Advice for Emerging Devs

As you’re entering the games industry, it can be difficult to know where to invest your time and energy. I asked my network for the advice they would give to emerging developers who have nearly finished their tertiary studies in game development or who have just entered the industry. Here’s what they said…

Get involved

Connect with developers in your local community. Attending meet-ups, conferences, and events is a fantastic way to build connections, get inspired by your peers, and make friends in your industry.

• “Go to every conference that’s in reach.” –Vee Pendergrast, Industry Development Manager at NZ Centre of Digital Excellence (CODE)

• “Make friends in the industry and make lots of them!” –Finléy Cameron, Games Coordinator at Screen Queensland

• “Networking and meeting your local game dev community is amazing! But … focus on genuine connections and real friendship, especially early on in your career.” –Lucy Mutimer, artist and game developer

• “Network. Get to know people. Show up to local events.” –Rick Stemm, Design Manager at PikPok

Learn from others

There are thousands of people who have been through what you’re going through now. Listen to people who have been in the games industry for longer than you—whether that be a few more years or a few more decades. Learn from their experiences, their technical skill, and their failures.

• “Endeavour to learn and listen … Game development is a profession and career, both of which [require] experience, practice, dedication, curiosity, and a healthy fear of what you do not yet know (or even know about).” –Emre Can Deniz, CEO and Co-founder of GYLD

• “Feedback is a gift. Seek it and learn from it. If an industry veteran takes time out of their day to tell you what you need to improve, don't take it personally–they're trying to help and have the experience to back it up.” –Chris Butta, Senior Documentation Manager at EA Frostbite

Embrace failure

Failure is how we learn. You will try many things during your career, and they won’t all work. Focus on what you learned from each experience and take those lessons into your next project. When you become comfortable with failure, you will get better at experimentation and innovation.

• “Don’t immediately try and make your magnus opus or you will never learn the importance of killing your darlings and taking on the vital lessons that are only found within failure. You must instead embrace failure through experimentation and learn to measure success through a process of self-improvement and not through the eyes of others.” –Ceri Hutton, Director of the Smart Program: Games Career Accelerator

• “Imposter Syndrome will never leave you... However, the biggest hack is that when you can harness it to stay hungry and humble, you become unstoppable!” –Naresh Hirani, Head of Studio at Riot Games

• “Every game you admire is built on a mountain of failures... so don’t fear yours, use them.” –Antonio Lattanzio, Lead Engineer at Blind Squirrel Games

Build a portfolio

Create lots of little projects. Experiment with different genres, different techniques, and different engines. Demonstrating that you know how to finish a project and that you are able to work in a team can help you get hired by studios or be funded by investors. It teaches you meaningful skills and shows others your capabilities.

• “It’s all about your portfolio. If you can give practical proof of what you can do and have done, that’s everything.” –Vee Pendergrast, Industry Development Manager at NZ Centre of Digital Excellence (CODE)

• Do some game jams and build that portfolio.” –Ceri Hutton, Director of the Smart Program: Games Career Accelerator

Be adaptable

Technical skills are important, but every project and every team requires something a little different. That’s why adaptability is key! Learn to be flexible, and demonstrate that to potential employers.

• “Pragmatism and adaptability are probably the main traits I look for in a new hire. The ability to embrace change and move with the times—like a chameleon.” –Jamie Smith, Principal Game Designer at Behaviour Interactive

• You are NOT a "Unity dev" or an "Unreal dev". You are a game dev. If you disagree, you need to change that. Go make a pong clone using LWJGL. Make a visual novel in Bitsy. Remake one of your student projects in another engine (Unity > Unreal, for instance). You have transferable skills—which are the real skills. You just might not know it yet. This will reveal them to you.” –Cameron Edmond, Lecturer in Game Development at Macquarie University

Explore your options

Sometimes we can become so enamoured with our dream career or project that we put blinders on and miss out on other opportunities. It can also cause us to feel sad or disappointed if a job is unavailable, a company changes, or our original plan no longer aligns with our values. Avoid becoming so fixated on a particular pathway that you miss out on the other options that are available to you.

• The skills you learn within these courses can be adapted into other industries. Never be afraid to take off the "game industry blinders" and open yourself to adjacent fields. They can help in gaining experience, learning new things, and supporting yourself (and your family). Graduating is one of the best times to look far and wide for those unique experiences. You never know what you will learn and where you will thrive … Learning is everywhere, it's not just finished when you graduate.” –Adrian Webb, Assistant Director Strategic Games and Exercises at Defence Australia

• “Life is long, and games is a creative industry. Leave good work behind you and continue to practice your craft. Jobs and employment in ‘the industry’ might come second to a legacy of work you enjoy (and sometimes detest!) making. Stay in touch with your uni friends and broader network to help create a tapestry of opportunities for your work (and theirs!) to breathe in public.” –Goldie Barlett, Games Investment Manager at Screen Australia

• “Be prepared to move for the job … The professional practices and standards of companies vary wildly across the board in terms of pay, hours, expectations, and advancement. Don't let a bad first experience dissuade you from finding a better place to contribute … Companies change with the people; be prepared to act accordingly. Things can go bad or good, and that's ok. And there is no shame in being made redundant as much as your brain wants to trick you into feeling it. –Luke Davenport, Senior Procedural Technical Artist at Jetpack Interactive

• “There is no shame AT ALL in taking a job outside of the games industry, gaining adjacent skills, knowledge, and maturity, and coming back to games when you find an ideal role for you. You are vastly more hireable when you come to the table with pre-existing skills and experience. You can keep your foot in the door by doing jams, side projects you have energy for, and even just by … showing up to local community events.” –Jason Imms, Head of Quality Assurance at Keywords Studios Australia