You’ve made the long journey. You’ve sold yourself in the interviews, taken long tests, and applied for all the things! You worked hard and received a job offer. Yay! Congratulations 🙂
Now what do you do?
Hold on, what? You mean there’s more to navigating the games industry than just getting a job? It’s true, dear reader. The video games industry is constantly growing and advancing, and like any growing industry comes a lot of change. In order to keep up with the versatile games industry, you will need to continue learning and building your skills, making connections, and playing games. Fret not, my friend! You got into this industry because you love it. These tasks should be welcomed with open arms.
Before I dig deep into these topics, let me introduce myself. Hello! I’m Ashley Poprik, but you can call me Ash. I’m a video game writer at BonusXP. I just recently entered the games industry. I worked real hard to get a games job, but soon realized my work wasn’t done yet. Working in the games industry is similar to working out a muscle. Say your goal is to lift 30 pounds in each hand with ease. Once you achieve that goal, you don’t just throw away the dumbbells, right? You have to keep going so you can KEEP lifting those 30 pound dumbbells, or better yet, learn to lift 35 pound dumbbells.
Alright, no more gym talk. Let’s chat about building your skills, first. Before you sigh and grab your wallet, let’s start off with something nice and free. Yes, free! My favorite price. You can find a LOT of great stuff on YouTube. I mean seriously, a wealth of knowledge is housed over there, asking for nothing in return but maybe a couple ads here and there. GDC posts a lot of their panels and talks on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. As a game writer, I personally enjoy Game Narrative Toolbox. Outside of YouTube you can find a lot of great knowledge and connections through organizations such as ATX GameMakers and EGaDS! If you’re down to spend some coin, there are lots of great books out there to check out. Anything that teaches you about games is worth reading, in my opinion. I really enjoy and recommend Mary Kenney’s Gamer Girls, which features 25 awesome women who helped shape the games industry. There’s a wealth of knowledge in this shorter, easy-to-digest book. Reading about these women made me feel like a more competent game developer in addition to being SUUUPER inspired. So yeah, read books. Then the more expensive but most involved option: take some masterclasses/workshops that will push you to keep growing. There are a variety of classes taught by industry professionals that will make sure you’re always on your A-game. For me, I took Susan O’ Connor’s Game Writing Masterclass and loved it. There are loads of ways to continue learning and building your skills as a game developer. Keep yourself sharp, soldier!
Let’s talk about connections. I can’t tell you how many times I hear this phrase: “Ugh, I hate networking. I wish I didn’t have to do it.” And that’s okay, because you don’t have to. You’re not networking, you’re making friends with someone who has something in common with you. We all want friends with similar interests so we can gush about what we love, right? We’ve all made friends with someone just from sharing a common interest. Holy crap, you love Mass Effect? I love Mass Effect! Let’s scream and yell about this forever now. Building your friendships is important. You want friends that have your back, just as you have theirs. This doesn’t have to be an in-person task, either. I’ve met so many people virtually who I’m honored to call my friends. Get yourself some game dev friends.
Finally, play some video games! I know it can be hard with a busy schedule, but you have to make time. Though it might not be part of your job’s description, you are absolutely expected to be playing games. If you need to, schedule some time out of your day to play a game. It could be as little as 20 minutes to play a round of Fall Guys. Just play something!
Whew, looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you. It’s going to be okay, though. Just do it a little bit at a time. Keep your game dev muscles moving and you’ll do just fine! Thanks so much for reading. If you’re based out of Austin and want to chat with me in person, I’ll be speaking at Austin Film Festival on October 29th: https://2022austinfilmfestivalconference.sched.com/event/1BpqN/interactive-storytelling-the-new-frontier Otherwise, feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn or Twitter. Till next time!