How to get into the video game industry

With the vast amounts of sectors and jobs available in the games industry, professionals seeking to pursue a career are tasked with the question – How do I get a job in the games industry?

According to Statista, revenue in the sector of video games is expected to reach up to $175million in 2022.

This article will serve as a useful resource in your search to landing a job in the games industry and provide a guide on – How to get into the video game industry!

Make Your Own Games

Employers require and often do prefer candidates with experience of making games or involved in any aspect of it. This can be quite difficult for most entry level candidates with no experience of this.

You can take online gaming development courses to improve your chances and earn certifications to add on your CV.

You can also get involved in, Game Jams – these are accelerated game development events where participants make a game in a short amount of time.

This will help to build up your portfolio and showcase your individual experience of creating games, even if you have not worked with a game studio.

Get to Blogging

Building a gaming blog shows your knowledge and passion!

You can start with creating a blog that features your experience of gaming, useful tips/tricks, reviews on newly released games. You can decide on what approach to take on your blog that showcases your own experience, which is key for employers.

Experts and employers alike in the industry may come across your blog, enjoy your content and reach out to you for potential collaboration opportunities.

*Creating a profile on Twitch/Discord also help to boost your social profile to employers — this is dependent on the sector you’re in.

Develop your Skill/Knowledge

The gaming industry consists of various sectors and finding a sector to work in is a perfect start to securing a role! You can work in programming, art, design, animation, marketing, sales, QA, finance, customer service, etc.

When you have decided on the right sector for you in terms of your experience, interests, future career goals, it’s best to develop your skill and knowledge of that sector. Think of it like a video game! If you are to defeat the final boss, you need to level up!

Search for key skills that employers are looking for in the sector you’d like to go in and try and develop your skills in line with this.

For example, if you’re in the programming sector, develop related skills like C++, practise work on Unreal/Unity, learning art programs like Maya or even becoming a boss on Adobe is great!

Internships/Entry Level Roles

If you’re completely new to the gaming industry with little experience, a great starting point for you will be to find available entry-level, internship roles that appeal to you.

Internships are usually offered year-round at the start of each year for the summer period. They offer a first-hand experience in a games environment and a useful way for deciding which sector you’d like to pursue.

Depending on your impression at the end of your internship, roles are often ended with full-time job offers!

Useful sources for securing entry-level, internships roles are gaming job boards like gamesjobsdirect.com, gamesindustry.biz.

If you’re at university, it’s also useful to get in touch with the employability team at your campus about opportunities, as they will have useful contacts you can refer to.

Another avenue to take is QA testing — this is an entry level way for candidates to enter the gaming sector!

You can also get in touch with gaming recruiters offering extensive experience with placing candidates in different sectors of the gaming industry — namedrop* Datascope recruitment.

We can help you in your search to finding out how to get into the video game industry.