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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This is one of more than 30 interviews with professional game developers. For more, visit Which game job is right for you?.
Big Data isn't just a buzzword - it makes games more fun.
Diana analyzes data from millions of players to make games more fun

Meet Diana Hsu, Video Game Product Manager

Of all the jobs in games, the Product Manager might be the newest. Forged in the rising popularity of online and free-to-play games, Diana Hsu is among the first generation of “digital native” product managers: She’s shipped several titles in her career, none of them boxed products, all of them online 24×7.

And it’s exactly that “always online” nature of modern games that enables the Product Manager to work her magic. Always online means there’s always a stream of big data coming in from millions of players – and somebody has to make sense of it all. Somebody who can filter the data through a rare mix of talent in game design, human factors, psychology, and economics, and use it to improve the live game. That person is Diana Hsu.

We’re talking to Diana today to learn how she got started, what she does at her job every day, and find out whether being a Product Manager in video games might be a good job for you. Read more »

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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?.

Meet Merric Shank, Video Game Associate Producer

Merric Shank, Video Game Associate Producer
This dapper fellow explains why “soft skills” are a hard requirement for managing a game team.

Merric started out as a video game tester, and eventually grew his career into a Senior Producer. We’ve asked him to reflect on the several years he spent as an Associate Producer (abbreviated as AP or sometimes PA) to give you some insight into what it takes to land that job and build a successful career.

It’s worth noting that this advice applies to a PA job at a game developer, which is different than a PA job at a game publisher. There’s definitely some crossover, but a PA at a game developer works much more closely with the game team every day and often serves as the development team’s project manager. Read more »

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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?.

Meet Frank Rogan, Senior Producer

Frank Rogan, Video Game Senior Producer
“You want to get into games? Go make something. Anything!”

Today we’re speaking with Frank Rogan, a veteran video game producer and senior producer. Frank has worked on many game titles including Enter the Matrix, Gears & Guts, and the Total Annihilation series.

Pay special attention to Frank’s advice on how to break into the game industry. It might just jump-start your career in games.Read more »

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