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This is one of more than 30 interviews with professional game developers. For more, visit Which game job is right for you?.
Profile photo of artist Darran Hurlbut, video game character modeler
“Be inspired, believe in yourself. There’s a lot to learn to impress yourself, and even more to impress others.”

Darran Hurlbut has been making art for as long as he can remember – but his first job as a Video Game Artist was purely accidental.

That was in 1995, and he’s never looked back. His decades-long career in games has included many roles including Concept Artist, Environment Artist, and Character Modeler. We’re speaking with him today about his primary job as a Video Game Character Modeler – how he got the job, what it takes to succeed, and how you could start your own career as a character modeler in video games.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 Blake, who asks, “I want to become a game tester, but I am not sure if I have the right qualifications. So I was wondering, are there any special requirements for doing this job? Also, I’m 16 years old. How old do you have to be to get this job, and how much do you get paid for your work?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The basic requirements and pay of a video game tester
  • Which skills are most important to getting a testing job
  • My favorite resource for learning how to test games

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Paulo, who asks, “In terms of the gaming industry, the topic that matters to me the most is video game localization. I’m a Brazilian translator and I would love to translate games as well. I don’t know if you have already written anything about that, but I would love to know more if possible.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The difference between game translation and game localization
  • Some of the biggest challenges of localization
  • How you can get started as a video game localizer

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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 Careers 3 Comments
A sad man wishes he could quit his job to make video games for a living.
Is every day a bad day at work? Maybe it’s time for a change.

Somewhere around the tender age of 18 or 20 years old, each of us is asked to make a decision that will impact us for decades to come. We’re made to answer the question, “What do you want to do with your life?”

I remember the year I was required to answer that question for myself. It was the year my university “strongly encouraged” me to declare a major, and I picked Biochemistry… even though I wasn’t sure what a biochemist did all day, or whether it would be a good fit for me. Knowing what I know about myself now, two decades later, I have no idea why I picked it. What the hell was I thinking?

I was expected to choose, and so I chose. Read more »

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Lance, who asks, “It sounds like game writing and game designing are very similar. I was looking to become a game designer due to the fact that I was able to make the story but it seems like that’s what game writers do. Is it realistic to think that I can make the plot and story by being a game designer or should I consider switching to game writer?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What a video game writer does at their job
  • How you can start learning video game writing
  • Why you should also learn game design to be a successful game writer

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This is one of more than 30 interviews with professional game developers. For more, visit Which game job is right for you?.
Jason Van Beveren, Video Game Community Manager
Jason Van Beveren is “part storyteller, part relationship manager, and part analyst.”

It’s All About Community

The game industry is evolving. As video games have changed over time from solitary experiences into live, “always on” worlds with millions of players, engaged communities of players have grown around them.

And game studios have responded by creating new teams of specialists to manage and nurture all those players – both inside and outside of the games themselves. These specialists are called Community Managers.

Jason Van Beveren is a professional Video Game Community Manager. He combines his love of the video game industry, with years of experience to help game companies turn even the most casual fans into empowered, enthusiastic brand evangelists. We talk with him today about what a Community Manager does, what it takes to succeed in that job, and how you can get started. Read more »

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Mark O., who asks, “I’m wondering, in game development, which is the highest paying job, and how much experience would I need? And what would I have to study in college to get on my way to this job?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Which video game jobs have the highest annual salaries
  • Which game jobs require a college education, and which ones are more flexible
  • Why one of the game jobs is the easiest way to start out

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Shravan, who asks, Is it difficult to get a job at a video game company?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why some game jobs are harder to get than others
  • What factors cause certain jobs to be contract-only vs. full-time
  • How you can use the above info to choose your game career wisely

Read more »

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