Hey all, something's been bothering me recently.
You see, I'd started working in games (as a programmer) in early 2010's, in a third world country, where a producer who's been making match 3's and stuff in a local company decided to spin off and start their own outsourcing studio.
Their business plan was "let's hire students for an 'internship', pay them meagerly, and sell them as if they were experienced developers to local businesses who think making games is easy". I was thinking, "sure, I'm sort of being abused, but I get to work in games so it's fine".
Now I live in Europe, and when I participate in events and such, people - mostly students, but many adults with established careers in hospitality, restaurants, construction and such - sometimes come up to me and ask how can they start making games, too.
This is when I understand that my experience is severely lacking in this aspect: it's outdated as it's been 10 years since I started, and the business landscape in Europe seems very different from my slow hometown's. There hasn't been a new studio opening up there either, so I realize I was very very lucky to get from there to where I am now.
What are your stories of starting to work in games? No matter if you're in the US, Europe, or another country such as myself.
Hey,
My story is a bit similar to yours. Originally from developing country, went to the US for a post grad degree program in gamedev, and then started working for a few game startups upon eventually doing app development.
My recommendation? You already have a ton of experience compared to people who don’t have any. You may even know more than I do now! You also are probably more aware of the realities of the gaming industry in Europe, than me!
What I’m saying is don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure there are a lot of people who “envy” where you are.