So, let’s begin by fully starting with the fact that I am a game artist. There will be other paths that you will be able to take depending on your role, and we’ll get into that as we explore further, but for now, let’s take a look at getting into the game dev scene from the standpoint of a creative role.
Most recently, I worked as a paid intern for a company called SoupCorp Games as one of their artists. I snagged the role about a year after committing fully to finding a job in the industry, and it serves as my first paid role for a fully-formed studio.
While I did not have an art majors or degrees, I did work by commission for freelance work for several years while in school and participated in over 8 game jams (more on that later) and did work for several indie studios as volunteer work as well. This was ESSENTIAL in landing my position and creating my portfolio.
The very first thing is don’t quit your day job. The game industry is highly sought after and unless you have been signed onto a stable full-time position, don’t quit your job to focus on making games. Discipline is important and you should be tackling the game dev growth cycle in your free or off-time (though make sure you have time for your own wellbeing, too). I worked and continue to work in non-game design fields while also working an in-industry job for the stability of pay, especially in the current market.
Do create a LinkedIn. We’ll talk about how this is set up in later chapters, but LinkedIn is THE growth network for the game industry outside of actual in-person meets, and even then remains on top. I completely remade mine following leaving my previous employer so I could focus specifically on what I wanted.
The current market for the game industry is difficult, even for seasoned professionals. Stay optimistic, but do recognize that this might not be a potential full-time source of income right off the bat. That being said, indie studios and passionate creators have more ways in and more resources than ever, and I believe they truly are paving the way for the industry as a whole.
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