What types of jobs are available in the video game industry?

Joseph M: What types of jobs are available in the video game industry?
Are they similar to jobs in other media industries? How does one break into the field? I’m interesting in switching jobs (currently in business services) and have a passion for VG, but not sure what types of jobs are out there and how I can fit in.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Dan
Well, there are a couple options if you are referring to making games:
game design (things such as level design)
game programming (coding, graphic rendering, networking, etc)

One generally breaks into gaming fields with relevant degrees. However, it can still be exceedingly difficult. More and more universities are offering game degrees, or rather, software engineering degrees with an emphasis on game logic (I think UofMichigan and Texas offer that now…). Otherwise, there are other options which are equally if not more recognized like Full Sail and DigiPen

If you were looking at getting into the gaming field but not game development then you could start a fan site or become an editor for a gaming site.

Answer by Brandi C
It really depends on what you want to do. On the technical side are design and testing. For a designer you either need a degree or good experience as a video game designer. Testing (aka Quality Control) is another option, although it doesn’t pay as well. It usually doesn’t require a degree, but its helpful. You must have a passion for gaming and tons of experience playing the game that company makes. I have an aquantance who is a game tester for a very popular online game. Starting pay is only about $ 8 an hour, depending on education and experience, unless you speak and write a foreign language fluently, then you can make a little more. The good news is, you get to spend all day playing games and you can work your way up fairly easily.

Another option is to do something similar to what you are currently doing, with a company that makes the video games you love. You would be a great candidate for a job like that becuse you have business experience, but are also passionate about what they do. Like any other business they need accountants, HR, receptionists, mail clerks, janitors, etc. Once you are there you can express your desire to learn more about the area you are interested in, get some eduction in that field and eventually move in there.

Answer by Ryot
There are four basic areas of a game development team: design, programming, art, and level building, which are supported by production, Quality Assurance, customer service, sound design, marketing, business development, etc. Designers write up the details of every tiny aspect of the game and come up with the math to support it. Programmers take the written details from the designers and implement it using programming languages like C++ and/or in-house tools. Artists create the 3D art, animations, textures, etc for everything in the game. And level builders take assets created by the artists and create the physical layout of the world. Producers manage the entire project and keep everyone on schedule and on budget. Quality Assurance tests the game for bugs, and reports those back to development.

Getting into development can be very competitive, especially when it comes to design. For programming and art, you would need a degree in Computer Science and Fine Arts, respectively. But you might be able to move directly into the game industry in a business development role, depending on what your degree is in and what sort of work you’ve done up to this point. Business development, marketing, customer service, human resources, and recruiting are all important roles that every game studio needs to fill. Once you have your foot in the door, you might even be able to move into a Producer role, working directly with the development team, depending on your skills.

I would strongly recommend that you check out the job listings at Gamasutra.com. It requires registration (which is free), but you should definitely be registered with Gamasutra if you’re interested in getting into the game industry, anyway.

Good luck!