Chang Michael - Video Game Careers Demystified

Copyright 2021 by Michael S. Chang

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION:
LOADING SCREEN

Video games foster
the mindset that allows
creativity to grow.

Nolan Bushnell

Two-point-five-billion strong stands the global army of those who game. Bigger than the music industry, bigger than the movie industryin fact, bigger than the two combined . Global gaming revenue reached $174.9 billion in 2020, even amidst a worldwide pandemic. Such an incredible scale of playersjoined and connected by a common passion to be anyone , achieve anything , go anywhere .

But to millions upon millions of young people, there is a struggle: the struggle to convince skeptical parents and teachers that video games are a viable career path. That there are real, high-paying career opportunities in video gaming. And arguably more important, that there are more viable opportunities than ever , with or without a formal education. Even with or without the lucky, once-in-a-lifetime break of accidentally meeting a Richard Garriott or Shigeru Miyamoto. At GDC (Game Developers Conference). On a plane. At a restaurant. You get the idea.

Whether you are someone like myselfa Gen X D&D Dungeon Master, who grew up playing and loving board games, classic games like the Oregon Trail and Street Fighter , or more casual arcade-style gamesor perhaps you are a millennial who works in a bank or ad agency by day and is a mid-lane champion in League of Legends or Valorant by night. Instead of comprehending the marginal cost of labor or stoichiometric algebra in class, youd rather immerse yourself in Black Desert Online or PUBG ( PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds ), day and night.

If you are a gamer who would love to break into the industry, then I encourage you to read this book and use the information herein to find your calling and livelihood in the industry you love.

Video games have become a huge part of our lives. What was once a simple interactive game on Atari or Nintendo 64, or text-based title on a PC or Apple II before that, has morphed into incredibly realistic graphics, captivating storytelling, and the ability to play with friends and family using surround sound and virtual
reality headsets.

Games can be casually entertaining to pass time. Games can also be immersive and transporting. They can teleport us into a world of our own imagination, allowing us to be anyone , feel, battle, quest, and achieve anything that we desire. Arguably, the gratification, adventure, and sense of wonder we gain from gaming are beyond anything money can buy.

When delivered through 3D-surround audio, virtual reality or augmented reality, games provide an outlet to escape reality. The gaming session and adventure? This may be bite-sized snackable moments lasting minutes to escapades of hours, or even days.

If youve found yourself fascinated with the creation and production of games, then you might want to consider a career in video games. As a

WHO AM I?

(AND WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO ME)

You can make an amazing game,
but you cant make a success.
Your players make the success.

Imre Jele, Project Director,
Blitz Game Studios Volatile Games

Everybody in the video game industry is a coder, a developer, an engineer, or an artist. Or else you have to be a pro gamer or a streamer to get a job with the big boys. Correct?

No. While some of the best-known video game professionals are, in fact, engineers, developers, artists, or illustrators, there are real job opportunities for other nontechnical, less artistic types as well.

But before we get to all that, you may be asking yourself, who is this guy? What gives him the qualifications to be dishing out advice to you or anyone about the video game industry?

A first-generation immigrant from Taiwan, I called San Francisco homethe City by the Bayin a small, 10-by-10-foot bedroom that overlooked a courtyard. Within a working-class neighborhood, mere yards from the windswept shores of Ocean Beach, I grew up a dreamer. My escape was a vision of a brighter future, far, far away from the misty shrouds of the San Francisco fog.

I was the kid who daydreamed. Between lectures about the Pythagorean theorem, the noble gases on the periodic table, and tales of Odysseuss encounter with the sirens, I dreamt. To my beloved teachers and teachers assistants, I confess not only to daydreaming with my eyes wide open but also to multitaskingbefore that became a proper noun in corporate America.

First, I was dreaming of becoming a Picasso, a Georgia OKeefe, a Van Gogh, a Stephen King, an Akira Kurosawa, an I. M. Pei, or a Julia Morgansomeone creative who can change the world through artistic expression. Someone whose story and contributions to the world can be admired and measured visuallyon a stretched piece of canvas, or the marble steps of the hallowed halls of a fine arts museum, or the pages of a sci-fi novel loved by millions.

My childhood fascination with a 16-color karate boss battle game, Karateka, evolved into a love for the testosterone-rich PG-13 first-person shooter (FPS) shoot-em-up game Duke Nukem .

Many years later, I now get paid handsomely to help both startup and AAA (large, well-funded studios, often with access to well-known entertainment brands, aka intellectual properties or IPs) game developers take their games to market. So if a nerdy kid from the avenues of San Franciscowho didnt even have a computer in his household until the age of 14 and didnt pay with his own money for his first PC game until the age of 20can get paid real money to (in the words of Duke Nukem) kick ass and chew bubble gum, then anyone can, given the determination, the proper guidance, and the right break.

Thankfully and fortunately Ive had the pleasure of working with some of the worlds premier talent in the interactive entertainment and gaming industry. Professional titles Ive held include head/vice president of marketing, brand director, and marketing consultant.

Some of the video game projects that Ive been a part of include Facebook/social games like ZooWorld , HeroWorld , and Pieces of Flair , and old-school IPs like Ultima , Warhammer , Star Wars , Mass Effect , Dragon Age , Command and Conquer , Supreme Heroes/Superhero City , and RuneScape , to name a few.

A teacher and a coach, I work with startup CEOs and founders. I get paid in cash and stocks. What do I do, exactly? I am an oracle and Sherpa who takes indie video game and gamified app entrepreneurs through the journey. I guide artists and creatives to take their passion and product concepts, tell an easily understood but powerful story, find huge commercial opportunities, and ultimately, to be rewarded handsomely for their creation.