What's it's really like to work in Game industry

"You get paid to play games all day?" Everyone thinks the video game industry is just fun and games. I'm here to tell you it's not. It complex software development and problem solving with a twist. Not only do you have to make a solid software program, on time, on budget. You also have to make sure its fun. Building games is hard enough. Building a game that is fun and makes money is even harder.
Discover all the different positions that have to come together to make a hit video game. Learn the differences of working at AAA publisher, a developer to a startup indie studio. The highs, the lows, the late nights, where we harvest unicorn tears and lots of caffeine. Did I mention caffeine? Over my 20 years in video games I have seen it all, and lived to talk about. Please come with questions, prepared to laugh and learn why we don't get paid to play games all day.

Пікірлер: 177

  • @realfantasygames6027
    @realfantasygames60277 жыл бұрын

    Been an indie developer is far more gratificant than work for others, you create your ideas your stuff as you really like.

  • @bladelazoe
    @bladelazoe6 жыл бұрын

    I see a lot of comments from people that the moment they realize the truth about the game industry, it just turns them off, I watched the entire video and even though his warnings are probably legit, I still want to do this. Everything he said whether good or bad makes me want to do this even more.

  • @blacklyfe5543

    @blacklyfe5543

    5 жыл бұрын

    Facts me too

  • @had1t1x85

    @had1t1x85

    5 жыл бұрын

    I'd like to do this too one day, just to see what it's like

  • @davidkreidler5462

    @davidkreidler5462

    5 жыл бұрын

    Same

  • @MrFIRESEAL117

    @MrFIRESEAL117

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@had1t1x85 a glutton for punishment I see.

  • @maybewownow156

    @maybewownow156

    4 жыл бұрын

    You smoking that shit

  • @BravoSixGoingDark
    @BravoSixGoingDark7 жыл бұрын

    No wonder there are so many Indie games these days. That makes alot of sense.

  • @steve00alt70

    @steve00alt70

    7 жыл бұрын

    the mentality is shifting now its not like old skool mentality anymore

  • @xaby996

    @xaby996

    5 жыл бұрын

    Big publishers aren't required anymore for indie games. Just look at UE4. Easy to learn hard to master. Games built for multiple platforms

  • @ThatOneGuy0006
    @ThatOneGuy00067 жыл бұрын

    Shock horror! A game design job is a fucking job!!!

  • @kelzthahitman

    @kelzthahitman

    6 жыл бұрын

    So Spooky! So is the Music Industry!

  • @koolkat8639
    @koolkat86398 жыл бұрын

    I wanted this video to last longer, very informative, thank you for posting this up.

  • @ProGamerWoW1
    @ProGamerWoW16 жыл бұрын

    13:15 "How did you manage so many projects at once?" "Speed, caffeine"

  • @Madlv1714

    @Madlv1714

    6 жыл бұрын

    So Meth and Coffee

  • @irislafontaine6287

    @irislafontaine6287

    5 жыл бұрын

    I thought it was funny that it seemed like he said it to elicit a few chuckles, but he got total silence.

  • @alianajacobs5703
    @alianajacobs57036 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for this insights, it's very informative!

  • @andrewpadilla5732
    @andrewpadilla57327 жыл бұрын

    GREAT VIDEO!,IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND PUT'S THE SPOTLIGHT ON SUBJECT'S AND ANSWER'S QUESTION'S THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE WHO HOLD AN INTEREST IN THE INDUSTRY! AGAIN GREAT VIDEO!

  • @Larkinchance
    @Larkinchance7 жыл бұрын

    What you are describing is what Hollywood does when it produces a big budget motion picture. It is about commerce and profit. Corporate demands perverts the artist in the name of profit. Not everyone wants a first person shooter with incredibly detailed graphics.. This just one direction. I am in favor of independents. Markus Persson who developed Minecraft is a great example of what can be done outside of the corporate system..

  • @chern0ble377

    @chern0ble377

    7 жыл бұрын

    Larkinchance Notch is a sellout who couldn't rise to the challenge of being the ultimate exception that an indie developer couldn't be successful and gave the game to a giant corporation and proved that game developers shouldn't care about their creations and should just sell them when the opportunity arrives

  • @Larkinchance

    @Larkinchance

    7 жыл бұрын

    lone Thank you for responding.. I do agree, Markus is a sell out. But he and his small crew produced a game that is incredibly successful and self marketed, download only. Microsoft paid Notch 3 billion because I believe that they want it for back door data collection. I wished that he didn't sell to Microsoft because they are evil. In any event Notch and his small crew has proven that it can be done outside of the corporate system and new and young game developers should not worry about getting that job at Blizzard. Start small. Just look at the crew that developed the first Doom. Don't look for the right company, look for the talented people and join them. Finally, Notch has a 20 million dollar house in the Hollywood hills, a Bugatti in the driveway and dozens of goldbrickin whores climbing the hill to his house. Everyone around him is a sycophant or a hustler. He's miserable and wants to go home. He is proving to himself that money isn't everything. I wrote him a note and suggested that he roll up his sleeves and go back to work. Richard Gariott is another one who like Faust, sold his soul to the devil. I believe that art is more important that money... Just try to tell that to an account executive.

  • @infinitesimotel

    @infinitesimotel

    7 жыл бұрын

    The big lie is that you think you need the industry to get anywhere. Bullshit. Talent and work show itself. Build your own empire, don't get absorbed into some giant mediocre mass. Make your own mark.

  • @devjitpaul1191
    @devjitpaul11915 жыл бұрын

    god i wish my college had teachers like this guy, my maya teacher doesn't know what the wedge tool is, he told me model a ac vent. by hand.

  • @Neventual
    @Neventual7 жыл бұрын

    I know "Evil Geniuses" password.

  • @N0biKn0bi

    @N0biKn0bi

    5 жыл бұрын

    I guess it's the answer to life, the universe and everything.

  • @jERRYNvideos
    @jERRYNvideos7 жыл бұрын

    Very informative video, thank you :). Please could you post links in descriptions to books and other sources you mentioned? And also, if someone has a question, we can't hear it. So please, before you answer that question, could you repeat it?

  • @FREDDYDOG911
    @FREDDYDOG9116 жыл бұрын

    If you're watching this video and immediately thinking along the lines of "I don't want to do that", you'd better rethink entering this industry or at least the sector you want to work in, within it (Indie, AA+ etc.). Now with that said, being concerned about working such extreme hours relative to the pay you'll get, definitely makes sense and no one really wants that. But that's why alongside your soft and technical attributes, one very important trait you need to inherit or immediately exhibit, is a great ambition for video game creation. If you don't have a passion for making games, you're going to find It very difficult to be motivated during the creative process, you're going to find it difficult to recharge after stressful work hours, justifying sacrifices will be difficult and overall you may possibly fail to recognize the reward of what you make/made. That's why game studios like Naughty Dog, Bethesda, EA, Guerrilla Games, Kojima Productions, Konami, Nintendo, Ubisoft et cetera, that dispense AA+ titles always take that heavily into consideration during the interviewing process as well as your other abilities of course. If you still remain unsure of your ambition though, I'd advise that you take a computer science program so that you have an exit strategy if the industry isn't compatible with what you want. Realistically, it's most of the AA+ studios that are raided by the problems he's describing and not much with indie development companies. But in general, It's a very important ability you have to elicit in order to maintain your sanity when in the game industry.

  • @sterlthepearl1000
    @sterlthepearl10004 жыл бұрын

    Thank You for uploading to this Marvelous Website, at KZread. When one is a Gamer, they can live a 1,000 life's.

  • @ruler_of_everything
    @ruler_of_everything4 жыл бұрын

    i can't believe this dude just gets paid to play games all day

  • @PWN-GAMING
    @PWN-GAMING4 жыл бұрын

    Awesome talk!

  • @Yipper64
    @Yipper642 жыл бұрын

    5:45 that sounds like a challenge. I will make an attempt to, one day. Map the analogue stick to the mouse, onscreen keyboard, it could be done.

  • @Franku40keks
    @Franku40keks Жыл бұрын

    16:19 that was Bizarre Creations. They made Blur which was awesome.

  • @okamichamploo
    @okamichamploo11 ай бұрын

    My school boasted a 99% employment rate for graduates. I know maybe 2 people from my graduating class that got jobs in the game industry. Most of the others ended up working at arcades or convenience stores. I guess the 99% employment rate just meant you will get "a job", any job, after graduating.

  • @purplenakedladies4756
    @purplenakedladies47567 жыл бұрын

    I would join just for the caffeine

  • @ronaldckrausejr7762
    @ronaldckrausejr77625 жыл бұрын

    Imagine the budgets of games such as the COD series or what GTA6 will be like. The downturn, enjoy it while it lasts. For the next generation consoles one will have to have numerous computer servers which will cost in excess of one hundred thousand a piece. Not that rare, but this will exclude a lot of people who want to get into the game from something besides a large company. Not all that far down the road will require hardware that will be leased out; even on a per hour basis - from companies such as CRAY

  • @gaming_loungebj4540
    @gaming_loungebj45403 жыл бұрын

    I love all advanced techics and talk with like minded smart coworkers and generate money with our creative mindsets .

  • @Yipper64
    @Yipper642 жыл бұрын

    9:45 bargin bin titles, but hey, its still like full releases, not quite indie stuff here.

  • @Js103036
    @Js1030368 жыл бұрын

    I wanted to be in the game industry, i even have an associates degree in game design, but it seems the corporate world has take over it. I remember making fun mods on UT2 and UT3. I even use to visit TimeGame studios which doesn't exist any more (makers of section8 and Fear). The game industry was very small, immature, and the word gamer didn't even exist. I think the game industry was even more fun, free, and collaboration friendly back then. It seems everything now-a-days is about profit and little about experimentation and new ideas. I've stuck to being indie and find being indie is where the old school has been give a rebirth to creative design and free forming ideas.

  • @Js103036

    @Js103036

    8 жыл бұрын

    True that. I'm working on an indie project right now as we speak.

  • @miguelpereira9859

    @miguelpereira9859

    7 жыл бұрын

    Are you having a good experience? I'ce heard that the INDIE scene can be very tough too.

  • @Js103036

    @Js103036

    7 жыл бұрын

    Oh boy has it been a hard road so far. You get use to things breaking and not working the way it's suppose to. I think the most difficult is project and team management.

  • @Larkinchance

    @Larkinchance

    7 жыл бұрын

    What you are describing is what Hollywood does when it produces a big budget motion picture. It is about commerce and profit. Corporate demands perverts the artist in the name of profit. Not everyone wants a first person shooter with incredibly detailed graphics.. This just one direction. I am in favor of independents. Markus Persson who developed Minecraft is a great example of what can be done outside of the corporate system..Unfortunately Minecraft has been purchased by Microsoft who is already monetizing and reining in the mod-community..

  • @Js103036

    @Js103036

    7 жыл бұрын

    Most agreed. It's also the difference between Japanese games and western games. Japan is adaptable to making changes in graphics so that they can perhaps focus on gameplay for a core audiences of a specific genre. An example of this that I've discovered for them it can be about how they can challenge or improve the quality of gameplay from other games that already exist and to create originality or absurdity to make their games stand out. Obviously we don't to this in the western world because companies fear it will not capture the mainstream audience looking for the next best thing, not to mention it can potentially question a company's reputation. I would agree that if We Love Katamari came out by a western audience, it probably would have been demonized (yet perhaps still loved in japan).

  • @skizee1630
    @skizee16302 жыл бұрын

    I never thought it was just playing games

  • @chowder5901
    @chowder59017 жыл бұрын

    Is it bad that even after all that, it still seems very exciting to work in the games industry? I live for the crunch, that stress of always running around and not knowing exactly what is going to go wrong. What job specifically best fits that?

  • @FeelLikeGastly

    @FeelLikeGastly

    6 жыл бұрын

    Chowderp sounds like a perfect opportunity for computer science. Maybe something like working on new face recognition software or joining an indie game company

  • @katie-st8nx

    @katie-st8nx

    6 жыл бұрын

    way less money then any other programming job and way less appreciation

  • @diegoacosta8550

    @diegoacosta8550

    6 жыл бұрын

    Nuclear reactor meltdown specialist.

  • @AdamSaeed
    @AdamSaeed6 жыл бұрын

    I'm willingly watching this video and getting excited about it every minute although it's a full lecture (50min). What do you think guys, should I sign up for it?

  • @bladelazoe

    @bladelazoe

    6 жыл бұрын

    Right? most people got discouraged from all the legit warning signs about the industry that you will face, and I'm just sitting here thinking....Now I DEFINITELY want to work in the industry. Like I never once thought....oh so that's how it is, nvm outa here. Nope I actually got more excited as he continued to get deeper into what its like.

  • @Attihan
    @Attihan7 жыл бұрын

    A 50 min presentation? I cant even do more than 7 :O

  • @sterlthepearl1000
    @sterlthepearl10004 жыл бұрын

    40:50 Right. People will not assume we possess the ability, until we demonstrate it.

  • @katyphelan3722
    @katyphelan37226 жыл бұрын

    i'm 38 and always want to be a video game tester but no experience . i know how to video games and spot the bugs when playing it but questing not it doesn't really count .?

  • @pareshpetkar480
    @pareshpetkar4807 жыл бұрын

    can i get the presentation plz

  • @jeremiahcripps8488
    @jeremiahcripps84886 жыл бұрын

    @MinneStarMedia What is your stance in regards to FullSail for a novice looking to get into game development, other than the hefty tuition price tag.

  • @fernandoperez9025

    @fernandoperez9025

    6 жыл бұрын

    It's really a competitive sector. I visited DigiPen stand at GDC on 2012 and the reason they went there was not to promote their school. They were looking for video game companies that wanted to hire their students! It was also very strange for me that people from Carnegie Melon also had difficulties to get a job in this industry in that event.

  • @garlincheatham8391
    @garlincheatham83914 жыл бұрын

    Most important words 41:05 to 41:40 . I learned C++ less than a week ago and I'm making calculators and mad libs! I know that beginner level but, that's the start I guess. I'll make my own game one day! If I dont I'll help someone make THEIR game. Small steps and big leaps!

  • @reblfist8849

    @reblfist8849

    3 жыл бұрын

    Best of luck to you!!

  • @katyphelan3722
    @katyphelan37227 жыл бұрын

    i'm done apply to video game companies because i already know that i will be rejected before they even look at or care to .

  • @christiansquitieri6149
    @christiansquitieri61495 жыл бұрын

    So rude for those people to be on their phones right in front of a presenter. No respect. Great talk, though! Still can't wait to get an education and make my way into the games industry.

  • @andyfritter

    @andyfritter

    4 жыл бұрын

    I agree, I was really annoyed with the purple shirt guy. I'd gladly take his place if he doesn't want to take things seriously.

  • @Mad1Caster
    @Mad1Caster6 жыл бұрын

    was he talking about snow wolf or white wolf? when it came to gothic

  • @R3zzRhino
    @R3zzRhino5 жыл бұрын

    so do u make money, would u get tossed around until u feel like quiting. feel like the big producers would use u and not get anywhere much

  • @boa9557
    @boa95575 жыл бұрын

    what if ur gonna start a game company

  • @kumargaurav2207
    @kumargaurav22073 жыл бұрын

    which movie he said on netflix?

  • @hammy3815
    @hammy38154 жыл бұрын

    You dont design games with controller ... Dreams comes out :D Great talk btw.

  • @mikhailcampos
    @mikhailcampos8 жыл бұрын

    Which is his name???

  • @showwavemaharjan3517
    @showwavemaharjan35176 жыл бұрын

    For all those people in the comments yapping about how miserable AAA+ EMPLOYMENT is, its the same, which ever fucking creative field you choose, but guess what, working just 9-5 as an a ccountant or in any other commerce field is much worse than you think. You would rather enjoy work 90 hr/week in a gaming industry than fucking recording the same old fucking macros in a spreadsheet. Or typing 1000 of stupid letters and emails that makes no fucking sense and the worst part is the office environment, like formalities, uniforms, and fucking papers all over the building. Just go work as a GAME DEVELOPER. Life will be fine.

  • @GothicTech
    @GothicTech6 жыл бұрын

    Evil Geniuses should change his password XD

  • @Baseshocks
    @Baseshocks6 жыл бұрын

    Same as construction compay's, if you work for a good company they will manage the job's properly, you will work 8 hrs day steady, sometimes you have to work overtime but its the nature of the beast. Shit managed company's bid cheap, pay their employees cheap and expect them to work stupid long hours. If you can only buy x amount of dev kits then have your employees on rotating nights and days or have new employees work nights then move to days. Nevermind he talked about it in the video "fun prison" lol.

  • @katyphelan3722
    @katyphelan37226 жыл бұрын

    why doesn't anything count that you done in previous jobs as experience .?

  • @angelfernandez3485
    @angelfernandez34855 жыл бұрын

    I know it's hard but if your passionate about games and you want to do something to revolutionize the industry then you got to keep going. The creator of Apple didn't get there in a day

  • @jothishpraburpita463
    @jothishpraburpita4636 жыл бұрын

    8:40 🤣😂🤣😂

  • @geom5732
    @geom57324 жыл бұрын

    Making games makes your game

  • @Spirit-oh8pk
    @Spirit-oh8pk5 жыл бұрын

    this guy is very funny

  • @cartertron3000
    @cartertron30002 жыл бұрын

    That man in the purple really giving me cocky vibes the whole interview

  • @mauricemarsh5338
    @mauricemarsh53387 жыл бұрын

    so...... are you the one who make this video or did someone else do it for you.

  • @stacymitchell1890
    @stacymitchell18907 жыл бұрын

    Though crowd

  • @ashfernandes7327
    @ashfernandes73277 жыл бұрын

    guy with the "evil geniuses" shirt was on his phone.

  • @infinitesimotel

    @infinitesimotel

    7 жыл бұрын

    He knows the whole scene is over saturated and futile. The best way in is "who you know" otherwise you are yet another face in the crowd. Incidentally I hate those phones, what the hell do people do on them that is so fascinating anyway?

  • @douweddouwed-9184

    @douweddouwed-9184

    7 жыл бұрын

    not just that kid, the girl is way more on her phone than him, id send them out

  • @dashawnrobinson7382
    @dashawnrobinson73826 жыл бұрын

    At 16:13 he was speaking on the UK dev. team Bizarre Creations Limited and I actually liked Blur.

  • @Chris-nn3vu

    @Chris-nn3vu

    3 жыл бұрын

    *English.. call a kiwi an ozzie and expect a nosebleed..

  • @jdlocotxftw2002
    @jdlocotxftw20027 жыл бұрын

    19:47 - "Oh did you say developer? . . I'm not a developer . . . " WTF!?

  • @hcirs9425

    @hcirs9425

    7 жыл бұрын

    jdlocotxftw2002 You should really learn to know a salesman when you see one

  • @KingUnity22

    @KingUnity22

    6 жыл бұрын

    He works in production. Not design and development.

  • @Larkinchance
    @Larkinchance7 жыл бұрын

    The guy lecturing up on the clip is a suit in casual clothes.. The big companies want whatever you got and when they get it, they throw you away like garbage. Look for the independents, look for the artists. Fuck the cash.

  • @casimirotavaresmiroitavare9905
    @casimirotavaresmiroitavare99057 жыл бұрын

    Can anyone tell me the name of this speaker

  • @falejohnn

    @falejohnn

    7 жыл бұрын

    Chip Pedersen

  • @neodore2657

    @neodore2657

    7 жыл бұрын

    Is there something wrong? You feel he's been too negative right? Cos that's how I feel.

  • @k.g.5096
    @k.g.50964 жыл бұрын

    FREE POT

  • @Icenaryhr
    @Icenaryhr7 жыл бұрын

    Eevill geeniusses 😂😂 dota ftw

  • @RaskaTheFurry
    @RaskaTheFurry7 жыл бұрын

    The best combo would be A game dev that loves playing those games. ( Geme dev and tester in one person, saving money >.> )

  • @PeterBatemon
    @PeterBatemon7 жыл бұрын

    At the end the speaker says that he can be contacted to speak at events, however I don't think he ever says his name. I was wondering if anyone knows who he is and how to contact him. You can PM me if you'd like.

  • @husinneelove9823
    @husinneelove98237 жыл бұрын

    i don't want to make games anymore.

  • @Larkinchance

    @Larkinchance

    7 жыл бұрын

    What this man describing is what Hollywood does when it produces a big budget motion picture. It is about commerce and profit. Corporate demands perverts the artist in the name of profit. Not everyone wants a first person shooter with incredibly detailed graphics.. This just one direction. I am in favor of independents. Markus Persson who developed Minecraft is a great example of what can be done outside of the corporate system..

  • @neodore2657

    @neodore2657

    7 жыл бұрын

    This video is making me doubt my capabilities. It's scary. But let's not give up nothing in life comes easy.

  • @MrNerdyBrit

    @MrNerdyBrit

    7 жыл бұрын

    They are not trying to discourage anyone. They are addressing misconceptions about working in games, as there are a very large amount of people that try to get into the games industry or study games at college or university simply because they think it's going to be easy.

  • @DaMeshMonster

    @DaMeshMonster

    6 жыл бұрын

    It is stressful

  • @MrNerdyBrit

    @MrNerdyBrit

    6 жыл бұрын

    Game development is an actual job.

  • @KaitoKaze
    @KaitoKaze7 жыл бұрын

    some do use controller as a macro lol

  • @darrenrobinson5123

    @darrenrobinson5123

    6 жыл бұрын

    Kaito Kaze

  • @darrenrobinson5123

    @darrenrobinson5123

    6 жыл бұрын

    Kaito Kaze

  • @katyphelan3722
    @katyphelan37226 жыл бұрын

    if you play online will you get notice by video game companies .?

  • @bigironfist626
    @bigironfist6267 жыл бұрын

    season pass and preorders seem legit tho...

  • @leonwilliam2028
    @leonwilliam20286 жыл бұрын

    they are blocking all doors no matter how talented you are

  • @MrAzarino
    @MrAzarino6 жыл бұрын

    Take that man's phone off him! So rude! >:(

  • @drac8854
    @drac88547 жыл бұрын

    Can't hear properly too low voice Is mic on?

  • @allenosborn3599
    @allenosborn35997 жыл бұрын

    Loved the video. Got to say screw those kids tho. Half the time they were on facebook.

  • @Ryan-xq3kl
    @Ryan-xq3kl3 жыл бұрын

    Didnt work on doom, didnt listen

  • @RaskaTheFurry
    @RaskaTheFurry7 жыл бұрын

    The reason why PC came back is overall performance and better value/performance than consoles. As well you are completely free. Want powerful machine ? You can. Want budget ? You can. Dont like Windows ? Get Linux... As well PC due its power gets all the new stuff and its a work standard, so, why not have a PC. And many more things. Its not hard to get into PC gaming, its easy as get it, plug it and play

  • @Chris-nn3vu

    @Chris-nn3vu

    3 жыл бұрын

    Shut up nPC

  • @KaitoKaze
    @KaitoKaze7 жыл бұрын

    it's not per say hard, but usually take time and effort lol

  • @MrNerdyBrit

    @MrNerdyBrit

    7 жыл бұрын

    It's very hard.

  • @steve00alt70
    @steve00alt707 жыл бұрын

    I'm sorry but this guy is thinking of the old way of making games in t was done in 2005 upwards. Now in 2017 its changing now to a more laid back approach not working long ass hours anymore, and looking after developers and artists taking and interest in them, companies like EA are doing this. And I'm so glad.

  • @mcbvideogames

    @mcbvideogames

    7 жыл бұрын

    Optic500 Isn't there a lot of controversy with big companies right now for exploiting their employees?

  • @steve00alt70

    @steve00alt70

    7 жыл бұрын

    yes there is its against the law now, if the employee's feel that they are being overworked if its not in the contract then they can take legal action. Its changing for the better now because the employee's have family and priorities other than just making games, fuck the old way of doing stuff.

  • @katyphelan3722
    @katyphelan37226 жыл бұрын

    Is this video legitimately real job advice here .???

  • @projectmagnesium8804
    @projectmagnesium88044 жыл бұрын

    OMFG what the fuck you guys. Intro's way too damn long.

  • @NoNo-ce8xb
    @NoNo-ce8xb Жыл бұрын

    Talks about stealing and doing drugs (Speed) in less than 20 mins .... and we wonder why blizzard was in hot water ?? LOL Focus ib iur games and stop doping up