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By Posted in Careers No Comments
For game developers, job burnout can be a real risk.

So you’ve been working extra hours lately — a lot of extra hours, actually — trying hard to finish and launch your new game. You’re living the dream, building a game you love, working with a team of people you adore… so why do you feel so anxious? Why are you having trouble sleeping at night? Why do you feel so irritable with your friends, your family, and yourself?

This feeling has a name: it’s called burnout. To some, burnout is the game industry’s dirty little secret. Driven by a deep passion to create the best game under seemingly-impossible deadlines, the hours can get long and, for some developers, burnout can become a real risk.

Fortunately, burnout is easy to spot if you know how to read the signs. And once you spot it, there are simple steps to pull out of the nosedive and get back to a happy place before you rage-quit. In this article, professional job coach Edward Mellett teaches you how to spot burnout, and offers advice on how to get things back under control. Read more »

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By Posted in Careers, Podcast No Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Anthony, who asks “One concern I have is, what if being a game designer makes me hate gaming? A friend of mine said that he has talked to developers and they have told him that it’s like eating your favorite food 20 times a day. Is that true?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How “crunch time” can affect your interest in games
  • Why I went for several months without wanting to playing games, and how I got over it
  • How learning to make games can actually increase your love for gaming

Read more »

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By Posted in Podcast 11 Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Ahkanu who asks, “I’ve come upon a lot of upsetting articles about the game testing jobs that are out there. They state how badly people get treated at work, are shown low respect, and have their contracts terminated or not extended for unacceptable reasons. How many of these negative views of the business are true, and can you give me an honest answer about the bad side of the life of a game tester?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why some game testing jobs are great, and why others are kinda terrible
  • How you can specifically avoid the drawbacks that other testers have to deal with every day
  • Why game testing is a rewarding job and a great way to start your career in games

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By Posted in Podcast 29 Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Mpho S., who asks, “The main thing I’m worried about when it comes to considering a career in gaming, is wondering what a day to day cycle looks like. What is a typical day as a game developer?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What a typical day is like for a video game developer
  • The common stereotypes of a game development studio
  • Where the common stereotypes come from, and why even the bad ones have a grain of truth

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By Posted in Podcast No Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Gena, who wants to know whether the work life balance in the video game industry is as bad as she’s heard it is?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why video game dev teams often have to do “crunch time”
  • What the industry is doing to achieve a better work/life balance
  • How you can avoid working for game companies that don’t value a healthy work/life balance

Read more »

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