Do you feel the video game industry is a black box with no doors? It takes only one foot to open the door. But how can you make it open in the first instance?
Game development is an option. A solid strategy is all you need.
You don’t have to search for the “right” way. There isn’t one. There are many paths to your first job as a game developer. Getting the origins of the current game developers is key to understanding the best strategies.

These are the 10 strategies that you can use to get into your first job as a developer at a game studio. Also, there are examples of professional developers who have used these strategies. It worked for them. It can work for you.

1. Post your work on discussion boards

As a game developer, you may spend much more time reading through discussion boards than developing games. However, you should find out who else uses those discussion boards. Professional game developers do.

It is a great way to have your work reviewed by game studios. It can also help you build industry connections and get a job.

Caleb Parrish may be a Game Art Director. However, he wasn’t born that way. At the time, he was an unemployed artist looking for his first job. He spent his time posting his work to discussion forums. Caleb explained that he used to post on discussion forums like CGchat.com, Polycount.org, and GameArtisans.org. I became good enough that eventually, someone offered me a job.

Post instead of lurking. You can interact with other board members, who may be professional game developers looking for a new employee. You may land your first job in gaming.

2. Start a gaming website

You can start writing about games or managing a gaming community if you want a job.

Jason Van Beveren was employed in a traditional corporate job when he realized he was looking for a job in gaming. “I began writing an online gaming blog. I wanted to attract someone’s attention. It was also important to me that I could do it well. Parris Lilly saw me for a month and asked me to help him run his gaming website.

Jason was appointed Head of Player Experience at a video game studio just a few years ago. What could you do in the next few years if you get started now?

3. Build your indie games

“How do you get to experience making games?” Game studios constantly ask me this question. It’s easy to answer: Make a game. You now have some experience.

Dan Posluns developed little games for his Apple IIc and his TI-85 calculator. He kept creating indie games until he got noticed by an established gaming studio. He said, “I spent some time working with websites before I was pursued by and eventually recruited by a gaming company.” They found my work online for the homebrew Gameboy Advance and contacted me to give me a job interview.

Today, there are many more and better free game dev tools than ever before. Dan created his first independent games using a calculator. There are no excuses for everything you have available to you.

4. You can start as a game tester, which is an entry-level job

Game tester is the most common job in the industry. Why? You can apply for most jobs in testing without a college degree. Many game testers end up moving into other roles on the game team. This means that there is always room for more testers to fill the gaps.

Merric Shank started as a game tester. But I assured my boss that I was interested in learning about production and that more responsibility was on my mind. After working for a while, I could help with a game. A successful trial run led to my being promoted to Associate producer.

Kelly Toyama, now Senior Game Designer, started as a tester. But he didn’t let that pause him from contributing to his game design team, which caught his bosses’ attention. He states, “I started as a QA engineer, but the design has been my passion since childhood.” You don’t need to be a game designer just because you have the title.

Programmers, artists, designers, and other professionals are part of the game industry. They started as entry-level game testers. Learning how a game studio operates is easy once you enter the door. You make connections, learn, and grow. You can pick whether you want to use them or not.

5. Do you want to intern at a game studio?

You can get a job in a game studio even though you haven’t built a single game. While not all studios offer an internship program for game developers, most are open-minded to hiring temporary workers who can help them finish their games.

Jaclyn Shumate began her career in the game audio industry as an intern. She says that she was intrigued by audio engineering, signed up for classes…and fell in love. I was looking for internships in games company startups. This seemed the best way to explore my interests, and I was lucky enough to find one. This was eight years back. Since then, I’ve enjoyed many different roles in audio games.

A job in gaming is what you want. Game studios need cheap workers. Find out if there is an internship at a nearby game studio. It might be the perfect match.

6. Get a video-game-related college degree

Mandi gained a Bachelor of Science in Game Art & Design. She was hired straight out of school to work for a gaming studio. She was a designer and lead designer on several essential titles.

However, she believes that more than just having a degree is required. She said: “Crafting an Experience requires critically looking at one’s own work and improving it.” As you become more familiar with the level of your work, you will need to take on the role of a new player.

7. Get a traditional college degree

Look at the job listings from different game studios, and you will notice that they often say, “Bachelor of Science Required.” However, they don’t specify which bachelor’s Degree. You don’t need a degree in game development to get the job.

Brandon Fogerty received his Master’s in Computer Science. Before landing his first job creating video games, he worked as a programmer for non-game companies. Technology is ever-changing and improving. This is the key to being a good programmer. Engineers must be willing to learn and push their limits beyond the technical realm.

Nathaniel Hubbell is now a Video Game Special Effects Artist. He started his career as an animation student with a traditional arts degree. Hubbell could transition to a video game job by leveraging his professional networks. Through some connections, I was offered a job in gaming. Although I was initially a character animator, I soon discovered that I was also skilled in 3D animation. I helped with the effects often. After some time, my supervisors asked me to make an impact full-time.

Take a look at the many degrees that could maintain you to a career as a game designer if you are skeptical. Education requirements for Game Designers are as diverse and varied as the game developers themselves.

8. Find a job as a non-game dev employee at a game studio

To run a successful gaming studio, you need a range of jobs. Many of these jobs are separate from the game’s creation. Even if your videogame experience is limited, you can still apply to positions at game studios as non-development staff, such as software development, tools development, or information technology.

Brian Gish had been working as a data engineer when he was offered a non-game dev position at a game studio. “I had just been fired from my first job as a college student at a company that provides database/computer backup reporting software. A recruiter contacted me regarding a contract position in testing tools at Microsoft Gaming Studio. I was working on Fable 2. This was my dream job! I had always wanted a career in the games industry. Because I had already been accepted, I was able, after my contract expired, to be hired by Sony Online Entertainment as a tools programmer.

Frank Rogan was on the path to becoming a website designer. One of his jobs led him to a video game studio to design their site. He started working in game design as soon as he got his foot in the door. “I realized that I was the game design that was really managing the work of other game designers. They call that person a Producer.”

The support staff is less important in smaller studios. If you’re looking for this strategy, focus on larger studios or game publishers. The larger the studio, will find more support jobs to target.

9. Participate in game jams

Although I’ve heard stories about people receiving job offers after creating something in a jam game, I’ve never met anyone who has successfully followed this path.

This is why I include it. A game jam will give you something to add to your portfolio. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn how to work under pressure with a group of people. You can expand your professional network by meeting other game developers, many of whom could be helpful in your quest for a job. It’s worth looking into, especially if you are a fan of game jams.

10. Create in-game applications

If working for a company in gaming is not for you, there are ways that you can make a living by building apps for multiplayer games.

While you will need some programming skills to create gaming apps, it is possible with JavaScript or HTML to create apps for popular games like League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Hearthstone. In-app advertising and subscriptions can bring you hundreds to thousands of dollars per month if players find your app helpful.

Amit Tsur is a Dota 2 game developer. He created Dota Plus. Dota Plus has over half a billion downloads, giving Amit enough money to quit his job to develop game apps full-time.

Matt Hawkins was another example. He created in-game applications for Fortnite and Apex Legends. He began with HaloTracker, which was his first app. It was so popular he made it his full-time job and hired additional developers to build more apps.

11. Don’t lose heart.

Is “persistence” a strategy? As with most things worthwhile, it takes work to learn new skills or get a job within the videogame industry. Sometimes you may feel like you’re hitting the wall. This can lead to discouragement. We’ve all been there.

Tony Ravo has felt it better than anyone. Tony is now a Lead animator at a major gaming studio. However, his first job as a game animator was a challenging one. He had to work hard for it, and he received many rejections. Tony said that those who successfully get the job in the industry would keep improving their reels and continue applying, even after being rejected the first time. My Disney rejection letter is still with me, but I discovered I needed to improve my drawing skills. Each rejection motivated me to continue working hard until I could get in the door.

It could be a better feeling to get your job application rejected. Remember that failure is part of learning; you will learn from each rejection.