Entry Level Video Game Jobs
We often get asked what entry-level video game jobs are available, and how do you apply. It’s certainly true that getting a job in games development is not easy, but is it possible to get a video game job with no experience. The answer is that you can, but you will be up against a lot of competition so you will need to stand out and have something going for you that really puts you ahead of the competition.
Video Game Jobs With No Experience Or Education
There are a few jobs that you could feasibly get without any experience or education, although some knowledge of games and their development will most likely be needed. Potentially the best career path to start out in for many people, regardless of their end goals, is in QA as a Game Tester. You will need a working knowledge of how games work and a great eye for detail but it’s possible to start a career in QA without formal education or experience.
Another option would be as a Writer. Writing for games is very different from writing a book or a movie script, but a lot of the same principles apply. If you can show strong writing or, even better, have experience in other industries, you could make the transfer over to games quite easily, although there will be a whole new set of skills you will have to learn.
It’s also possible, although perhaps on the rarer side of things, to get a job as a Designer simply from your knowledge of a game. This can especially be true for games with fine balancing, as those who play the game the most will know a lot of the intricacies and strategies as well as methods to exploit the game, these can be useful skills to help lead future design choices. A famous example of this is DDRJake, who started out as a Europa Universalis 4 streamer and Youtuber who went on to become the Game Director.
Getting A Video Game Job With Knowledge But No Experience
If you have no experience but have working knowledge or formal education around the job you are looking for then congratulations. You’ve taken a great first step but may still find it difficult to find work. Even after meeting the requirements, it’s not unrealistic to still be looking for a job after a year or so. This is due to the high competition around jobs.
Luckily the industry is always expanding and companies are always looking for entry-level workers to do a lot of the smaller tasks, which is a great way to get your foot in the door. The best thing to do is to keep working on your portfolio and improving your skills and keep applying for those jobs. It also helps to have a degree of flexibility in the work you are willing to accept and how far you are willing to move as depending on where you live you may have to make sacrifices. After you have some experience you can start getting the jobs that you want more than just the ones that will accept you.
What’s The Best Approach?
Whilst it is theoretically possible for people to walk straight into a game development job, it’s not very realistic to expect that is the case for most people, so what’s the best course of action for someone with no experience that wants to get an entry level video game job? Whilst there is no right way, the most obvious and easy is probably to get a formal education if this is available to you and you can afford it. If not it would be best to spend time teaching yourself, possibly in a part-time capacity around your main work. It’s hard work, but the effort will pay off if you can achieve something impressive.