Career Exploration: The Future in Gaming

What might be more readily at students’ fingertips than a cell phone? A gaming console. More than 80% of teens own one, and while they’re definitely familiar with the role of a video game player, there is so much more the gaming world can offer.  

At a time when 92% of surveyed high school students are driven by their passions when it comes to career planning, we applied our career exploration guidance to this relevant passion and invited leaders across top gaming companies to join in.  

We hosted a two-part Gaming series in October for BigFuture Live, a series of community events where students and families can get their questions answered. Here is what reps from Blizzard Entertainment, Xbox, Midwest Game, and more had to share: 

1. There are lucrative career paths in the video game industry. 

There is a lot of opportunity in the gaming industry – and it can be a competitive career path. One place to start is to see what gaming companies are hiring for. What qualities and skills are they looking for? What jobs are open? Students might find introductory level positions like quality assurance, playing the game to look for bugs and ways to improve the product. Game design roles are popular for those looking to design games or community relations to help create a connection between players. Or even engineers that do the coding. Plus, students can explore gaming careers on BigFuture for free. 

2. The industry has evolved – and continues to evolve.  

EM Stock from Together Labs reflected on her experience, starting with arcade games and noted that “there is nothing gaming companies love more than a really good knowledge of the platforms that they’re on.” Educate yourself to understand what is happening in a game or how it was developed. Familiarizing oneself with the details and different platforms, such as console games versus mobile games, is a good way to better understand the vast industry, the gameplay, and where there may be growth opportunities. Sara Fuchs from Muus Collective notes how important it is to understand the games on a deeper level because “gaming is fun, but it is also a business.”  

3. Transferable skills can help students evolve.   

Students don’t have to start in gaming or go to a school with a gaming degree to end up in the industry. That was the case for many of the panelists, but they did explore careers with skills that are relevant to gaming. Problem-solving and team work is a skill many players embody that is helpful. Today having experience with artificial intelligence and coding could be a great asset for the games of the future. Blizzard Entertainment's Arin Goldsmith said, “I started with marketing in organizations that I wasn’t passion about. But I learned a lot of marketing skills in those jobs. I went back for a certification in digital marketing” and with that, she came to Blizzard. And while nowadays, there are gaming degrees and programs available, traditional degrees like computer science can be valuable. 

4. Connections IRL are key. 

Like in any career, the panelists didn’t shy away from the value of relationship building and networking to career success. There are many ways to connect with people and learn more about the industry. Following leaders on social media is one way. Internships can offer hands on experience to see whether the role meets expectations. College is also a great way to meet people on a similar path to a gaming career. Advice from Xbox’s Kelly Lombardi to students was to have genuine conversations with people. “If you share with me what your interests are and what you like to do, I might be able to tell you about a role you might enjoy and connect you to someone.”

For students who aren’t sure if a job in the gaming industry is right for them, they can take a 10-minute career quiz to see how their likes and dislikes align with careers.