Expert panel: How to build & sustain a thriving career in video games

Kickstart your career in game development: www.cgspectrum.com/career-pat...
Thrive and survive in video games - get insider advice for emerging talent!
When you're ready to enter the video games industry, recruiters are often the key to unlocking the beginning of your career. CG Spectrum invites you to our special guest panel to help tap into this vital resource!
Hear from game industry experts as they share insider advice on how to overcome the unique challenges and barriers facing early career talent (including having no prior industry experience) to shine within this competitive industry. Plus, some great questions from the audience are answered during the Q&A!
Hosted by Justin Mohlman, CG Spectrum Head of Employer Partnerships, you'll hear from: Scot Bayless, CG Spectrum Director of Game Development; Kelly Barschig, Head of People Experiences at That's No Moon; and Dan LaDuca, Art Director at Marvel Games.
Learn more about this event: www.cgspectrum.com/events/ins...
What you'll learn:
- What studios are looking for in new hires and emerging talent
- Networking tips and tricks
- How to harness and translate your non-industry experience to games
- The questions you should (and shouldn't) be asking recruiters
- Alternative ways to gain industry experience to help land your first job
- Tips to prepare for and make the most of your first 30 days in the industry
This panel is ideal for:
- Aspiring game developers of all ages interested in making the most of their new industry role or career, discovering early career opportunities, and the ways studios are supporting new talent
- Mentors and teachers wanting to better support and prepare their students as they enter the industry
Connect on:
📍 www.cgspectrum.com/
📍 / cgspectrum
📍 / cgspectrum
📍 / cgspectrum.film.and.ga...
📍 / cgspectrum

[@NinjatoBlade]

Great video, was listening to this right after diving into the deep end on game design documents.
As a software engineer of 6 years, I recently got laid off and trying to decide what I want to do next with my life. I could jump right back into what I was doing before (and probably make considerably more money), but I’m torn by this childhood dream of mine to create a video game world that truly felt alive in ways that weren’t technologically possible when I was a kid, but entirely doable now.
However, I feel like the world has changed - as technology has gotten better and content has exploded to truly impossible levels, I worry that the effort might not be worth it anymore? Like think of all the tremendous amounts of work that goes into creating games, usually tens to thousands of people working on something for years, but then it’s consumed by the players in a matter of hours or perhaps a few days. The goal would hopefully be for them to dwell on the game and take something away from it, but I feel like people are more likely to just immediately move on to the next thing, and inevitably, the game in question won’t be consumed at a later date like a movie would, as technology would leave it behind.
So a bit of an open ended question, as its answer is unique to each individual, but: is it worth it? Like, I’m not a talented artist, so game design is the closest thing I have to leaving something behind in this world, but there are already so many phenomenal games that have been lost to time in my lifetime alone…
I ask this here mostly as a question towards these people who’ve been in the industry for 20+ years and seen their own works move in and out of the public eye.
Thank you for reading this far into my existential ramblings, lol!

[@Cgspectrum]

Hi Viktor, thanks for checking out our panel and for sharing your thoughts around your career in game design -- which are legitimate and very relatable. We'll share your comment with the panellists for them to weigh in on, but in the meantime sending love for the open-ended, existential quandaries that are important to reflect on and can take us a while to unravel 🧡🎮

[@jakeshoe3727]

I really want to get into the gaming industry but I don't know if still going to college is the best thing to continue plus, I heard a lot about how it's very hard to get into

[@Cgspectrum]

Hi Jake! You might want to check out a couple of our recent events on games and careers in the game industry:
www.cgspectrum.com/events/free-ama-session-game-month
www.cgspectrum.com/events/free-ama-session-game-dev-careers
Our game design and game development mentors as well as our career coach answer questions about the game industry and breaking into it.
I'd recommend getting in touch with our admissions team at [e-mail] for any questions about studying and getting into the industry! ☺ Hope to meet you soon!

[@oanalowrider]

💜💜💜

[@Cgspectrum]

🥰

[@ParadoxicalMatrix]

I’ve been applying everywhere to get into the gaming industry, I would love an opportunity!

[@Cgspectrum]

Hi Paradox! Check out our podcast episode with more great tips on how to break into the game industry: ruclips.net/video/PJV4l7tNumg/видео.html

[@mopozuJIko]

Appreciate the great interview! One thing I'd be cautious about: don't put so much emphasis on "drive" and "passion", please. It sound great in a vacuum, but in reality a lot of employers are happy to exploit "passionate" workers by having them work more hours or by offering noncompetitive wages. Not everyone has to be passionate and shine with enthusiasm in order to be a good professional.
Creatives put a lot of emphasis on "passion" and are shooting themselves in a foot, because passion doesn't pay bills, and it doesn't buy food. Don't pretend that being a creative is somehow a reward in itself - it's not. Creative work is the same as any other work in the way that workers exchange their time for money. And pushing the narrative that "passion" is the most important value to have is misleading.

[@Cgspectrum]

Hi there! Thanks for watching, and thanks for the feedback! :) You make a good point, and it's important to know what makes a great teammate or professional. Having a passion for your chosen field or industry only makes your experience all the more sweet!
Our podcast has a ton of practical advice around career development and how to turn a passion for creativity into a viable career. You can check it out here!: ruclips.net/p/PLwlTW6zhautjfyXAbEagrQOPyL6M7614l&feature=shared

[@edwardramirez9213]

There is no money in video games.

[@Cgspectrum]

Hi Edward! The gaming industry is a multi-billion dollar industry with a ton of job opportunities. Here's a blog post with tips for interviewing in the games industry: www.cgspectrum.com/blog/job-interview-tips-video-games-industry
As a current or former student, you're also welcome to reach out to our career counsellor, Holly for help with crafting your portfolio and prepping for interviews ☺

[@edwardramirez9213]

Wrong, multi- billion dollar for who. Movies Internet and TV brings more money for the artist in a shorter time.@@Cgspectrum