As parents, it’s natural to want your child to balance their leisure activities with their career aspirations. The hours they spend immersed in video games might seem like a distraction from things that are a little more productive. However, the games industry has evolved tremendously over the years, offering a range of in-demand career opportunities that merge passion with profession. So, here’s how your child’s love for gaming can motor them towards a successful and fulfilling career.
Game Development and Design
One of the most direct paths from gaming to a career is through game development and design. If your child is interested in the way games work, they could thrive as a developer or designer. This can involve creating the gameplay, storylines, characters, and levels that make up a game.
If your child has a big imagination, coupled with skills, or interest in, programming languages like C++ and Java, they’re already well on their way towards being a great game designer. But to bring those skills to a professional level, most universities offer courses in game development and design with internationally recognised qualifications.
Esports
Esports has quickly grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry, creating more jobs, not just for professional gamers, but for software and network engineers, event managers, designers, analysts, marketing specialists, agents and so many more. In fact, jobs in the Esports industry have been steadily increasing by over 85% each year since 2019.
There are also genuine opportunities to build a career simply by playing video games. If your child is especially good at a particular game, a career as a professional gamer could be possible. Alternatively, they could build a personal brand by streaming their gameplay on platforms like Twitch or YouTube, which could lead to sponsorships and ad revenue.
Game Art and Animation
Maybe your child loves art and creativity as much as they love video games. If so, a career in game art and animation could be a perfect path for them. Game artists create the visual elements of a game, including characters, environments, and special effects, then animators bring these elements to life.
Experience with software like Adobe Photoshop, Maya, and Blender is often required, but this can be learned through university or VET courses.
Game Writing and Narrative Design
When creating new video games, storytelling is just as important as the game development itself. If your child has a vivid imagination and passion for writing and storytelling, they could be well suited to a career as a game writer.
Their main duties are to craft the dialogue, plot, and lore of a game, to create immersive worlds and engaging storylines. Qualifications in creative writing or game design are great pathways into this career, alongside a portfolio of fictional writing.
Marketing and Community Management
Without great marketing, even the best video games would fail commercially. Roles in game marketing involve promoting games through various channels, creating creative ad campaigns, and engaging with the gaming community to build a loyal fanbase.
So, if your child is always on social media and has strong communication skills they could be an excellent fit. The best pathway into this role is by studying marketing or public relations degree after school.
Your child’s love for gaming doesn’t mean sacrificing their future career prospects, it’s actually quite the opposite. The gaming industry is expanding by the day, meaning there are a plethora of in demand roles that your child will genuinely enjoy. As parents, supporting their interests and guiding them toward the right pathways can make all the difference to help your child find the perfect career for them.
