Looking for careers involving Video Games?
I can list you a few, it depends on what you are good at.
It might even be worth calling up a games company and asking them what kind of job positions they hire for.
I'll write up a list for you and some requirements later
EDIT:
With an English degree there isn't much you can do beyond working your way towards journalism or writing.
If anyone can think of any other jobs post below and I'll add them.
Generally the development roles need experience with version control software such as git and to have examples of games that you have been involved with, if you don't have examples of games that you have developed then you have next to no chance of ever getting into the industry. You need to have made games as a passion to be able to take it up as a career.
Also, do you really want a job in the games industry? Your social life will disappear, project crunch times will make you go mad and your relationship partner will forever hate you for never being home on time. There is a reason why large studios have beds and vending machines; it's so you stay in the office 24/7 working.
You will also lose your time to play games beyond the weekend, I became very out of touch of the gaming world during my time at a games studio and it was because I didn't have time to play games, I still don't have time to play games but now I have a guy who plays games for me and tells me about their interesting design choices and features, this guy is my market researcher and happens to be my best friend (Which is how most people get the more ludicrous jobs in the industry).
There's also the question, if you like chocolate would you really want to spend your life working in a chocolate factory? I actually like making games over playing them and I like programming and writing most out of all the aspects of making a game.
If you find this too daunting, it's because a lot of people in the games industry entered it out of raw natural talent, you literally have to be a natural genius in your field these days, the alternative to having raw natural talent is to have enough passion to be able to discipline yourself through education, you can learn anything with enough discipline.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go to a "Game Schools", all these colleges made specifically for games industries DO NOT TRAIN YOU IN THE SKILLS YOU ACTUALLY NEED. Anyone who joins a game school and gets a job in the industry got that job because of their raw, natural talent - The school had NOTHING, ZERO, ZILTCH to do with it. Waste of money and a god damn scam. Get a Computer Science or Art degree.
Games Design/Development/Technology degrees don't train you in the skills you need either, they train you in how to use game maker and write XNA games, although these degrees actually hold some merit and can sometimes teach you skills, they are not focused enough on the Computer Science aspect of games so you lose the skills that Computer Science courses can teach you (Operating systems and networking, advanced programming, project management, systems design, embedded applications).
To conclude: The best and smartest way to get a job in the games industry is to have a degree in Art or Computer Science and to start making games NOW.
The more time you waste the less time you'll have to enter the industry as it is fast moving and you can lose out in technical advances if you lag behind. Ken Silverman is one of the greatest engine programmers we have, he was a shit programmer but his technology was outstanding. He was unable to keep up with the change to polygons and he invested in voxel graphics, which have only just started reappearing in games. Because of this, he retired at a very young age (But as a very rich kid).
If he was still in the industry he would be rivalling John Carmack, so get making games right away and keep up with the constantly changing industry, don't lag behind!
I can list you a few, it depends on what you are good at.
It might even be worth calling up a games company and asking them what kind of job positions they hire for.
I'll write up a list for you and some requirements later
EDIT:
With an English degree there isn't much you can do beyond working your way towards journalism or writing.
If anyone can think of any other jobs post below and I'll add them.
- Writer - Need published literary works, a background in stage writing or screen writing, alternatively you could be best friends with a game producer.
- Game Journalist - Needs a few years experience as a journalist, of which some spent as a tech journalist writing reviews or columns or to be best friends with someone who owns a popular video game blog.
- Play Tester - Need to be able to survive the urge to kill yourself, wait for an opening at a games company or apply at an agency for product testers and hope you get one involved in the games industry. This role can actually lead you into other roles in the games industry, a lot of developers started as play testers.
- Help Desk - Wait for an opening at a games company. This role doesn't help you in a career towards developing games.
- Game Designer - This job doesn't exist as anyone in the world can fill this role. To get this title officially you have to be best friends with a game producer.
- Concept Artist/Character Artist/Environment Artist - Need an art degree and skills in photoshop and 3D modelling software.
- 3D Artist - The same requirements as the other artists but more focused on the 3D modelling software.
- UI Designer - Need examples of product designs or UI designs that you have done in the past and some of them need to be published. That art degree would help a lot.
- Game Developer - Generic role for someone who programs, makes levels, comes up with ideas. This role is more common in small studios.
- Engine Programmer - Needs to be able to demonstrate exceptional programming skills and to be able to work in a team.
- Scripters - Generally needs to know a scripting language and the basics of programming, a computer science degree would have trained in both of these. This job tends to be merged with other jobs and become the game developer role. Some prior work with other engines is a normal job requirement.
- Tools programmer - a CS degree helps and you should know a high level oop language such as C# and Java. 3D graphics knowledge would be needed for some tools.
- Level Designer - This job title is quickly disappearing as tools and technologies are making it easier for artists and designers to create levels. If you want a job as a level designer you need examples of levels that you have created for games and they need to be excellent examples, so you might as well throw in the requirements of an artist into this one too.
- Voice Actor - You need prior experience in voice acting or stage acting, alternatively you can become a Hollywood celebrity and some moron will think you would be an excellent voice for one of their game characters.
- Motion Capture Actor - Best to be employed by a mo-cap specialist company, for which you need experience in dance or stage acting.
- Sound Engineer - You need experience in music or some good examples of your sound effects being used in films or games.
- Composer - Need a degree in music or examples of your music being used in games.
- Musician - It's better to join a music company.
- Project Manager - You need a good list of completed projects that you have been the project manager of in the past.
- Producer - You need to have produced some games that have made a LOT of money or work your way up the ranks from a programmer/game tester.
- Director - I actually don't know much about this role, I understand that you need a lot of experience and you need to be on good terms with the upper-management of a large game company.
- Marketing - It's usually better to join an agency for this one. If you want to do box art or posters then you need an art degree.
- Market Research - As far as I know, you need to be hired by a market research company and then hope you get to do market research for a games company. Some smaller studios might someone who literally sits there and plays games for half the day before writing about interesting points the next half of the day, but this role is stupid as if you want to be in the games industry you should already be doing this every weekend.
Generally the development roles need experience with version control software such as git and to have examples of games that you have been involved with, if you don't have examples of games that you have developed then you have next to no chance of ever getting into the industry. You need to have made games as a passion to be able to take it up as a career.
Also, do you really want a job in the games industry? Your social life will disappear, project crunch times will make you go mad and your relationship partner will forever hate you for never being home on time. There is a reason why large studios have beds and vending machines; it's so you stay in the office 24/7 working.
You will also lose your time to play games beyond the weekend, I became very out of touch of the gaming world during my time at a games studio and it was because I didn't have time to play games, I still don't have time to play games but now I have a guy who plays games for me and tells me about their interesting design choices and features, this guy is my market researcher and happens to be my best friend (Which is how most people get the more ludicrous jobs in the industry).
There's also the question, if you like chocolate would you really want to spend your life working in a chocolate factory? I actually like making games over playing them and I like programming and writing most out of all the aspects of making a game.
If you find this too daunting, it's because a lot of people in the games industry entered it out of raw natural talent, you literally have to be a natural genius in your field these days, the alternative to having raw natural talent is to have enough passion to be able to discipline yourself through education, you can learn anything with enough discipline.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go to a "Game Schools", all these colleges made specifically for games industries DO NOT TRAIN YOU IN THE SKILLS YOU ACTUALLY NEED. Anyone who joins a game school and gets a job in the industry got that job because of their raw, natural talent - The school had NOTHING, ZERO, ZILTCH to do with it. Waste of money and a god damn scam. Get a Computer Science or Art degree.
Games Design/Development/Technology degrees don't train you in the skills you need either, they train you in how to use game maker and write XNA games, although these degrees actually hold some merit and can sometimes teach you skills, they are not focused enough on the Computer Science aspect of games so you lose the skills that Computer Science courses can teach you (Operating systems and networking, advanced programming, project management, systems design, embedded applications).
To conclude: The best and smartest way to get a job in the games industry is to have a degree in Art or Computer Science and to start making games NOW.
The more time you waste the less time you'll have to enter the industry as it is fast moving and you can lose out in technical advances if you lag behind. Ken Silverman is one of the greatest engine programmers we have, he was a shit programmer but his technology was outstanding. He was unable to keep up with the change to polygons and he invested in voxel graphics, which have only just started reappearing in games. Because of this, he retired at a very young age (But as a very rich kid).
If he was still in the industry he would be rivalling John Carmack, so get making games right away and keep up with the constantly changing industry, don't lag behind!
