{"id":8291,"date":"2015-07-03T11:06:46","date_gmt":"2015-07-03T11:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beta.blog.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8291"},"modified":"2023-01-16T11:58:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T11:58:14","slug":"career-paths-for-people-who-are-great-at-gaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/career-paths-for-people-who-are-great-at-gaming\/","title":{"rendered":"Great at gaming? Learn how to start a career in video games"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Guest Post Friday, where today’s words of wisdom come from John Baker at\u00a0Zazzle<\/a>, as he weighs up the career options for games enthusiasts:<\/p>\n

Long-time players will remember video games taking 15 minutes to load on a\u00a0<\/span>flickering screen, literally screeching data from a crude device called a tape into the\u00a0<\/span>machine. Blocky, simplistic graphics, poor sound, and no interactivity with the\u00a0<\/span>outside world other than shouting for a cup of tea from your mum. <\/span><\/p>\n

That era is long\u00a0<\/span>gone, shifting so momentously from the 1970s and 80s days of the Sinclair Spectrum,\u00a0<\/span>Commodore 64 and Sega Master System that comparing Jet Set Willy and Outrun to\u00a0The Witcher and Gran Turismo 6 is akin to equating Shakespearean English with\u00a0emojis and text speak.<\/p>\n

\"xbox-283116_1280\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In those days gaming was only a hobby or distraction to working life, unless one\u00a0actively pursued a career in programming. But the shifting sands of the technological\u00a0world have opened up to a completely different level in imagination and potential\u00a0for those on both ends of the gaming experience, an industry predicted to hit\u00a0$113bn by 2018.<\/a><\/p>\n

Gamers and game creators alike need to think laterally and creatively. They need to\u00a0make real friends on the other side of the planet to overcome adversity. They need\u00a0to plan ahead, think on their feet one moment and be patient the next, and be\u00a0adventurous and stealthy in equal measure. If a serious gamer can harness these\u00a0skills in \u2018real life\u2019 they can be taken forward and applied in the professional world \u2013\u00a0and not just into a sole career in gaming. A knowledge of the industry could take one from gaming into programming, design, coding, website maintenance and\u00a0architecture, and even engineering, writing or marketing.<\/p>\n

For those who do wish to work in gaming there are some big paying opportunities,\u00a0even for those who aren\u2019t experts at actually playing. Devouring comedic\u00a0commentaries via vlogs of games such as Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto can\u00a0become a part of the 21st century experience to some gaming obsessives. These\u00a0videos, which might show how to progress through a particular level, or highlight a\u00a0quirk of the programming, or just showcase game-related silliness, are part soap-opera, part-learning matter, part comedy to the devotees.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no laughing matter for the video creators who have crafted careers and movie-\u00a0star lifestyles from spotting a gap in this new market, and attracting the advertising,\u00a0and product placing of giant companies desperate to find the ears and eyes of\u00a0receptive youngsters. Take the example of Swedish sensation PewDiePie, a\u00a0multimillionaire at 24 with more than 25-million YouTube subscribers known as the<\/p>\n

Bro Army. PewDiePie,<\/a> Tom Syndicate and others have found a niche that could not\u00a0have existed even 10 years ago (YouTube was only launched in February 2005),\u00a0combining gaming and entrepreneurship into dream lives.<\/p>\n

These guys know how to analyse a game and its nuances, but what about the elite\u00a0gamers themselves? Esportsearnings.com<\/a> has assembled a table of earnings for\u00a0players across the world, topped by Chen Zhihao who has garnered more than\u00a0$1.2m in prize money through the multiplayer battle arena game Dota 2 \u2013 no small\u00a0beer for a 24-year-old. Events such as Gamehack take the elite players around the\u00a0world, to raucous arenas packed with thousands of disciples while commentators\u00a0unpick strategy.<\/p>\n

As in any industry, these are the megastars. Not everyone can make it to the big\u00a0bucks in the esports arena, just as not all \u2018traditional\u2019 sportsmen can be Lionel Messi\u00a0or Floyd Mayweather. What gaming virtuosity can be, however, is a tool to impress\u00a0potential employers to recognise the extensive talents that knowledgeable players\u00a0can bring to the table and pay handsomely in their own right.<\/p>\n

For example, Peterborough hosts its first ever gaming experience in August in the\u00a0form of CityLan, an eSports careers and technology expo which is expected to bring\u00a0in more than 600 gamers and teams and a cash pot of more than \u00a310,000. Some\u00a0Halo and FIFA devotees will no doubt only want to see the gaming action but for\u00a0those who are looking for career direction there will also be stands promoting\u00a0careers in digital, IT, and gaming industries, while promising app and game designers\u00a0can showcase their work on 42ft screens before an expected 200,000 shoppers in\u00a0the city centre.<\/p>\n

CityLan marketing manager Nick Betts \u2013 who went from first person-shooters as a\u00a0youngster to learning to code and run his own gaming server, said: \u201cYoung people\u00a0today are growing up surrounded by new forms of electronic media and are\u00a0therefore developing new ways by which to interact with the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cVideo games are a part of their play. They are the toys of today, as much as items\u00a0like Barbie, G.I. Joe and Hot Rods were for other generations. Video games are a part\u00a0of how children develop their imaginations and how they play independently as well\u00a0as with their friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatience, perseverance, forward thinking and strategic planning, leadership,\u00a0socialisation, mental and creative prowess, sympathy and empathy are just a few of\u00a0the skills people young and old gain from playing games.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom games that are designed to improve and train brain functionality to games\u00a0with such powerful story-lines they are considered a work of art by many, not just a\u00a0game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"digital-388075_1280\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The fact that events such as CityLan exist to integrate gaming and careers should be\u00a0heartening to parents of young gamers, perhaps concerned that their offspring\u2019s\u00a0apparent love of the console or PC could threaten their life progress. Gaming can be\u00a0a platform for a career, both at the start and further down the line.<\/p>\n

Case in point: Andy Gray. Andy progressed through the various platforms from the\u00a0humble Commodore 64 through Gameboys, Atari, N64, Playstation, and many more.\u00a0That took a love of gaming and sport into a job as a PR manager for a small games\u00a0company in Sheffield, and then eventually to a role as global PR manager with long-\u00a0established gaming company Codemasters, for the official Formula One and Ashes\u00a0games. His jet-set lifestyle took him across America and Europe, to glamorous\u00a0parties and promotional events. And then he decided he wanted to leave.<\/p>\n

Andy said: \u201cThey were amazing times. I was there for five years, won a BAFTA, had a\u00a0few number ones and generally had a good laugh while working with some\u00a0incredible people. There were a variety of reasons behind me moving but essentially\u00a0I had been there for too long and needed a new challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew F1 the sport and the game inside out and it felt like a rinse and repeat\u00a0process year-on-year. I also felt it was time for me to \u2018grow up and get a proper job\u2019\u00a0which was a very gradual process. After all I didn\u2019t want to be the oldest person at E3\u00a0(entertainment expo).\u201d<\/p>\n

So Andy departed, spending time in London before finally applying for a job at\u00a0insurance giants The BGL Group, where he became PR manager. It\u2019s not a decision\u00a0he regrets, but one made easier by his former role.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy gaming background has proven invaluable. I have a different way of thinking\u00a0about things compared to \u2018traditional PR\u2019. Games, by their very nature, have tech\u00a0savvy audiences so social media and video play a huge part in any of your campaigns.\u00a0I\u2019m always happy to try something new and change things. If it doesn\u2019t work then\u00a0so be it, but if it does then you can really effect change across your organisation and\u00a0having that freedom to try things out definitely speaks to my days in gaming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of Andy\u2019s friends have remained in the industry and have no plans to follow\u00a0him to BGL or Comparethemarket.com<\/a>, where a variety of potential jobs exist that\u00a0could be of interest. Should they change their mind they might be aware that young\u00a0people have never had more of an opportunity to take their love of gaming into a\u00a0career, in computer laboratories or arenas; in their own bedroom with a headset, or\u00a0a corporate setting employing thousands.<\/p>\n

\"auto-racing-558089_1280\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Gaming is as close as many will ever get to warfare in foreign lands or racing around\u00a0Monaco in a grand prix car. The good news is that even if they ever put down their\u00a0controllers and want to move on, the skills they will have acquired will stand them in\u00a0good stead \u2013 so that for their career, it definitely won\u2019t be game over.<\/p>\n

Inspired by these stories? Check out\u00a0Adzuna<\/a>\u00a0for your next step on the ladder. Or read our list of the weirdest job titles<\/a> in the UK!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Guest Post Friday, where today’s words of wisdom come from John Baker at\u00a0Zazzle, as he weighs up the career options for games enthusiasts: Long-time players will remember video games taking 15 minutes to load on a\u00a0flickering screen, literally screeching data from a crude device called a tape into the\u00a0machine. Blocky, simplistic graphics, poor Continued \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":18188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[719],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-paths"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}