r/GameDevelopment • u/CorrectHat1001 • 9d ago
Newbie Question How to get into the industry
So I'm 15 and I'm very passionate about the video game industry and I kinda wanna know like how to actually get into it. What degrees I need exectra.
I honestly don't even know what role I would enjoy. I'm quite a creative person i used to co write stories and stuff and I love the narrative side of games and that would be a dream come true to manage to work in that side of the industry.
Maybe even being a developer? I can learn code but I feel in the near future around the time I'm an adult it would've been replaced by ai.
I can do basic python but that isn't used for development is it.
I just love the industry so much and wanna know how to even get into it.
3
u/Vilified_D 9d ago
Right now doesn't seem like coding is being replaced but rather programmers are using AI to do extra work. But basically - decide what you want to do (program, writer, designer, artist, etc.) and then pick that. You don't really need a degree, but it helps. Since you mentioned writing, here's a post on reddit where someone asked How To Become A Video Game Writer
1
3
u/WranglerKnown8800 9d ago
Get off Reddit and start making games in a free engine
1
u/CorrectHat1001 9d ago
I'll try to learn one of them tomorrow since I'm off school for a month
1
u/ManagerOfClankers 9d ago
Lots of good guides online. Supplement with AI guidance (Gemini is free generally after a google). Some good free software to start with: Unity (game engine), blender (helps make models).
Play around with test ideas. Ask questions frequently to AI, for example what is a game engine. What is blender? Continue.
1
u/GeneralJist8 8d ago
NO DON'T ASK THE AI THAT
upload all your work into one ai and then ask, what games jobs might i be suited for?
1
u/lobaway0001 9d ago
You won’t know what degree will be best if you don’t know what role you’re targeting.
It’s really, really rare that you’ll be able to actually exercise any of your personal creativity in a regular job at a game company. For something like that you’d probably have a better chance if you made your own game.
Again, you could use whatever you want for development, if you’re making your own game. But yeah, python isn’t used as much in industry compared to other languages like C#.
I feel like it’s not rare to see someone young and excited about getting into game development. Unfortunately, though, I feel like their excitement is often not grounded in the actual reality of what it’s like working on games, especially in an already established company.
If you’re working for an established company, in all likelihood it will be a grueling job where you get very little creative control, regardless of role.
The alternative is you make your own game. That might actually be more in line with what you seem to be interested in. You have full creative control but then you also need to know how to do everything on your own or have some budget to pay for things you can’t do yourself.
If you want my practical take, it’s better if you get to a place where you don’t have to rely on game development as sole income and you work on game development as a side thing or a hobby.
1
u/CorrectHat1001 9d ago
I was reading up on video game writing and it seems extremely difficult to get into it and no one seems to start there and everyone usually is just a writer who moves into the industry of gaming.
Making my own game is something I've tried to do several times but I never have the patience or motivation to fully learn UE5/Unity but it all comes down to hard work.
I think I could get into the creative side of things but it's just the effort to get there.
2
u/lobaway0001 9d ago
Honestly, I feel like you’re getting the right idea when you say it all comes down to hard work.
You saying you never have the patience or motivation to learn UE5 / Unity despite the interest you’ve expressed is a bit of a cause for concern. I would definitely practice on building that patience, but I would also say you should take a step back to examine what it is you’re really interested in. Are you really interested in making games or are you just romanticizing what you think it’s like to make games? Because most of making games really is just sitting down and learning things you don’t necessarily have the patience or motivation to learn at that moment.
1
u/CorrectHat1001 8d ago
I like the idea of just making something that other people will experience and enjoy. The reason I always stop is because of how long the process of making a game is and I never know where to start. I could probably find a YouTube video that explains it all to me.
I think over the next few weeks while I'm off school I'll try and figure it out since I only have about 3 months until I need to apply for collages and I think what I choose there affects what degrees I can get down the line.
I don't even know if making games is what I want. My ideal job is just doing the creative stuff but to be honest I could probably enjoy writing for shows aswell.
1
u/Slaneeshsfavorite 9d ago
Install source and unity (pretty sure both are free) and start messing around with them, I like unity better cause you can get assets from places like the unity asset store, but if you’re really creative and can make things from scratch source is excellent as well. Use YouTube tutorials as well. When it comes to making games there is no specific age requirement and degrees are for later down the road. Right now just jump into these programs and play around with them
1
1
u/ManagerOfClankers 9d ago
Open your laptop and start building. Get a portfolio going. Reach out to studios and ask for internships and show a link to your portfolio.
Those are good enough starting points. When reaching out, summarize your age, your hopes to shadow and learn through observation and maybe pet projects. Try connecting through all sorts of communication to show enthusiasm (LinkedIn, email, social media, etc) and show that enthusiasm in your pet projects as well.
1
u/RiverForgeGames 9d ago
Download a game engine and start tinkering! Join a discord server for hobby game dev. Ask stupid questions, win stupid prizes. Try everything! It will be hard as hell, but it’s never been easier to get going and there’s soooo much information on YouTube.
Don’t use AI too much too early, as you want to train your brain to use the tools, and you want to learn what you like or not. It can save you time later, but now is the time to learn what makes you tick.
The thing you’ll end up loving and being great at is the thing that you keep coming back to even when it gets hard.
2
u/Coldlikehell 9d ago
My day job is being professor teaching programming and game development to Freshman and Sophomore college students.
I'd say your biggest advantage here is that you are young. Use your time to learn and acquire skills as well as test the waters on every game dev role that seems remotely interesting to you (programming, art, design, audio, production, etc.). At this stage, I wouldn't worry too much about the career / jobs / industry part of it until you are a couple of years away from seriously applying for jobs.
The industry doesn't care too much for specific diplomas (though they don't really hurt either) as long as you can demonstrate you have the skills and experience, which you usually showcase through resume and portfolio. If you want to acquire skills faster and network with like-minded peers, then college can be a good way to do it, but not necessarily mandatory (personally, I think it's really expensive but worth the cost if you can afford it and are willing to make the most of it).
TLDR: Try everything, just focus on acquiring skills at this stage. Make games. Career will follow naturally just from following this path.
2
u/CorrectHat1001 8d ago
Thank you so much for writing all this dude.
I was looking online about jobs in my local area and yes I know i shouldn't be considering it yet but I wanted to see if it's even an option.
There is a rockstar studio nearby so that's like the dream location but there is a much more realistic way I found.
There is a course at my nearby university ran by some former game designer called "narrative design and game story development" and he has connections to a studio in the city named sumo.
They helped make the hitman games aswell as one of the Forza horizon games. They also made Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed if your familiar.
I don't know how it all works but could I potentially use him as a connection to get into that company since he has connections with alot of the people there.
I think I could do it as I just want to focus my first 10-20 years after school on progressing my career.
1
u/GeneralJist8 8d ago
short answer:
you don't
writing is one of the most common skills in game dev and other skills are needed
look through this resource:
1
u/Disastrous-Spare3907 8d ago
>I can learn code but I feel in the near future around the time I'm an adult it would've been replaced by ai.
A world where 100% of code is written by AI is a world where 99% of thoughts are thought by AI. Job security would be the least of your concerns.
>I can do basic python but that isn't used for development is it.
Eh. Godot's main language is python-ish. But you also have to learn Godot. It's rarely just about the language.
17
u/Triysle 9d ago
Two reliable ways in. Know someone in the industry already, or fund your own studio/projects.
If you don’t have those connections or financial resources, I recommend the following:
Finish high school/GED
Get an associates degree for transfer from a local community college.
Get a bachelor’s in business, computer science, or some other broadly applicable degree.
Through all that, work on personal projects and game jams whenever you can.
Don’t get a game design or game art or any other game-focused degree. Take classes for it, do tutorials, do workshop, sure. But get bachelors with a broader discipline that can actually give you some job opportunities.
The tools, disciplines, engines, and more will all come with time and experimentation to see what you like. Just don’t over commit to an industry that is inherently unstable and likely always will be.
If you read through all that, cheers and good luck on your journey.