How to turn your love of video games into a profession: 3 ways that work

Last year was a breakthrough year for the world game development. The volume of the games market for the first time reached $ 177.8 billion, and according to experts, in 2023 it will approach the $ 200 billion mark. This data clearly shows that video game addiction can be a lucrative profession. There are several paths leading into the industry - surely among them there is one that is right for you.

1. Begin creating games

You can knock on a studio that makes products you like. Pay attention to the development profile of the company, because the game is different from the game. Some studios are engaged in desktop applications, others - on mobile, others create projects for consoles, and the fourth - online products or casuals for social networks. You should immediately understand your own genre preferences. If you're a die-hard fan of shooters like Call of Duty or arcade games like Need for Speed, you're unlikely to be drawn to creating social simulators like Love City.

In recent years, many companies have felt the trend towards gami cation. Banks, manufacturers of goods, publishing houses acquire their own game development departments, and specialists are also needed there.

Game Designer

This is a person who literally creates a game from scratch. His activity begins with the preparation of the concept of the future product, thinking over the mechanics, characters, locations, graphics and plot. He also deals with management: he chooses a framework for work, a way to set deadlines, criteria for evaluating effectiveness. In addition, the game designer must have an understanding of the main platforms for which the game is being created and know what tools and technologies may be needed.

The developer

The eternal technical companion of a game designer, turning all his ideas into code. In addition to virtuoso programming, such a specialist must understand the specifics of Unity or Unreal engines, optimize 2D and 3D games, and know English. Both a graduate of a specialized university and a self-taught person can become a gameplay developer. The main thing is a good portfolio and boundless love for algorithms.

UX / UI designer

UX (user experience) is user experience design and UI (user interface) is user interface design. The task of UX / UI designers is to make the finished product in such a way that it makes you want to enter the game again and again. To become a specialist in this area, you need to be at least professional in Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketch and Figma, and at the most, have a good understanding of behavioral psychology.

Screenwriter

In game development, this specialist thinks over the plots, dialogues and even the characters of the characters. Quite often, especially in small companies, he has to combine verbal creativity with the work of a game designer, so he cannot do without knowledge of the features of engines and game mechanics. Also, the screenwriter must have a lot of observation, understand how his audience lives, and (ideally) speak English.

Illustrator

The specialist who is responsible for visualizing all ideas. He paints characters and locations with shadows, perspective, colors and details. In addition, the illustrator creates materials for advertising and merchandise: covers, banners and stickers.

Animator

Game dev puppet. It animates 2D and 3D models of characters drawn by the illustrator, endows them with special features: gait, facial expressions, signature movements. To become an animator, you have to be very meticulous and actually merge with a rather complex software: 3ds Max, Maya and Blender.

Tester

The evil troll of any development team, but without him the product will never be released. This is a specialist who looks for bugs and obvious inconsistencies of the game with user requests - in general, he is constantly trying to break what his colleagues have created. By the way, you can become a tester without particularly deep technical knowledge. You just need to love to play and understand a little about the entire inner workings of the project.

Bonus for those who don't want to depend on a big studio: an indie game maker

Are you a jack of all trades and can't stand "big and friendly" teams? Perhaps the role of an indie developer is right for you. Indie games are created by one person or a very tiny team. Many people like them precisely because of their simplicity and lightness. But there is one problem: the market is so oversaturated that it is difficult to attract players even to a very cool project, but not promoted by the publisher.

2. Promote a game product

After the project is released, the promotion team takes over. She has to perform a million small and large tasks in order for the game to reach the consumer and start making a profit. Professionals use PR, marketing and sales techniques, build communities, collect feedback and set up monetization. Therefore, the success and popularity of the game largely depends on them.

Many easily move into this category of professions from other industries, because deep knowledge in development is not needed here. For example, a marketer will have to deal with the usual promotion, but adjusted for the specifics of the gaming industry. However, in order to quickly understand the intricacies of game development, it is worth taking the appropriate courses.

Game Analyst

Master of metrics, tables and examinations. It collects and researches data that helps develop the game - from problems with completing levels to the effectiveness of ad placement. The game analyst calculates what will happen to the product in the long term, works with focus groups, conducts A / B testing - in general, helps the team answer the question "Where can you make money in this game?"

Marketer

These sales and advertising sharks are engaged in promoting the title, expanding the target audience, watching what is happening with competitors, releasing promotional materials, looking for influencers and churning out creatives.

Community Manager

A specialist who works with the player community. A community manager is a human orchestra: he can combine the duties of a copywriter, marketer, SMS, event manager, technical support specialist, psychologist and top player. He collects opinions, works out comments, reacts to negativity, and sometimes just talks heart to heart with fans of the game. Such activities are suitable for people who really really like to communicate.

3. Make money on ready-made games

Game projects can also generate income for those who do not see the point for themselves to participate in their creation. If you just love to play and do it well, try turning your hobby into a profession.

Streamer

Organizer and main player of online broadcasts. With luck, streaming can be a source of income: subscriptions, ads and generous donations from viewers bring in very good income.

Game influencer

In fact, he is a blogger, but at the same time a deep expert in game development. If you really have something to say and show, then, as they say, like it, write comments, press the bell.

ESportsman

A professional gamer who participates in championships and competitions. By the way, Russia became the first country that decided to recognize esports as an official sport.

Dreaming of working in the gaming industry, but not sure where to start? Then join with the participation of leading gamedev experts, which will be held on the website of the Russian society "Knowledge" on October 15th. The speakers will tell you how to become a professional in the field of game creation and build a successful career.

Game development is the main theme of the annual international career guidance campaign "IT Knowledge Day", which is a partner of the Russian Society "Knowledge". The initiative is being implemented with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, projects of the VK ecosystem, Russian universities and technology companies.

The broadcast can also be watched on and on October 15 from 08:00 to 14:00 Moscow time.