JimmyWoo.net

Posts Tagged ‘making games’

People have told me that a dream career is one where you get to do your hobby as your career.  So what if some of my favourite hobbies involve videogames?  Does that mean I should pursue my passion for gaming as a career?  Or is it merely a hobby?  Where does a person draw the line between favourite hobby and dream career?

From my understanding of myself, I am enthusiastic about computer graphics, storytelling in movies, visual art and design, listening and playing music, and of course playing videogames.  After many years of enjoying each separately and individually, I’ve come to realize that all these exciting elements can be found in a single career path.

With a strong background in software engineering, the broad range of career choices makes choosing a career path both exciting and daunting.  This certainly means I have the capacity to do videogame programming and development.  In addition, my understanding of the industry and the games produced provide me with a good sense of videogame design.   Now, the question is this:  will someone who has a passion for playing games and has relevant software development skills enjoy making videogames as much as playing them?

It’s a question I’ve been pondering on throughout university.  Knowing many friends who are passionate about playing and making games definitely provides great moral support in believing that this career path is not just a solo experience or a path that is highly-exclusive.  Videogames are very complex software and to attain high quality and entertaining games, just as with any software, requires a team of talented and skilled people to make that magic happen.  This is why teamwork experience and skills are so crucial in the industry.

With that in mind, this leads us to the essence of this discussion.   As a recent university graduate, it is time to open up and to reach out.  It is time to achieve something grand and ambitious and to combine all the different elements that I enjoy into a career.  It is time to launch an exciting new path, live the dream, and make it a reality.   Challenges will be faced but it will be faced with positive energy, a can-do attitude, integrity and confidence through extensive hands-on experience.  Independent game developers, I salute you.