Video Game Jobs Can Be Boring

Posted on December 15, 2006

A game in the video game industry sounds like it would be fun, especially if you are gamer. Gamers may imagine the career involves playing games all day. A Reuters story pours cold water over that fantasy. It cites David Hodgson, author of Paid to Play: An Insider's Guide to Video Game Careers, as warning that gaming jobs can be monotonous. He also says the pay starts at $50,000 a year, which is less than other tech industry jobs.

Hodgson told Reuters, "It's not like working in the industry is sitting around playing video games." However, he does say there are "multiple paths, which is the best news around."

Hodgson told Reuters that many people start as game testers. That might sound exciting at first but Hodgson says, "It can also be mind-numbing -- it is not unusual to play the same game or even the same level for months until it's bug-free." The same level for months! You would probably start seeing that game in your dreams at that point.

It does like it could get monotonous at some point but even what Hodgson describes is not something most people would put on a list of top ten most boring jobs. There are far worse jobs out there to have. Hodgson's book sounds like a good one for anyone interested in a gaming career.

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