Comments on: Why Not to Be a Game Developer http://www.ps3blog.net/2009/01/30/why-not-to-be-a-game-developer/ Fri, 24 May 2013 00:11:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: chris kamens http://www.ps3blog.net/2009/01/30/why-not-to-be-a-game-developer/#comment-181194 chris kamens Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:59:32 +0000 http://www.ps3blog.net/2009/01/30/why-not-to-be-a-game-developer/#comment-181194 Game Design is fun but very stressful, especially when doing big projects. But it must be cool when you see your name in the credits knowing you were apart of the creation of the game, especially if its a number 1 hit. Game Design is fun but very stressful, especially when doing big projects. But it must be cool when you see your name in the credits knowing you were apart of the creation of the game, especially if its a number 1 hit.

]]> By: John http://www.ps3blog.net/2009/01/30/why-not-to-be-a-game-developer/#comment-179650 John Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:02:06 +0000 http://www.ps3blog.net/2009/01/30/why-not-to-be-a-game-developer/#comment-179650 You can scratch the cool factor for dating too, it just makes you look like a geek that hasn't grown up, and the typical game dev spends too much hours at work, and the rest playing whatever games at home. A consultant on the other hand has business appeal (asuming it's not a basement one), and will be out meeting people at customer's, save the occasional damsel in distress from a bad computer, etc. You can scratch the cool factor for dating too, it just makes you look like a geek that hasn’t grown up, and the typical game dev spends too much hours at work, and the rest playing whatever games at home.
A consultant on the other hand has business appeal (asuming it’s not a basement one), and will be out meeting people at customer’s, save the occasional damsel in distress from a bad computer, etc.

]]> By: SL33PY http://www.ps3blog.net/2009/01/30/why-not-to-be-a-game-developer/#comment-179239 SL33PY Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:20:10 +0000 http://www.ps3blog.net/2009/01/30/why-not-to-be-a-game-developer/#comment-179239 People and gamers in particular have the false perception that working on games is tons of fun. I'm not saying that it is the most boring job on the planet. But gamers generally kind of romanticize the game development world. I worked as a game developer in Germany and the time that I had there was a blast, but ... 6 months in, I already had about 140 hours overtime in. By the end of the development cycle when your product is about to go gold you work very long days, mine were starting at 6 am and going on to 1 am the next day. It is really fun to be creating a world for others to enjoy, but as stated in this article unless you're with the lucky 5%, your wage will suck, no benefits (unless you count a free copy of your own game a benefit), and lots of overtime. I've been working as a software consultant after my time in Germany and my wage has risen almost 100% since then (it's now 4 years ago), not counting additional benefits (company car, gas card, insurance package, ...) Even tough at times I do get the itch of game development, I have a lot more time for myself and my family when I work in the traditional software industry. People and gamers in particular have the false perception that working on games is tons of fun. I’m not saying that it is the most boring job on the planet. But gamers generally kind of romanticize the game development world.

I worked as a game developer in Germany and the time that I had there was a blast, but … 6 months in, I already had about 140 hours overtime in. By the end of the development cycle when your product is about to go gold you work very long days, mine were starting at 6 am and going on to 1 am the next day.

It is really fun to be creating a world for others to enjoy, but as stated in this article unless you’re with the lucky 5%, your wage will suck, no benefits (unless you count a free copy of your own game a benefit), and lots of overtime.

I’ve been working as a software consultant after my time in Germany and my wage has risen almost 100% since then (it’s now 4 years ago), not counting additional benefits (company car, gas card, insurance package, …)

Even tough at times I do get the itch of game development, I have a lot more time for myself and my family when I work in the traditional software industry.

]]>