Paid to Play

consider myself fortunate enough to make my living directly from the video game industry. That's right. I pay the bills by getting up in the morning, attempting to wear matching clothes, and then proceeding to work with video games all day in a high rise building in downtown Seattle. While it's a sweet gig, I wanted to write this commentary not to brag but to shed some light on what people might think is nothing but "fun and games," and perhaps to give a little advice.

First of all, I don't spend "all day playing games." As fun as that would be, I think I'd hate video games at the end of the day if I did. I work for a casual gaming developer/publisher in downtown Seattle, as I mentioned, so our demographic is a little different than, say, Bungie. However, for all intents and purposes, we function like any other studio. My day, in all honesty, is equal parts playing games and time spent in Excel. I spend time at my desk reading emails, writing reports, and attending meetings. In fact, as I walk around the office, no one spends their entire day simply playing games. If we did nothing that, we wouldn't have time to make them.

I pay the bills by getting up in the morning and working with video games all day long.If I'm making it sound too much like a typical office gig, trust me, it's not. How many offices do you know where people zip around the office on Razor scooters or play Rock Band and Galaga on their lunch breaks? It's serious business, but it's a lot of fun. I love my coworkers, who for me are the best part of my job. They represent all genres and sub-genres of gamers. Any gamer stereotype you can think of is represented in our halls, as well as people you would never guess would be gamers.

As I said, these people are what make the job so special to me. To look at us, you might think we are too silly or young to be working at a multi-million-dollar company. But when it's time for the ox to plow, we plow. I have never seen more dedicated, and hard working people in my life. These people are passionate about what they do, and it shows. Our customers love us, and they gobble up the games we release. It's a great feeling to be a part of the creative process, and then to see the results of the work we do reflected in people telling us how much fun they have playing our games. It's long hours, filled with deadlines, and can be pretty stressful at times. And yet, I wouldn't have it any other way.

So what's the point of all this? Why am I telling you all about my fabulous job? It's because I wish to share with you, my fellow gamers, what helped me get here. How did I land a job working for a respected game developer? Hopefully, what I have to share can help those who aspire towards making a living in the gaming industry reach that goal.

My coworkers are passionate about what they do, and it shows.While not every job is the same in the industry (some are writers, some are programmers, and some are artists), being tied into the industry in whatever way you can helps a great deal. I didn't go to school initially with the intent of working in the gaming industry, though I always loved gaming. As time went by, I found myself more and more interested in making my love of games into a career. So I started finding avenues with which to get experience in different areas of the industry. I started writing reviews and blogs for different sites, I became heavily involved in gaming forums, I attended and volunteered and trade shows, signed up for public beta testing, and did whatever else I could to be involved. In addition to all that, I taught myself useful skills such as Photoshop that could be listed on a resume. That's the rub, folks. Not everyone will go to college to work in the gaming industry, but some of us may still want to. The key is to be active and involved in the industry while you're not working it so that when you try to, people will take you seriously.

For some of us, gaming is a hobby, and will stay as such. For others, it's a career. Both are equally great, because at the end of the day we're all gamers. But if you want to get a foot in the door, my advice is to get active. Find an avenue you like, and work at it. Whether it's writing, illustrating, coding, whatever — get involved. There are plenty of ways to be involved in the industry without collecting a paycheck. That is, until your efforts land you a job, and then you start collecting one.