I'm a solutions architect at consensys and want to be in the gaming industry. I make 230k total comp, work remote in bay area. Any recommendations on moving forward? In the future, I'd like to make my own Indy gaming company on a few concepts I have dreamed up and think it'd be helpful to be at a company first.
As a 10+ year vet you’re better off keeping your day job and making a game on the side. There is no magic behind the curtains anymore. Tools and platforms are the most accessible they have ever been. Some of the most popular games are made by 1-5 people these days.
Why the f do u wanna do that lol you’ll get paid $80k for engineering
I'd take that if I could learn the business and understand what it takes to succeed launching a game
Send someone a msg on LinkedIn and ask if you can ask them about their experience. Many people are actually approachable. I did it way back in the day before LinkedIn. Reached out to a concept artist at blizzard who was happy to answer all my questions and share their experience. Mid way in my career, I reached out to one of the senior directors at bungie at the time who was also gracious to answer questions about the business. I’m still connected to this person on LinkedIn to this day. The industry is very much about networking so might as well start somewhere. Like I said before there is no black curtain anymore. Lots of indies share their experience with data these days. Lots of talks also online from GDC that cover exactly what you’re curious about from small to big companies , you may want to look into attending as well In the future. That’s one positive shift the industry has taken, lots of sharing these days.
Why not come to Nintendo!
I’d come there. Can I DM?
Rockstar - What's it like at Rockstar? That's been a dream company for me for quite awhile, but judging on how quickly you jumped on the Nintendo post, I'd assume it's not all that great? What rockstar studio do you work for?
As someone with 15 years in the games industry, I think your plan sounds pretty solid from your angle. If I have to be truthful though, most companies are going to turn you away the instant they learn of your current salary. If you are serious about what you're trying to do, don't approach is as a temporary thing. No company wants to train you so you can leave and do your own thing. And if you do, you're not going to learn enough in a couple years or one project to be able to do your own thing. Keep in mind also that the overwhelming majority of indie studios fail and fail hard, even studios full of industry vets. It's not going to be easy for you. I'm not saying don't do it, just be aware of what you're getting into before you make a big mistake that may be tough to be rebound from. Good luck!
Lots of gaming companies are getting more interested in leveraging blockchain for virtual economies. Ex atvi guys kicked off a startup and I can see the guys that make planet calypso eventually getting into something like this. Direct application and helps create more secure marketplaces. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2019/11/20/former-activision-blizzard-execs-raise-19-million.amp.html Lots of other companies also considering merging the two spaces together.
Engineers have an easier time making a lateral move, especially at the higher levels. That comp is harder to hit. Gaming companies pay crap and expect more work because they can get away with it. So many people would love to make games.
I had a blockchain engineer at my last game company because we minted a coin as a reward like frequent flyer miles.
I didn't know consensys pay that high. Can you explain a bit more about your work?
+ 1. I thought Lubin was cutting expenses
Based on the replies- you should find a co-founder who has experience launching games. If you’re truly passionate about the concepts you’ve dreamed up, become the CEO of your vision. Start pitching it to people who might invest. There’s nothing wrong with not being able to code games as the CEO, especially if you’re already technical and would have to start from the bottom in that industry.
You need to read real world examples of indie gaming. It’s not a way to support yourself. You also likely are going to start at the bottom if you are new to the industry at the big companies
Thanks for the reading rec*