When it comes to work, they say do what you love. Still, the path from loving gaming to making it a career seems impossibly treacherous and shrouded in mystery for many.
While it’s easy to sit down and talk to someone who’s a teacher, doctor or sales rep, people who make their living out of video games can seem far harder to come by.
But that’s where we come in. If you’re looking at your future and want to incorporate your love for video games into that, look no further.
We will dive into the options available, what they incorporate and what you need to study if that’s the path you want to take.
We’ll update this post occasionally, so check back to stay current with the latest information.
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Why You Should Consider A Career In Gaming – The Facts
As of 2023, the video game industry is worth around $184 billion or R3,4 trillion. Over the last few years, the industry has seen significant growth thanks to the rise of mobile gaming, esports, and the increasing popularity of streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube.
Reports indicate that this growth is expected to continue over the coming years, driven by advancements in technology such as virtual and augmented reality, the release of new and improved gaming consoles and demand for more immersive experiences.
Because the Video Game industry is now the most significant entertainment industry in the world, worth more than the movie and music industries combined, the demand for people who want to work in the video game space has never been higher.
There are also over 2,000 video game design schools worldwide. From online courses to traditional four-year college programs, many ways exist to learn the necessary skills.
It’s also never too late to try something new. The average age of a video game designer is between 30 and 40 years old – you just have to figure out what you want to do and then start developing the skills needed.
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Okay, I’m Sold. Now, What Can I Do?
Because of how big the Video Game Industry is and the diverse nature of the business, the available jobs in the industry are almost endless, making the process of finding out what exactly you want to do overwhelming.
However, when you break it down, most jobs and paths can be grouped into just a few broader job families. The core families are listed in the image above.
Now, let’s break some of the available positions down.
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Video Game Designer / Developer
Video Game Designers and Developers are the most specialist of all the jobs in the industry, and those wanting to pursue this path for themselves will need to have a profound and comprehensive understanding of video games.
Game developers can have a variety of specialities, including design, art, and programming. In addition to various specialisations, game developers might specialise in different gameplay devices, such as consoles or mobile.
Developers design the software that makes games work like the designers envisioned using programming languages like C++, C#, or Java.
The type of work the Video Game Developers and Designers will spend their time doing include:
- Advocating for their ideas and designs with producers, programmers, and artists
- Analysing competitors’ games to understand both their strengths and shortcomings firmly
- Constantly write game design documents to help get your idea out to the team
- Design game levels and gameplay mechanics
- Work in software such as Microsoft Excel, XML editor, or custom tools to create or tweak the numeric data that drives gameplay
- Run the game to test your source code and make sure it works as intended, and make changes/fixes if it doesn’t work
- Receive bug reports from the QA testers and attempt to fix the issues that they’ve discovered
- Implement game features, debug systems, optimise performance, and translate the player’s actions into game results
If you’re someone with a knack for understanding what makes games work, then Video Game Designer or Developer could be your job.
However, starting as a Video Game Designer or Developer is a challenge, with many starting as QA Testers or Production Assistants and then moving up the ranks or just starting up their own Indie company and designing their games.
If you want to pursue game design or development, some of the needed skills are:
- Unity
- Adobe Illustrator
- Python
- C#
- Games Art and Design
Places you can get the skills you need:
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Video Game QA Tester
One of the best ways to break into the Video Game industry if you want to work on games is to start as a QA Tester. It gives you a great way to discover first-hand how game studios work and the intricacies of how games are made.
Many who start as QA testers will become producers, artists, designers, or programmers. However, this might not be your career if you expect to sit around and play games all day.
Most of your time as a QA Tester will be spent struggling through games that are still under construction, and it’s your job to point out all the bugs and missing content.
The type of work QA Testers will spend their time doing include:
- Play early builds, looking for issues
- When you find a problem, figure out how to make it happen predictably
- Type up an issue report that details the case along with steps to reproduce it
- Submit the report to the game team so they can fix the problem
If you want to pursue QA Testing, some of the needed skills are:
- Maths knowledge for understanding programming
- Analytical thinking skills for software testing
- To be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
Places you can get the skills you need:
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Video Game Artist / Animator
Getting in the door as a Video Game Artist / Animator is tricky because you need to be able to do the work and have a style that fits with what the video game designer envisions for the project.
Video Game Artist / Animator jobs are also diverse, with many different areas for you to specialise in.
Areas you can work in:
- Environment Artist: Create the landscapes and building architectures of the game worlds
- Character Modeler: Create 3D models of the game’s characters and enemies
- Character Animator: Take the models from the Character Modeler and create the animations that bring them to life
- Concept Artist: Envision and plan the look and feel of the game’s worlds and characters
- User Interface (UI) Artist: Design and draw the menus, heads-up display, and other navigational components of the game
If you want to pursue Video Game Artist / Animation, some of the needed skills are:
- Autodesk Maya
- Adobe Photoshop
- Understand how to draw
- Coding knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
- 3ds Max
- After Effects
Places you can get the skills you need:
Video Game Writer
Being a video game writer is another diverse and essential field. In game development, the narrative can transform a game into something unforgettable, and the ability to craft the story, dialogue and lore all falls into a writer’s hands.
Alternatively, you could also follow the journalism path and work adjacent to the industry, covering all the latest news, writing reviews and creating a plethora of video game-related content.
Regardless of which path you take, the type of work writers will spend their time doing includes:
- Develop the game’s overarching narrative, including plot, character arcs, and world-building
- Write engaging dialogue for characters and ensure their personalities and relationships come through well
- Work with game designers, artists, and programmers to weave the story into the gameplay
- Create in-game texts including lore entries, item descriptions, quest logs, — whatever is needed to deepen the game world and background
- Review and edit game scripts, checking for consistent tone, style, and quality from start to finish
- Do research into current trends
- Produce news in a timely and informative manner
If you want to pursue writing, some of the needed skills are:
- Deep understanding of storytelling techniques
- Screenwriting
- Creative writing
- Journalism
Places you can get the skills you need:
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Professional Gamer / Streamer
If you’re someone who has a passion for gaming, a lot of skills or a personality others can’t help but enjoy, then looking at either a professional gamer position or becoming a streamer could be for you.
While the chances of becoming a full-time professional gamer are about the same as becoming a professional athlete, some people have the talent to make this a reality.
If you have the skill and are willing to put in the hours to practice each day, becoming a professional eSports player could be for you.
South Africa is home to Mettlestate, a premium eSports and gaming authority that offers consulting, activations and live events across the country, and if you think you have what it takes, getting in touch with them or participating in one of their many competitions could be a great way to get your foot in the door.
Alternatively, starting a YouTube or Twitch channel to showcase your skills, passions, or personality could help.
Places you can get the skills you need:
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While the gaming industry worldwide and in South Africa might seem like this unattainable dream, it’s not. So long as you’re willing to work on the skills you need and put yourself out there, you’ll see it’s no different than trying to find work in any other industry.
If you’re looking for job openings, LinkedIn can be a great resource, as can Hitmarker.
Alternatively, putting together a portfolio, contacting the places you want to work and seeing what you can do to make that happen is also a great way to get the ball rolling.
If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below. Let’s all support each other to find our place in this exciting and diverse industry that some of us are lucky to call home.