5 Rewarding Career Opportunities to Pursue in the Gaming Industry

There’s a wide range of career opportunities in the burgeoning video gaming industry. Any of these job positions makes for an excellent career choice if you decide to pursue them. The world of gaming can be quite a competitive region, where there are tons of professional gamers all looking to pursue a career in the gaming industry. Creativity and the passion for gaming are the very crucial things to have in order to work in this industry.

With the plethora of career opportunities within the gaming industry, spending time with your Nintendo consoles, following your favorite wrestlers, or previewing NBA bets won’t be your only way to be passionate about gaming – you could help create an actual video game and turn that into a career that you find rewarding. Listed below are five rewarding career opportunities in the gaming industry.

Quality Assurance Tester For Games

Okay, first things first. Game testing doesn’t mean someone spends their work hours playing video games like an end-user would. It’s serious work. The game tester would play games while under construction, way before they become finished products. They would test the unfinished games to see whether they have certain bugs that needs to be fixed.

The tester’s main responsibility is to play the most recent version or ‘build’ of the game and check if everything in the game is working as it is tended to. They’d have to report any defect found while ‘playing’ the build version. Those functions are referred to as quality assurance – ensuring that a game comes out with the highest quality.

A daily routine in a QA tester’s work schedule involves testing games and correspondence with the game production team. Some QA testers function alone with the games build (called ‘black box’ testers), while other testers may be able to access the source code and assist the developers with debugging (also called the white box or grey box).

The QA tester serves an important role in the gaming industry because they’re the final defense line of the production chain before the games get to the players. Failure on the tester’s part could mean that lots of gamers will be disappointed when they find their game is filled with bugs and crashes.

Video Game Programmer

Video game programmers use programming languages like C++ and Java to pre-inform the computer on how to turn all the content and artwork inputs into a working game. In the most technical role in the industry, most programmers either have a degree in computer science or learn programming at a game company.

A typical day for a video game programmer involves coding, running the codes, receiving correspondence from QA testers, and implementing game features. Programmers usually have different sub-specialization teams that concentrate on predefined areas. For instance, while one team deals with the AI and characters, another deals with the server code, and another oversees graphics.

Video game programmers need a thorough technical knowledge of their field, but they also need much focus and patience while in the studio. Generally, programmers are the highest-earning professionals in the gaming industry.

Video Game Concept Artist

The role of a video game artist requires a strong artistic talent. It’s one of the most challenging roles in the gaming industry. The ideal artist is good with different art tools which help in creating digital content, like Autodesk Maya or Photoshop.

The concept artist  envisions and plans the ambiance and look of the game’s scenes and characters. They’re responsible for the game’s style and look. They also are the first to draw the environments, enemies and player characters. These professionals work with a brief from the producer, while their sketches help 3D artists, producers, programmers and publishers have a better overview of the game.

Voice Acting For Games

Voice acting is increasingly becoming an important part of game development, raising the bar on many games into memorable experiences. Video game actors work with voice directors and game developers to enliven engaging narratives, while working at their homes or in recording studios. Video game voice artists could get employed through auditions and outreach, before delivering high-quality performances in longer voice recording sessions.

Video game voice acting is an intensely collaborative process which usually requires a fundamental knowledge of sound editing and sound engineering for those operating outside a home studio.

Gaming Content Creator

To become a video game content creator, you’ll need a gaming machine where you’ll play games. It’s easy if you’re working with a PC. Simply opt for OBS and play games that way. If you prefer working with a console, then you might need a dedicated capture card.

Then you’ll need a top-quality microphone and webcam so your online followers can see your face. Asides streaming their gaming contents to followers, gaming content creators also network with other content creators to access new audiences or environments. Of course, content creators need social media, because that’s where the followers are. It definitely pays to have a presence on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat as a video game content creator.

Conclusion

The above listed are some of the most rewarding career opportunities in the gaming industry. With the rate of increase in the industry’s market capitalization, the number of jobs is potentially on the rise. If you’re considering a career in this industry, you may want to look at any of the careers above.