Hello friend!
It can be really hard to change careers into games. I went from being a teacher to developing games professionally in three years. I recently shared my top tips for changing careers into game development on my youtube channel:
For those that want a quick summary. Here are my three pillars of changing careers into games, loosely in order of importance. The goal is to work on all of these things while being patient and kind with yourself along the way. These things often take time, and it’s best if you view it as a multi-year spanning endeavor.
Build a focused portfolio of game projects.
Make friends and connections in the industry.
Make small incremental job moves when possible.
A one-of-a-kind game console
Global Game Jam 2023 went really well! I made a custom-hardware project - a hexagon shaped table with an embedded monitor and six buttons. During the weekend jam, some of us grouped up to make a “Hungry-Hungry-Hippos”-inspired 6 player game called Peckish Peckish Ponies.
Here’s a little gif of the prototype table!
I’m currently painting it and considering purchasing a new monitor that has a better viewing angle so it can be seen well from all sides. There were definitely some interesting challenges with making a hardware game that I plan on sharing in a YouTube video soon.
Other than that, thanks so much for reading and I’ll catch you next month. I’ll be at GDC, so if you see me, come say hi!
Michael