Everything you need to know about applying for your first job in game development

gamesindustry.biz:

This article is part of our Get into Games special , offering students insight on life in the games industry and advice on how to get into the business

Working in game development is a dream for many people around the world. It's a hugely popular form of entertainment that sees developers working on the cutting edge of both art and science.

At EGX 2023, XR Games' talent acquisition manager Andy Driver shared his tips on how to land your first job in game development.

But first, he kicked off by providinga much-needed reality check – that it is really hard to score a position in the sector, adding that having a strong skillset is only half the battle. You might not land your dream job straight away, but your career is a journey that needs to be taken step by step.

It's also important to have other interests outside of your game development studies; these will likely be essential in landing your first job.

Applying for a job in games isn't a trivial matter of sending someone your CV and hoping for the best. There are a few different stages that you need to go through to land a position; you first need to find a role you want to apply to. These can be found on job boards, websites, social media platforms and LinkedIn.

"You'll then apply for those jobs and go through whatever application process each studio has," Driver said.

"Chances are you won't hear back from most of them. You'll almost certainly won't get feedback at that stage either, just to manage expectations. Applying for a job and being rejected without doing any interviews or talks, you probably won't get feedback."

There are hundreds of people applying for each position, so companies hiring cannot provide feedback to everyone who applies. But after that initial stage, you may be invited for an interview or a test – depending on the position. There might be multiple stages to the process.

"That depends on the studio," Driver said. "Then you'll get an offer. That seems straightforward; just follow those steps.

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