Career in Gaming as a Gamer

What do u guys think of a Career in gaming?


and latest evolving it into your own company.


If u follow CS1.6 u ll realise lot of players are making 6 figure money playing just games and endorsing brands like Razer.


And later they make their own training clans and train younger players.

 

Like all occupations you have to be really good to earn big money and endorse products, it's not all that different to regular jobs apart from the amount of practice and skill required to be good.

Even the world's best players find it more profitable not to teach, why break your own rice bowl when it's earning you rent money?

 

I would personally prefer a career which would reward me useful real life skills and knowledge which I can then put to use in the future and make a significant contribution to society (and be hatefully remembered ). I do not believe that being able to z0mg pwn all t3h n00bz RoFlCoPtR!!111! etc. is one of those skills. Otherwise I would have never given up hardcore gaming.

 

i was watching MTV2 about a week ago and "True Life: I'm A Gamer" was showing. you do have to be really good at what your doing before you get signed in as a contract gamer. i think if you really believe that you got what it takes, then go for it. but for most people, stick to school or something else!

 

If you are that good,then go ahead.otherwise take it as a side business.

 

From evrything I've seen, becoming a professional gamer and actually being able to support yourself with it is even less likely than becoming a professional conventional sports player. If you are good at Starcraft and willing to move to Korea, it might increase your chances a small amount, but I would still plan on having a day job.

 

It seems about as distant for the average person as being a rock star or a professional athlete. One of those things that you either have or you don't, and most likely, you don't.

 

If you were good enough, they would come to you

 

Being a professional gamer is like being a professional athlete, only a VERY small percentage even get the opportunity and even a smaller percentage get 6 figure salaries. Even then you'll be threatened when your older by tons of younger people. They are selling an image nothing more and nothing less, once you start turning into an adult your image doesn't sell to kids and you'll be replaced, and being a pro gamer you wont have any real life skills. So you'll be in your late 20's early 30's unemployed and only able to be a 133zor gamer and not much else. To be perfectly honest instead of chasing the impossible, try going to school get into the video game industry through testing or programming. You will not only learn a real world skill, but also learn how business works and possibly even the exposure to the gaming market you need to possible pursue a pro gamer career on the side. Personally Id stay and make video games as tech you are a pro gamer as you get paid to make games. Good Luck!

 

Would be an amazing career at a young age. Like right now id kill to be a professional gamer but once u get older it may get boring and ull want other things like proper career and family..u just cant have that with gaming. Plus like the others said u either have it or u dont

 

Yeah plus even if you had a natural talent for a specific game or games in general you sitll have to practice. You'd have to spend a huge portion of your day practicing and if you were part of a team the training sessions would be even longer.

 

You have to freaking good to be noticed in the first place.
We had competitions when I was younger, I won a lot of money back in th 00s` , when I used to be a God at Quake3(no kidding, I probably won over 500$ back then) but I stopped playing some 3 years ago and I came back to reality

 

Sounds great, but its also a lot of work too. Like any hobby I have, once it becomes your job, it gets tedious and boring.

I used to do game reviews years ago. It was fun until I had to get the game finished and reviewed within four weeks time. You didn't always get a fun game to play either, so when you had a chance to play you didn't want to play the game, but something else. Then remembering to get good screenshots, make notes, etc it quickly became more of a chore than fun.

Even Fatal1ty works hard at it 10 hours/day.

 

You will laugh at this question later on.

 

I think it would be better to start in QA for a gaming company. Not being a low level tester, but as a part of their development team as an embedded tester. It's a great way to play yourself in within an organization for possible growth, especially if you're interested in software development.

 

Well, I don't think it's good. I read about some Korean SC team and it's just so ................... crazy. Training all day, no going out ......... sort of thing like that

 

I dunno. When I did it, I did it out of sheer fun.
But when the pressure began to rise, sure, I started practicing.
But I loved Quake 3, it`s probably the game with the most pleasant memories for me yet.So that made a huge difference.
I say a job in gaming is only for those willing to turn fun into a job...so that kinda takes the 'laughter' out of 'slaughter' (somebody`s sig..)

 

well earning money is a pain any which way you look at it....

 

Amen to that

 

Yea but only until they hit the mid/late twenties and their reflex slows down. Then what are you going to do with the rest of your life. low 6 figure income may sound a lot to a kid but try raising a family on one.

 

Low 6 figure is enough to raise a family if you keep earning it every year, but not if you have to live off savings from 5 years of work.

 

beautiful comment....worth a Rep

 

I read about those kids in South Korea who play pro StarCraft and that was enough to completely nullify any possible future as a pro gamer.

I'd rather not live in a prison compound, forced to play a single game 12 hours a day. Even here in the US, it becomes a 12 hour job. That mean at LEAST a 60 hour work week with ONE GAME. No better way to kill something you enjoy than by making it your financial support. I think htwingnut already put it more gracefully than that.

 

I prefer a job where i can actually use the skill i learn to perform deeds outside of the field.

 

Well said!

Coming from someone who had no kids a year ago, have one now, and another soon!!! And I thought I made decent money....

 

It's sometimes a shame we don't still live as cavemen, where all that was needed to spread the seed was hands-on combat training and care.

These days it's all that, plus $100,000 (more if they want to go to an expensive University).

 

Unless you absolutely love it, and you are a god, and you will continue to be a god forever, there's really no point. It's unrealistic.

To put myself into context, I am a damn good singer. I was ranked second in Districts this year, and came damn close to ranking first. (didn't make Regions though; started my Regions audition on the wrong page x_x) But I remember. I'm an amazing singer. There are plenty more amazing singers out there in the world. And nothing would destroy my love for music better than me being forced to depend on it. Not to mention the horrendously long work-hours.

I retreated back to my second talent, science, and I am going to pursue a career in medicine. Despite your hobbies and natural talents, if they are not purely academic then consider very carefully before you choose to pursue a career in them.

I have a friend who is a pure musician at the soul. He plans to become a composer. (they make next to no money) He is fine with that, because he lives on music. So question yourself: Is your soul a gamer's soul?

 

Gaming is like any other sport. Well, more difficult, actually when you look at making a career out of it. You have to be really really really - did I say really? - damn good at it, plus add some luck, and tons and tons of hours and patience to play the same damn game for hours on end to determine its intracacies.

Hobbies are hard to make careers out of. Unless your hobby is engineering, nursing, or truck driving, chances are you won't make a living, or much of a living, by indulging in your hobby.

 

My best friend was on a team that payed him to play. Cs 1.6 cal invite. I got to play with all the best in counterstrike... team 3d, coL, pandemic all those teams who get endorsed... and I must say they are amazing.

Besides the fact that they are huge nerds, it makes for a great career, because of some traveling, being with people you like and playing the game of your choice. Very few make a lot money in gaming, but people like moto from team 3d makes some good bucks..etc.

I've been in tournies and won money for cs but never a constant buck. So therefore their salaries are typically based on how they perform in select tournements around the world.

I know a lot since I still play cs 1.6/source with the best.
They also have bootcamps and lan all the time. They play over 8 hours a day and 2 hours a day for their hand-eye coordination. Now it seems enticing at first thought of being a "pro gamer" but like every job, it gets monotonous and boring later on.

 

You know what people will think of you if you're career is gaming?
They don't think you're cool. They tell you to go outside and get a life.
Razer thinks your cool because they don't have lives either.

 

And then you tell them that it's ok that they are jealous that your job is cooler than theirs.

That's not to say being a pro gamer is really a good career path choice for the vast majority of people. Even if you want to try to become a pro gamer, you should still have a plan for a day job.

 

I wouldn't even try.

 

My "job", if you will, is a professional musician. I studied at UNT and UMKC (Conservatory) for a little over 4 years. I make a good living, but I worked hard for it. I don't complain, as I do what I love for money... but, I have been in the studio since August of '07. 12 hour days. Now you begin to see where the "work" part comes in.

 

I just posted on musicianship. Congratulations. I'm not taking the risk. Hehehe.

 

water boy? there are bawls to be served.

 

Thanks bud, I don't *think* I would trade it for anything else, but there are moments when I look back and think "I made the wrong decision". 95%, it's fun, but that 5% is EXTREMELY painful. (I also enjoy dealing with the business side, so for me, the "fun" percentage is higher than most musicians)

 

If you want to get into the Gaming Industry, then let me help you... I have been a part of it since I was 16.

The job that a game development company [EA, Midway, ATLUS, etc..] needs most are QA/beta testers.

Requirements:
- has the command of English (to read and write detailed feedback)
- needs to be passionate
- would not mind NOT getting paid... at first

That is the trick to get "your foot in the door" for any industry...
- "I am willing to do it for free".... shows your resolve and passion

Then you follow-up by saying:
- "But I would like to get an evaluation for the work that I have done in 30/30/90/etc. days; and I would like to get a starting salary 5/10% higher than a person that would have been paid upon starting."

If you have a background with programming, art, rendering, etc... it will help you even more as you start QA testing.

See me at E3 when you break into the industry, we can go get some lunch.

 

Or another option, GO TO KOREA.
They actually have jobs for gamer, you get trained to play game.

 

I attended E3 two years back, who were you with?

 

One of my greatest mentors took the same path. It wasn't always very easy, but he loved music so much that it was hard not to be inspired.

*kidnaps Gophn for personal use*

I was going to mention similar stuff, except I think he wants to get payed to play games competitively. I've done some game development to the extent that I've worked on a few Source Engine mods (programming, modeling, level design), and I will tell you the hardest and most infuriating part of game development is bug testing and QA. But you'll notice games with actual, static QA departments always have an added polish.

I was going to intern at Westwood till they trashed their Las Vegas offices and I graduated Highschool and Westwood was purchased by EA anyway. So, as a defence mechanism (it was my crush'ed dream), I became a gaming intellectual, subscribing to no less than 5 gaming/tech podcasts and reading gamasutra, quartertothree, and neogaf pretty much every day. There is a reason the gaming subforum here is my primary haunt. These days I also try to develop in the Source and Unreal engines, and there is a major reason why I am a Computer Science major.

So in other words, can I go to lunch with you at E3, too? Please?

 

Congrats on your work Storm, and yeah, I can't see myself leaving the music industry. I would love to be a game tester... I should get paid for all the TF2 I play in the lounge. Damn you Steam...

 

On that note, why isn't there is NBR TF2 server? I'd love nothing more than to frag with my mobile bretheren.

 

I couldn't agree more. I have so much down-time, for probably 5 of my 12 hour days, I'm surfing here, talking with PR's, or playing TF2. (Occasionally Oblivion)

 

E3 2006... that was the last large extravaganza that was put on for the industry... i miss it.

Now its just small conferences, workshops, and interviews... with little to no swag... cheap bastards.

in 2006, I was mainly at the Capcom and Konami booths (I am an old skool arcade gamer)... and Nvidia to play with Fatal1ty and the Red Orchestra guys.

Funny you mentioned Westwood. I actually beta tested RA2 and Yuri's Revenge here in southern California.

Those guys were a cool bunch... too bad EA just ate up so many companies.

I am trying to get into the RA3 testing this year... hopefully I'll run into some developers at E3 this year.

I do not exclusive test for anyone, nor do I get paid... its true.. I choose not to.

I enjoy to test games that are potentially good, and I get the drive to give detailed feedback in order to get a great final product.

I love what I do, and have met many cool people every since I was a lonely geek hanging out at arcades in high school.... which led me to meeting Capcom, Square, ATLUS, etc. programmers and developers there ... they go to the same arcade to relax after work... who-da-thunk-it.

 

one word; "AWESOME!"

although im kinda interested in the making NBR TF2 server that were discuss early on... i mean some of us have a lot of time in our hands... and it would be great to actually meet (not in person) or play with NBR guys

 

On another note about E3/LA Conventer Center...

I will be at Anime Expo 2008 this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center on the weekend of July 4.

I was going to host some console gaming events there, but apparently I am not needed.. this year.

 

Yeah, it was pretty cool. I was actually attending with some NAMM vets. (Not the war, the music/gaming event) Strange, I know...

 

LOL... funny you say that.

I went with my friend to the last NAMM event here in Orange County.

He is big into Audio editing, mixing and producing... as well as HD video editing.

He went to check out the Native Instruments progs and Final Cut Pro... which he purchased for like over $1000 i think... crazy.

 

Wow, pretty good deal. I was at NAMM with Sonor and Paiste last year. (Both Winter and Summer) Great deal, and I got to jam with some greats!

 

In short, the main point is not to make a living as a gamer but rather to try the industry that makes the games for said hardcore players in the first place.