Most people know someone that plays video games, whether for fun or hardcore passion. Video games express unique ideas, tell unique stories and unite many people. Some people go deeper, finding satisfaction in creating games themselves.
Getting into the gaming industry is a lifelong goal for freelance writer Steven Inegbe.
“I’m an aspiring writer, and it’d be a dream come true of mine if I could apply my writing skills to the video game industry,” Inegbe said. “I’ve been playing ever since I was child, and I knew since then this is what I want to do, this is what I want to contribute to.”
To help his chances of getting a job in the industry, Inegbe has been bolstering his resume by cultivating his artistic side.
“I thought that maybe if I could expand my portfolio and show that I also have an artistic side, I could be more a marketable candidate when it came to other applicants,” Inegbe said. “I was an okay drawer when I was kid, but it didn’t sit well with me that I couldn’t create the images that I wrote about or that was in my head.”
Creating a world through writing is one thing, but some people learn to render new worlds in a more tactile form.
As Brian Jodoin, an undergraduate game design student at Full Sail University explains, creating a character or 3D model alone is difficult, but creating interactive environments is on another scale by itself.
“I was never really creative by myself,” Jodoin said. “It wasn’t until I was given pen and paper and the tools to create something when I could actually create what I visualized. To be honest, I think that’s the best part, just being able to put passion into everything you make.”
As Donald Drake, advertising major at the University of Southern Florida believes, marketing and advertising are just as important as the writing and design processes. Without marketing, the game wouldn’t be played by as many people, wasting a product that so many people poured hours of labor into.
“Pushing a game out there is always the tricky part,” Drake said. “You must make sure not all but some of the best parts of the game are shown, while keeping intact it’s the surprises and experiences players will have when they play the game.”
Not only do marketing and advertisers have a direct line of communication with the designers and studios of game companies, but they’re allowed access to content that has never been seen outside the development house before—an experience Drake lives for, he said.
The gaming industry offers many opportunities for those who want to create brand-new worlds for players or experience things they’ve never seen before. For those wanting either one of those things, the gaming industry might be for them.
