Hey all, something’s been bothering me recently.
You see, I’d started working in games (as a programmer) in early 2010’s, in a third world country, where a producer who’s been making match 3’s and stuff in a local company decided to spin off and start their own outsourcing studio.
Their business plan was “let’s hire students for an ‘internship’, pay them meagerly, and sell them as if they were experienced developers to local businesses who think making games is easy”. I was thinking, “sure, I’m sort of being abused, but I get to work in games so it’s fine”.
Now I live in Europe, and when I participate in events and such, people - mostly students, but many adults with established careers in hospitality, restaurants, construction and such - sometimes come up to me and ask how can they start making games, too.
This is when I understand that my experience is severely lacking in this aspect: it’s outdated as it’s been 10 years since I started, and the business landscape in Europe seems very different from my slow hometown’s. There hasn’t been a new studio opening up there either, so I realize I was very very lucky to get from there to where I am now.
What are your stories of starting to work in games? No matter if you’re in the US, Europe, or another country such as myself.
I’m also in a 3rd world country and I’m struggling to break into the field. I’m currently making freelance educational webgames which is a pretty fun gig and pays decently but I haven’t reached a single interview for a full-time gamedev job from the start of this year. There are barely any gamedev companies where I live, and the few that do exist are usually gimmick companies that trick old investors. There’s a lot of VR/AR companies that have yet to produce a single game but keep talking about how it’s the future and need funding.
You would think the boom of work from home would mean I can find a remote job but every one of them is either “We need 5+ years of experience” or “You have to live in the US or EU to be accepted”. Doesn’t help that everyone I know is begging me to get a real job™ because I would land a software engineering job easily.
I’m not deterred though, I’ve been thinking of going full indie if things don’t look up. I just really love this field.
Hey, thanks for sharing! Happy to hear you got your foot in the door with freelancing at least - I’ve found that having contacts in the industry helps land future contracts and/or positions.
I know it isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but I’ve had to move countries a few times to finally be in Europe where many more opportunities are available, and my LinkedIn actually has some invites from time to time. Actually, the company I moved here for wasn’t even gamedev, although still interesting to work for (and willing to assist in relocation :)
Regarding your point of going indie, again, I can’t offer much advice from experience. All I can say is that I, personally, won’t even work in gamedev as I do now if I couldn’t support myself, to say nothing of going indie.
Hey,
My story is a bit similar to yours. Originally from developing country, went to the US for a post grad degree program in gamedev, and then started working for a few game startups upon eventually doing app development.
My recommendation? You already have a ton of experience compared to people who don’t have any. You may even know more than I do now! You also are probably more aware of the realities of the gaming industry in Europe, than me!
What I’m saying is don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure there are a lot of people who “envy” where you are.