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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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Hy N., who asked “I am good in math, I love coding, and I have a strong passion for gaming. So I think being a game programmer fits the best for me. I want to know, What are the disadvantages? I found out that programmers have to sit in front of a computer all day, that really scares me. Any advice for me?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How “knowledge work” is fundamentally different from other jobs
  • Why game programming is a bit less… social than other game jobs
  • How to tell whether you’ll be cool with game programming, or whether it will drive you crazy

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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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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Grzegorz N., who wants to know, How can a video game developer stay healthy while working all day in front of a computer?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How you can avoid the dreaded “freshman 15”
  • Why your computer workstation setup is a key to staying healthy
  • Why the most impactful thing you can do to stay fit happens when you’re away from your desk
  • Bonus: My favorite and most successful ways to stay fit while working a desk job

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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

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