“Playing games is the best education, if you’re thinking critically as you play.”
Meet Mandi Grant, Level Designer
Mandi has been in the game industry for a long time, and has played many roles in the design as well as the art departments. Today we’re talking with her about her job as a video game level designer.
Pay special attention to her advice on how artistic talent plays a critical role in the level design process. Read more »
“Insist on developing a range of skills that make you a multi-threat.”
Tyler has worked on numerous games for mobile, PC and consoles, including Forza Motorsports 5 by Microsoft Studios. Learn why he thinks that being a strong communicator is just as important as being a strong artist. Read more »
“You want to get into games? Go make something. Anything!”
Today we’re speaking with Frank Rogan, a veteran video game producer and senior producer. Frank has worked on many game titles including Enter the Matrix, Gears & Guts, and the Total Annihilation series.
Pay special attention to Frank’s advice on how to break into the game industry. It might just jump-start your career in games.Read more »
With dozens of game careers to choose from, which job is right for you?
There are dozens of careers to choose from in the video game industry. But which one is right for you? Which job is the best fit your own unique interests and personality?
To find out if you’d make a good game artist, designer, programmer, or tester, there’s no better way than to find someone who’s already doing the job, and ask them to tell you all about it. Unfortunately, if you’re like most people, you probably don’t know any professional game developers who you could ask.
That’s why I did it for you! I interviewed over 30 professional game developers to find out all about their daily jobs. I asked them what they do, how they got started, and what they like (and don’t like) about their jobs making games. And, most importantly, I asked for their very best advice on how a new person (someone like YOU) can get started in the career.
So read these interviews with professional game developers to find out what each job is, what it takes to succeed, and how you can start preparing for your own game career today.Read more »
If you love video games, it’s natural to be interested in video game careers. But if you’ve done even a little bit of research, you’ve probably noticed there are dozens of different job types in the video game industry. That can make your career research a bit overwhelming.
I have good news for you: Even though there are dozens of different game jobs, most of them fall into just six high-level job “families.” Simplify your research by reading about the job families below, then follow the links to dive deeper into the areas that seem to catch your interest. Learn about the top video game careers, explore what they do, and discover which ones you should consider for your future career. Read more »
QA Testers find game bugs, then hand them over to the dev team to be fixed.
Of all the jobs in the game industry, Video Game Tester inspires the most excitement, curiosity, and passion. Maybe it’s the appeal of “getting paid to play games” (spoiler alert: testers don’t just play games all day). Or maybe it’s the dream of trading your soul-crushing job for a new career you’ll truly love.
Being a QA tester isn’t a top-paying job, but it’s not a bad way to earn a living. And it’s a common starting point for newbies to break into the game industry — in fact, I started my own career as a game tester, and used it as a foundation to build a successful (and, frankly, highly-paid) career making games.
But there’s a lot of bad information out there, including scammy websites that prey on the passion of young people. It’s hard to know what’s true, and what’s hype. That’s why I compiled this in-depth Q&A, based on my own career as a game tester, plus advice and insights from many other testers I’ve worked with over the years.
After reading it, if you still have questions about a career testing games, just ask me in the comments section below.
When young people dream of making video games, they usually think of becoming a game designer. Learning how to be a video game programmer isn’t usually on their radar, because most people don’t really understand what a game developer does. In fact, game programming can seem like a black art that’s too technical (and nerdy?) for the average person to understand.
But the truth is that anyone can learn to be a game programmer. And there’s something else you might not know about game programming: Video game programmers have, on average, the highest salaries of any development job in the game industry.
Now do I have your attention…?
How much do video game programmers make? And how much could you make as a game programmer?
When I was a kid, everybody dreamed of growing up to be an astronaut or firefighter, a ballerina or doctor. Things have really changed! Ask a modern kid what they want to become. Even the old standbys of “rock star” and “pro athlete” have been bumped off the wish list, replaced by something that once seemed out of reach: a job as a video game tester.
By now, most grown-ups know that getting a job as a video game tester doesn’t mean you sit around and play games. But it’s still a great way to break into the game industry. In fact, I’m the poster boy for starting as a tester. I began my career in quality assurance (another name for testing, or QA). Later I went on to become a designer and an engineer, and eventually a director in charge of multiple departments. I did go to school to learn programming, but only after I’d started my QA job.
After you’ve done your research on what a video game tester actually does, you may wonder about a more practical matter: What is an average video game tester salary? Read more »
When people find out that I work at a game studio, there’s always one or two in the group that excitedly explain how badly they want to become a video game designer. They love to play games, talk about games, and read news about games. Boy oh boy, they’re passionate about games!
I always encourage them to follow that passion. But I also temper it by describing what a brutally hard job it can be at times. Once their enthusiasm simmers down a bit, the next question is usually a little more practical: How much do video game designers make?
Is he really a viking? Is he actually crazy? Let’s find out.
Kris Durrschmidt is the co-founder, CEO and creative director of Crazy Viking Studios, an indie game development shop in the Seattle area. In the days just prior to completing his first major title, we spoke with him about life as a self-employed indie dev, the ups and downs of having complete creative control, and how to stay motivated.
In Part 2 of this interview, we’ll chat about running a Kickstarter, the future of the videogame industry, and advice for devs starting their careers in games. And – bonus! – the unsavory art portfolio that landed Kris his first industry job!
