Into Games are amazing! If you're new to the games industry or want to join, you should definitely check out Into Games on the Careers Stage at WASD.
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For me, I simply wouldn't have the time to commit to a job like this. I mean it looks fun, but the time requirements for a lot of these jobs are very intensive.
It does seem really intense, but I imagine it can be very creatively fulfilling. It's great to see the barriers to entry coming down a bit, but time requirements will always be a hurdle.
My undergrad was a games tech course, but aside from a few little projects here and there, I've not really done a lot with it. In my free time I support a local uni game dev society, so I get to live vicariously through them! 😄
Yeh it's something I'd love to do but also being away from my kids for that long after spending years working away is not something I feel I can do tbh
That's completely understandable and Martin's reply shares a similar concern. Joining the games industry can be difficult when you're not a recent graduate, and even then it's so competitive.
I think of it like being a creator on YouTube, Twitch etc, where it's best to have a stable income to support content creation / game dev as a passion.
Making and publishing games via itch.io is a great way to build a portfolio, get feedback from actual players, and potentially make a little bit money.
I used to travel worldwide for work then we started having kids, I spent two years again working away and my wife didn't like it, I think her exact words were "If I wanted to be single, I'd never have married you" So I got the point.
This is something that will be very hard for me to achieve although it is my ultimate life goal.
I'm 50 (give or take a couple of months). Every presentation I have seen is always aimed at students. The one time I was in one and a mature individual asked the question - how can get into the industry as a mature individual - the answer was terrible and unhelpful, obvious the presenter was not prepared for someone over a certain age, make contacts was there response. I regret not stepping up and offering to talk with the individual in question..
I will always be on the show floor until the time I can no longer play but after that I have avoided almost all presentations. Others I have joined are still very biased and from a certain perspective...
I guess I am just too old...
... gaming agesim at it's best, unfortunately it's everywhere including the show floor...
I'm sorry to hear that, it sounds like it's been tough.
What would your ideal role be in the games industry? You don't have to share specifics, but does your work history relate to that role?
Rather than competing against the sheer volume of new graduates, you might be better going for something a little more senior based on your non-games roles.
I'd recommend joining local game dev Discord or Slack servers. These can be excellent ways to ask for tips, share resources, and to network. Some of them host or participate in gamejams, and these are a great way to bond with industry folk while working on content for your portfolio.
I wouldn’t say it’s been tough, more frustrating really.
What I do and what can be transferred over to game development – that’s a tricky one. I work as a “data analysist” but I don’t analyse. I create, automate, and support tools for salespeople to manage their portfolios. I know a few languages – SQL, C# (including Unity), JS (to a point), VBA (office automation) and some others.
I’ve spent time on Discord and Forums a lot in the past, only really end up with people looking for someone with experience to guide them, no plan or idea what they want to do.
I’ve offered up my data skills, but most aren’t interested, they are happy with what they get through there framework or sales portal.
I’ve settled for the fact it will take a lot more work than I have time for to find a role I am happy with. Instead, I have started writing up everything (what I can) I know and uploading it to GitHub and will help anyone who asks for it.
That's really interesting! How would you feel working at a publisher?
I spent a bit of time as a contractor working with small- to mid-sized publishers, and the marketing teams a fair amount of time browsing Steam, GoG, Epic etc. There are definitely more effective ways to automate that, so it sounds like it could be a good crossover.
Essentially it'd be pulling data from platform APIs into custom dashboards, which they can use to analyse sales and user data to better plan their marketing.
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