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Making video games can open a door to life-long creativity and learning.

If your child loves games and is showing interest in making one, why not help them get started? Learning how to modify existing games, or even make new ones, is a great way for kids to learn fun and useful skills like art, programming, and design.

It’s never too early to start nurturing your child’s talent and curiosity, so let’s look at some of the best online tools and resources for getting started. Then we’ll discuss some tips for helping them along successfully.

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By Posted in Culture, Tools No Comments

Need help coming up with an idea for your next project, portfolio piece, or game jam? Check out our Game Idea Generator. It’s a fun and easy-to-use tool to help you brainstorm your next big game concept.

With over 50 million unique combinations, you’ll definitely find inspiration for your next project. It combines various genres, settings, and themes — and then throws in a surprising twist, just to challenge your creativity with an outside-the-box constraint.

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Writing a game design document is often the first step to bringing your video game to life.

If you’re an aspiring game designer, you’ve probably heard about the importance of a Game Design Document (GDD). A GDD is like a blueprint for your game. It oulines everything from the story to the game mechanics, and can even include your thoughts about art style, game economy, and more.

In this article, we’ll dive into why a GDD is essential, who writes it and who reads it, the key sections in a GDD, and the steps you can take to get started writing the GDD for your game.

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Like any massive industry, the game industry has more than its share of acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon. Industry jargon helps people on the inside communicate more easily, but makes it hard for outsiders or newbies to understand what’s going on. How can you search for the information you need, if you don’t even know which terms to use?

If you’re new to the game industry, the glossary below will get you up to speed fast. It avoids “power user” jargon, instead focusing on the key terms you’ll need during your job search, or your first year on the job.

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What is visual scripting?

When making video games, sometimes it’s not desirable or practical to create everything using a programming language. That’s where visual scripting comes in. Visual scripting can be used to create in-game events and control game objects, but without writing any code. So instead of typing code in a language like C++ or C#, visual scripting lets you use an easy to use, drag-and-drop interface.

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By Posted in Applying 23 Comments

Do you want a job in the video game industry, but you don’t know where to apply? Then you’ve come to the right place – game companies post their job openings online just like any other company… if you know where to look.

It’s not always easy to find the job boards for game companies near you. Sometimes, it can feel like a game of Hide-and-Seek.

That’s why I’ve done the legwork for you. Below, you’ll find a list of job boards for the top game companies in 25+ countries around the world. Just click the job board link for the game studio you want, search their listings for a job you like, and hit “Apply.”

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By Posted in Careers No Comments
Uri Marchand - CEO and co-founder of Overwolf

In an industry as big as video games, there are many different ways to earn a living. That’s because each time a game company decides to make a new game, it creates hundreds — often thousands — of new jobs.

The most well-known are jobs in game development, employed directly by game companies. But there are many other jobs that I call “gaming ecosystem” jobs. They aren’t created by a game company — instead, they are powered by the community of passionate gamers. Ecosystem jobs include game journalists, streamers, e-sports athletes, commentators, modders, community builders, and others who earn a living advocating and supporting the game and its players.

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By Posted in Portfolio Advice, Tools No Comments

An artist building an online portfolio website
Which online portfolio site is right for you… and your budget?

Every artist needs an online art portfolio. Whether you’re applying to art schools or applying for a job, your artist portfolio site is your key to success.

But what if you don’t know how to build a website from scratch? Fortunately, it’s no longer 1995 — you don’t need to learn code to build a website. Instead, use one of the artist portfolio sites we’ve analyzed in this article. Each one lets you to build an online portfolio using pre-made templates, and then customize the look and layout using simple drag and drop.

But here’s the catch: There are currently seventeen (seventeen!) popular artist portfolio sites to choose from. They’re all pretty good, but they all offer a different mix of features and pricing, so it’s hard to compare them. Which one is the best for you? Read more »

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By Posted in Podcast, Tools 1 Comment

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Danielle, who asks “I’m looking to go into Game Design. Do you have a suggestion for the best laptop to use? What are some of the requirements a Game Designer would want in a computer?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why your choice of computer depends on your software
  • How to find out what type computer is needed for each game engine
  • How to make an informed choice for the best performance while you design games

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By Posted in Careers No Comments

A game programmer commits code from a pleasant, grassy field
When you work remotely, you could commit code from a grassy field and no one would ever know.

Gene Walters had his dream job: programming graphics and special effects for video games. What could be better?

Well, how about this: Programming graphics for video games… from home? No frustrating morning commute. No clatter and distraction of a hectic game studio. No need to slip out of your comfy pajamas. Doesn’t that sound even more perfect than perfect?

When Gene made the leap from an in-studio programmer to an at-home programmer, it was the solution to many problems – but it also caused new ones he didn’t expect. We’re speaking with him today to learn how he launched his at-home video game career, how he wrangles the ups and downs of remote employment… and why he might give it all up, if given the chance. Read more »

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