How to become a game developer

Getting a job

To get a job in the game development industry is easy, and hard. Yes, it’s a paradox. But it depends on your skills and previous experience. And sometimes it requires a pinch of luck.

For individuals that have a relevant education and worked in the industry for a few years, it’s often easy to find a new job. For individuals that just got their degree in a game development related education, or a closely associated education, it can be somewhat tricker. And for individuals without previous experience in the games industry, and without a degree closely associated with game development, it can be very hard to get a job.

One reason individuals without a game specific education find it difficult to get the first job in the games industry, regardless of the amount of experience from other industries, is in part because employers aren’t always used to validating the skills you have. One way to overcome this hurdle can be to build a portfolio to showcase your game relevant skills. This can be done by participating in game jams, and working on projects in your spare time.

Career switching

Individuals that have plenty of experience from an industry other than game development, can still find it challenging to get a first job in games. Though it’s getting ever more common that individuals make the switch to games without needing to go retrain. This is true for most jobs in the games industry, both those indirectly working on the games (such as HR or marketing staff) and those directly involved in the development (such as programmers or artists).

In recent years, an increasing number of individuals have started to work in the games industry after a successful career in another industry. This is a very welcome development as the industry greatly benefits from being made up of individuals with various backgrounds. As well as, of course, there is a labor shortage, and the games industry needs to be able to embrace individuals with all kinds of experiences.

The industry very much encourages individuals from other professional backgrounds to apply for jobs in the games industry, but we also ask those to bear with us as we learn how to validate your skills and how to best bring you onboard.

From developer to game developer

Listen to Max Nielsen's inspiring journey - how he made the switch from working as a developer to becoming a game developer with his own studio, and how he's now making a success with Fabledom! Interview by Spelskaparna, in Swedish.

Listen to Max's journey

You're needed

The good news for anyone aiming for a job in the games industry, is that there’s a shortage of game developers all over the world. In Mamö and South Sweden specifically, game studios are expected to add thousands of new employees in the next few years - literally. The biggest needs are in the three major skill types for game development: programming, art, and game design. So getting an education in one of these fields gets you a long way.

Your gender doesn’t matter for your employability. The industry is currently predominantly male, but there are many initiatives encouraging women and marginalized genders to pursue a career in game development as the industry is aware of the gender imbalance, and actively works to change it. Together with our members, Game Habitat have made it one of our top priorities to accomplish a more gender balanced workforce in our region’s games industry.

Start small and grow

It can be more difficult to get a job at bigger well-known studios, compared to smaller less-known studios. So if you have a hard time landing your dream job at a big studio, adjust your aim and start at a smaller studio to gain experience.

What about salary, does working in game development pay well? Obviously, what you earn depends a lot on your specific role and your amount of experience, but in general, salaries in the games industry are competitive compared to other tech heavy or creative industries.

Stack your CV

As in many other professions, it can sometimes be tricky to get started. However, if you get a relevant degree, and build your portfolio, you’re in a great position to land your first job in the games industry. And once you’re in, you’ll likely be able to remain in the game development industry for as long as you want.

To summarize further, if you’re looking for a change in your career and wish to switch to games, indulge in anything game related to get up to speed with the particulars of game development, and build your portfolio to increase your chances of a successful switch.

Being your own employer

Apart from getting a job at an existing game studio, many game developers pursue their dream of starting their own studio to release their own game. Very small teams can create very successful games - creatively speaking, as well as financially. So, getting a job in the industry can also be about creating your own job. This is perhaps especially true if you possess one or several of the core game development skills and therefore are able to develop a game by yourself or together with a smaller team.

Having run your own game studio generally also increases your attractiveness to employers should you wish, or need, to apply for a job at another game studio in the future. This is especially true for programmers and artists, but for instance designers and producers from small studios might find it trickier to make the swap to a bigger studio.

Pro tip

A good way to set yourself up for landing your first job in games, is to network with people already working in the industry. We highly recommend attending events, joining Discord servers, and do anything else you can to make industry connections and to marinate yourself in game development.

Start by joining Game Habitat's community Discord to stay up to date with what's happening in the regional industry, and have a look at upcoming game dev events!

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