask yourself: What’s stopping you?

Recently, I emailed those same questions to a few thousand of my subscribers. And they did not disappoint me! My inbox overflowed with answers from aspiring game-makers around the world. After reading every email, it’s clear that no matter where you live — Ghana, the Netherlands, India, South Africa, the USA, or “the Middle of Nowhere” — everyone who wrote has one thing in common: a special passion for video games.

But I also noticed something else. Something I found to be very concerning.

Are you a Passenger, or a Driver?

After reading all the emails, I noticed I could sort them into just 2 different groups, based on how they answered my questions. Here are examples from some actual emails. Can you spot the pattern like I did?

The Passengers have a long list of reasons (excuses?) why their dream is still, well, just a dream. Maybe they don’t have the time. Maybe they’re afraid of rejection. Or maybe they just don’t know what steps to take next. Whatever the reason, they feel “stuck” where they are, unable to move forward. They feel like they’re not in the driver’s seat of their own careers.

On the other hand, the Drivers aren’t waiting for a green light. They aren’t waiting for someone else to give them permission to follow their dreams. They’re simply taking action, right now. Pedal to the metal! And through that action, they’re already on the road to becoming game developers.

I want you to give this some thought, and please be honest with yourself. Ask yourself which group sounds more like you — are you a Driver, taking steps right now to turn your dream into reality? Or are you more like a Passenger, with a long list of reasons why you feel “stuck” where you’re at?

The only difference between you and the Drivers already on their way to becoming game developers, is just taking the next small step in your journey.

This kind of self-reflection can be uncomfortable. But if you’ve been acting like a Passenger, don’t be too hard on yourself! Because I have good news: you can change, if you really want to. The only difference between you and the Drivers who are already on their way to becoming game developers, is just taking the next small step in your journey.

Next, let’s talk about how you can take any goal — no matter how big it might seem — and then tackle it, one inch at a time.

Let’s brake it down

Imagine if you had to learn to drive a car in just 2 steps:

1. Get in and take the steering wheel for the very first time.
2. Speed onto the freeway at 70 miles per hour, at night, in the rain

Don’t know how to shift? Bummer. Don’t know the gas pedal from the brake pedal? Well, let’s hope you figure it out before you screech into oncoming traffic!

Yikes, that’s what I’d call a “crash course” in driving. If that was the only way to learn — speeding onto the freeway on your first try — do you think anyone would risk it? I sure wouldn’t. My guess is, a lot more people would settle for a lifetime riding the bus.

Luckily, that’s not the best way to learn to drive. Sure, we’ll drive on the freeway someday, but that’s not how we start. Instead, we break it down into a set of smaller (and safer!) steps.

First, we get into a parked car with a parent or instructor. Then we learn about the controls — turn signals, headlights, wipers. Then we drive slowly, in a safe place like an empty parking lot. It can take weeks of practice before we’re comfortable enough to drive on a side street. Then, eventually, we build the skills and confidence we need to go full-speed on the freeway. Zoom zoom zoom!

And that’s actually the best way to achieve any goal, no matter how big. Master the first step, then move on to the second step, then keep going. Even the biggest, most “impossible” life goals are within your reach if you can find a way to break it into smaller steps.

Guess what? Getting a job in the game industry works exactly the same way. It may feel like a big, scary, “impossible” goal, but you can accomplish it one inch at a time by learning in small, incremental steps.

Take the wheel

I don’t know where you’re at on your own road to becoming a game developer. Maybe you’re in high school, writing a report about future careers (next step: learn about the top game careers). Maybe you’re in college, gearing up for your first big job hunt after graduation (next step: start your job hunt). Or maybe you already have a career, but you’re feeling bored and unfulfilled (next step: break into the game industry). No matter where you are, the right time to take action is right now.

Remember: Whenever you have a big life goal, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and start to feel like you’re not in the driver’s seat of your own career. Believe me, you are in control! So get started today. Take the wheel. Leave “Dreamtown” in the rear-view mirror, and accelerate toward a destination that’s very real: Your very own career making games.

Image: Joao Silas/Unsplash