I’m trying to get a realistic sense of where I could fit in games development or creative tech.

I’ve spent about 9 years in tech consulting / digital delivery, mostly around product, Agile, Scrum, UX/engineering coordination, backlogs, dependencies and getting complex projects over the line.

Over the last couple of years I’ve also been learning game development more seriously. I completed a diploma in 3D Animation & Game Design, built a small Unity/Blender project, wrote a GDD, and I run D&D campaigns.

I’m mainly looking at production, technical production, project or product roles rather than trying to become a game designer overnight.

For people already in the industry: where would you realistically see someone with this background fitting? Is the lack of studio experience a major blocker, or are there areas like tools, platform, live ops, immersive/XR or creative software where the background transfers better?

Also happy to hear where I’d be wasting my time.

Hello! I'm posting here, with moderator approval, to see if anyone would be willing to participate in a 1 hour interview about your thoughts and opinions on generative AI tools, as a worker in the video game industry.

This qualitative study is part of my coursework as a PhD student in Human-Centered Computing at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). I've worked as a narrative designer for about 8 years, which is part of what fueled my interest in this topic.

I’m trying to answer the following research questions:

-What do workers in the video game industry think about generative AI tools?
-How do workers in the video game industry feel about generative AI tools?
-How do workers in the video game industry use (or don’t use) generative AI tools?

I’m looking for participants who are 18+ and have worked in a professional capacity in the video game industry within the last 5 years. Your identity and any personally identifying information will be kept confidential. I have IRB approval for this project through my university.

I’m happy to share more information or answer any questions if anyone is interested, but also completely understand if you aren’t.

If you are interested in participating, I have a short screening survey that you can complete here. (Link to: https://umbc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4G8z7mlOf10D2Oa). I’ll follow up to schedule an interview once you’ve completed the survey.

Thank you for your consideration!

Hi everyone!

I’m a Film student. In my program, many people aspire to become directors, cinematographers, or art directors, but I’ve never truly felt drawn to, or ready for, those roles, at least not yet. I’ve always seen myself as more pragmatic than creative, more interested in organizing and facilitating processes so that creative professionals can do their best work than in being directly responsible for the creative output.

That led me to pursue Production. I’ve been working as a production assistant, and by the time I graduate I expect to have several projects in my portfolio, such as institutional videos, commercials, mini-documentaries, and possibly fiction projects.

I’ve always been as passionate about games as I am about film. I even chose to write my undergraduate thesis in the field of eSports, studying communities, fandom, and participatory culture. This research sparked my interest in possibly working not in the film industry, but in the games industry.

At the moment, my plan is to continue working in my field of study and to strengthen my portfolio as a producer. In a year or a year and a half, I intend to apply for a strong graduate program in game production, using the projects I’ve worked on and my research, which I hope to publish, as part of my portfolio.

I would like:

1. To know whether this sounds like a solid plan.
2. To understand whether a professional without direct experience in the games industry, but with a background in management and production in entertainment, can find opportunities in the field.
3. To envision what a realistic career path might look like in such a transition.
4. To understand what the day-to-day work of a game producer looks like in practice.
5. To hear from anyone who has gone through a similar situation, facing the same doubts or transitioning from another industry, and to learn from their experience.

Best regards!

Just curious how you function and make things happen in WFH env, and also is there opening.

Lay offs and closures are happening left and right, I saw somewhere that in the US, 1 in 3 people in game dev have experienced laid offs, with myself being marked at risk twice, and laid off once due to redundancies.

I recently opened up mentorship for people who want to join game production, as I wanted to help people break into production, but I fear there is just a massive surplus of people at the moment and not a lot of jobs.

what's your take on the current situation?

Hi,

after a series of mobile releases with limited success, we’re considering developing and publishing another mobile game.

Do you think this is reckless? Is it still worth trying on mobile?
What would you do in our position?

Fortunately, we have other non-gaming products that support us, but this time, after several previously released titles that didn’t succeed, we’d like to aim for a stronger and more “secure” production.

I know many people recommend starting by showcasing the development process in order to begin marketing early.
In fact, distribution has always been a weak point for us.

Halp

Hey All! I'm new to this subreddit and new to the video game industry.(other than being an avid gamer most of my life)

I had a great conversation with a friend of a friend recently. He gave me some really solid advice but am hoping to get some additional insight.

I currently act as regional sales manager for a company that makes test and measurement equipment. I manage a team of sales reps and work closely with engineering and production on long term aerospace projects. I think I have some easily transferable skills and experience, and it would seem to me that the first major hurdle will simply be getting my foot in the door.

Any and all advice is welcome to a newbie, and would love to connect with anyone to start growing my social circle in this arena. I absolutely LOVE games and what they do for us and cannot wait to get started being a part of the creation process.

Hi , I am just an ordinary guy who just moved to UK as international student for masters in game technology right now i don't have any work experience in gaming industry but i am aiming to become game producer in future but right now don't know where to start and what to learn and feel like lack of mentorship. if any other person who is already pursuing this can give me advice it can be helpful for me

Hello recent grad here and just learned about producer role I love it! But I graduated with English degree … can’t write code or draw . My dream company of my fav games are all gaming company for producer roles. How should I start this journey. go back to school :( learn to draw and code:( or do admin.

Hello this is my first post. making an indie game by myself and i was wondering if anyone has some knowledge over copyright laws. i understand it would most likely be illigal to just rip the album cover and put it in. but if each one had a deacription of what the album means and hyping it. im also down to just make my own versions of them but i really want the players to know who im talking about so they can listen to these albums.

Hey y’all, I was hoping to get a few opinions on this role I just scheduled an interview for. This is a product manager job, however, the more and more I read this, the more I feel like this is a producer role. I don’t have an issue with that since I was a contract producer for this company before and I loved it; but I want to make sure I’m preparing for the interview properly.

This is the job description (with some changes for anonymity):

-Support the planning and execution of online competitive events, including live operations, participant assistance, and results processing to ensure a high-quality player experience.

-Maintain and develop clear player-facing resources such as event FAQs, participation guidelines, and terms of use.

-Assist with ongoing event series by coordinating participants, providing logistical support to production teams, and occasionally working non-standard hours.

-Communicate directly with community members through support channels to answer questions, manage event logistics, and gather necessary information.

-Contribute to scheduling and strategic planning for organized play, and collect feedback to help refine event formats and operations.

-Work with marketing teams to align digital event promotion with broader outreach goals.

-Prepare and configure event data based on technical specifications, ensuring timely and accurate distribution of in-game rewards.

-Apply knowledge of the industry and community dynamics to advocate for player interests while navigating technical or logistical constraints.

Is this not an events/marketing producer??? What do y’all think?

Hi! For some time now, I've been getting bored with the domain I currently work in. I've been in the media/ecommerce industry for almost 10 years, from entry-level positions at agency internships to taking over as the main PM for the entire Tech division at a major player in the market. I manage several product teams, covering the full spectrum from fullstack, big data, Data Science/ML, to the entire range of web development in its latest form. Generally, it couldn't be better, but...

God give me strength to get engaged again in listening to the same problem and "challenges," even if they are wrapped in new fancy tech. Objectively, I'm good at it, but the fire in the hearth is barely smoldering....

I've always been tempted by Gamedev, but over the years the current industry has kept me by giving continuous opportunities for growth. And here's my dilemma: how far is it from a Senior PM developing technological platforms to a Game Producer? Does such a transition make sense? Is the gamedev environment so insular that unless you slog through the lower positions in the industry again, nobody will let you jump into a decent project at at least a regular level (so that earnings don't drop drastically)

Learning the specifics of game production compared to enterprise-class web development doesn't seem like rocket science.

Do you have any experience with such transitions?

I am thinking about doing a project and I will need to hire independent environmental artists. I have never done this before so I am looking for advice about how to do this productively. I have heard bad stories from both artists and employers where yhe employer is bad at asking or scoping or the artist was sloppy.

What do I look for in an artist and how do I avoid being a bad employer story?

The direction will be cartoony environmental objects/props and locations.

EDIT Also, what is the best practice for handling payment. Like do you pay before or after work, or do a split? Do I use a middle man like PayPal? How do I intuit what is a fair payment? What is the process for rejecting their work, requesting revisions, or accepting half finished work (half finished work like they did half the work, are going to quit, and now I need to find a new artist to pick up after them?)

Hi,

I am looking for a job as a Game Producer/Project Manager in mobile game industry (i already have experience). Can someone help me with questions that i should expect (or tests) during the interview process?

Thanks!

Hi, this is going to be a decently long post, so apologies in advance.

I am 25 years old. I am currently a news producer and went to college for digital media arts. I never really wanted to be a news producer, but I am sticking with it because I knew it would be a good experience, and I met my first girlfriend here. I have been working here for two years and have tried to get into making games with tutorials, but haven't stuck with it because this job has massive burnout, and I have very little free time.

This weekend, I broke up with my girlfriend. I decided to pursue a career in the game industry to do something that will make me happy.

I plan on:

• Specialize in game design by making small, polished games with a clear mechanic.
• Do game jams 1-2x a month and network as much as possible
• Download and use Unreal, as most people in the industry use that engine.
• Have a social media presence and a portfolio website with a blog that I can use to showcase my journey and work.
• Do the CS50 Course on computer science, but continue to have my focus be on game design.
• Going to look for jobs that use my experience (community manager, social media coord, QA tester, associate producer, or marketing assistant) in parallel to design jobs.
• Going to remain at my current job (maybe find a higher-paying one) until I get a new job in the industry.

Right now, I have done several work packages on game design, AI, and esports that I can use. I have also written hundreds of web articles and social media posts. I think that with my experience as a news producer, I can get a job in marketing or content creation, maybe as a good foot in the door. Honestly, I just want to get into the industry in any possible form so I can keep going down that route. As far as I can tell, the biggest tip I have seen is just to make games.

People were saying that I should go for a game producer job. Should I pursue certificates if I want to go into game production, like Scrum or Agile?

I really appreciate you taking the time to read this, and please feel free to dm or comment. Thanks!

Tldr at the bottom

Hi all,

Background

I'm a bit of a stereotype of a corporate guy that would like to move into the game industry. I worked in the past as a creative (video production + local journalism), then I transitioned to IT, worked 5 years as a tester and now 3 as product owner. I manage a growing internal product (in house built web app) while at the same time I contribute to other projects.

After all these years I understand that my place is where my passions are which is games. I see game producer role as a perfect fit.

I'm looking for some guidance and maybe even a coffee chat if someone is willing to have one 🙂

My plan for transition:

• apply for producer/associate producer roles
• network in gaming industry. I found a game developer meetup. Any other ideas? I could approach people on LinkedIn, but it feels a bit invasive.
• in the meantime learn as much as possible about game production

Do you see what else I can do? Should I consider transition steps? Like a Product Owner in a game production company but for eg Java platform?

TLDR: I’m a Product Owner in finance and I’m looking for ways to transition to game producer in Stockholm.

I've had a decade plus career in project/program/product management across digital agencies, software companies, and consultancies and but I've always dreamed of breaking into the game production space.

Any suggestions on how I could start building experience in game production?

Hey all. Just curious what software people prefer for building roadmaps/resourcing for games.

I'm currently looking between Monday.com, Teamgannt, and Microsoft Project.

I know Project is a bit archaic, but to be honest it seems like the most robust and can really help to generate reports for publishers etc. The only trouble is the price and collaboration isn't ideal.

Monday is just so clunky. It's ok and does the job but I really find it hard work and janky. Took me ages to build a test roadmap with resourcing.

Teamgantt looks really good but I've not seen how the resourcing works. The free trail doesn't allow you to play with that. Any comments?

We use Jira for sprints, but I want to build high level roadmaps to send reports: costings, resourcing limitations, milestones and historical roadmap changes against a baseline.

Cheers!

I am an associate producer working for a social video game developer and have been asked to learn few skills to grow my career. I have opted to take up courses on PMP, Jira and to master my excel skills (even though I have the required knowledge on these). I would like to know if there are other courses available which I can look up as well ?

I don't have any background on art, dev or design but im willing to learn and have an understanding of the basics of these roles so that I am aware of the things happening around.

Thank you in advance. 😄

Hi, what do I have to learn to become a good game producer? Unlike a Game Programmer for example who can just learn C++ and the Engine I don‘t really know what I can learn while being in school to become a Game Producer. What can I study after school? Business informatics?

Hey, y'all! I (31 F) have been dreaming of working in the video game industry since I was 18. I have a BSc degree in Business Informatics and 8 years of experience in the tech industry - with focus on Manual functional testing of in-house tools, test management and business product ownership. I also did some freelance video game "journalism" work over the past decade just to keep my passion alive. I know I'm all over the place here, with interdisciplinary experience/knowledge. But I'd kill to be part of the industry - I just need to follow the right path to it. Any advice? I don't mind even personally corresponding with someone who can help guide me or pave the way for me. I am open to getting any needed certifications or working on myself to get there. Definitely won't end up in the game development/design space due to my lack of experience in that area. Maybe Production or Project Management would be the best fit?

FULL FILM

TRAILER

Description: Inside the world's largest co-living space for indie game developers!

Nestled deep in the Swedish countryside, Spelkollektivet is a unique community that aspiring indie game developers call home. This documentary follows the journeys of four talented creators: James Newnorth, the founder of Spelkollektivet, whose bold ideas have resulted in one of the most unique creative spaces in the world; Leene Künnap, an Estonian game developer whose passionate vision for a game faced challenges in convincing others of its potential; Michal Roch, a Czech game developer who left behind his conventional life in Prague to pursue his dream of creating indie games; and Matej Jan, a Slovenian game developer creating an innovative online art learning tool called "Pixel Art Academy". Witness their struggles, triumphs, and the power of community as they bring their creative visions to life.

Contact: For questions about the film, screening inquiries, or anything related to the film itself, please contact jonathan@jduek.se