The Business of Play: Careers in the Gaming Industry

According to the International Software Federation of Europe, more than half of all Europeans (52%) between the ages of six and sixty-four play video games. In Europe, the average age of a video game player is 31.3 years, and roughly three-quarters of these players are above the age of 18. Furthermore, the results suggest that children and teenagers do not represent the biggest part of the group.

The expansion of the digital environment, the increase of mobile gaming, and the emergence of esports events — all point to a promising future for the gaming business. Another key point is the global community of artists, programmers, and others who make video games a reality. Taking into account the large community of video game creators and fans, the business is quite prospective. Thus, it is expected that around 245,000 people will work in the gaming niche in the United States by 2023. Since the domain is developing fast, you can turn your lovely hobby into a good job. Does that sound interesting to you? You bet! Let’s go over some of the most promising opportunities in the gaming industry so that you get an idea of what’s currently on offer.

Technical employment in the gaming niche typically requires a bachelor's degree in computer science or even certifications in video game programming and development, which certain universities provide. Be ready that a technical university education can cost a bomb. However, this investment in your gaming career might pay off in some of the industry's highest-paying roles.

When it comes to the scope of work for technical specialists, it is not set in stone. As a rule, smaller studios require developers to handle a wide range of tasks — from game prototyping to game development and product QAying. On the other hand, larger businesses, such as Blizzard, offer highly specialized employment options. Thus, some technical specialists may work on the back end of the game engine, while others may focus on the game's network infrastructure, or build the game's mechanics and features.

Taking into account that Blizzard regularly releases new World of Warcraft expansions, you will hardly stay without interesting job offers. Thus, Season 3 of Dragonflight was recently released, and a bunch of people were involved in the launch. If you are an avid gaming fan, you're undoubtedly in the know. But if you haven't played this cult game yet and want to get a feeling of WoW, we urge you to run a test drive. Thus, you will get an idea of how the game is built, what visual architecture it features, and what technical specialists were involved in its development. We strongly recommend that you fully explore the game. This is where the assistance of the WoWboost service will come to the rescue — making a party with professional players will make carrying out raids a breeze and help you explore all the ins and outs of the game.

There are plenty of employment opportunities for people with non-programming expertise who can contribute in areas such as marketing, economics, and in-game monetization. For example, big gaming companies are always on the lookout for market researchers to follow audience behavior, interests, trends, competitor performance, etc. This field is a perfect career path for those who are always up-to-date on the latest gaming news and trends.

If you are rigorous and detail-oriented, then becoming a game tester (quality assurance specialist/ QA) can be an ideal option. What is more, video game testers should be excellent players and have excellent attention to detail to detect discrepancies, errors, and bugs. Since they are responsible for reporting their findings back to the game development team, strong communication skills are also an asset in this profession.

The development of immersive environments in video games requires artists as well as sound designers. Graduates in interactive media design, sound production, and graphic design may apply, but it is only a core grasp of gaming that will lead to a top position.

While game developers have their focus on coding, game designers are to create compelling stories and visual concepts that will interest their target audience. To give movement to the gameplay, animators with coding and 3D modeling talents to match their creativity are brought in. The soundscapes that give a foundation for various activities and keep players interested are then created and implemented by composers and audio programmers. All of that audio requires outstanding sound engineers to labor behind the scenes to ensure everything is captured and mixed correctly.

Fueled by a global community and diverse talents, the gaming industry offers an array of exciting career opportunities. From technical positions requiring coding mastery and support jobs navigating market trends to testing and creative careers crafting immersive experiences – each path offers unique professional opportunities. Whether you're drawn to the precision of programming or the artistry of design, the gaming world welcomes all. In a landscape where passion meets profession, consider this your invitation to explore, innovate, and level up in the business of play.