Jobs of Gamers

Soo, they are handing out degrees in Counter-Strike these days? Must be part of the ""play games to make money"" scheme

I guess I am one of the only people on the forum without any regular income, but what can you expect from a high school student in socialist Europe anyway. I finally received my application forms for the medicare job I applied for last year so I''ll be starting to receive my paychecks this summer. Then again, today was a victory for maturity anyway as I filled in my request for a drivers lisence and should be starting with my lessons in a few months.

While I''m doing my last year of an Internet Computing degree I am working in a retail storeroom picking up boxes and sweeping and stuff. I hope to get a job doing web design , but I''ll think about that when I finish up at uni.

Right now I''m working at CompUSA doing upgrade sales... It''s annoying. I used to be in their tech shop, but got out because the tech manager was a jerk!

My true love is Web development, graphics design and gaming! Hoping to get certified in programming someday and become a game developer. That would be totally shway. 8)

-Danazer-

I''ve been a game dev on and off for about 7 years now - though I spent 2 years as a gaming journalist (Daily Radar, Next Gen, PSM etc.) somewhere in the middle. Currently, I''m at Electronic Arts, Los Angeles.

I spend my days porting various programs from NT to the AS/400 (of all things). Mostly C, C++ and java stuff. Sounds exciting, eh?

Well the business card says: Senior Webmaster.
Though I also get to be (forced with a gun to my head :evil:): DBA, Unix Admin & Linux Admin

Its amazing how you just start out and then before you know it you are doing 2 jobs for the price of 1.
Maybe this year they will give me 3 jobs for the price of 2

Dang I feel like a schmuck when I read thru this thread...

Well here goes...

I went to school for Computer Information Technology and hoped to get in the field of Network Administration, but unfortunately my area suffered a swell of newly graduated IT students looking for a job. Sadly enough, I was unable to find a position that I was comfortable with.

I ended up working in the comp dept at a Nation-wide retailer and found my future calling there. I was approached by a representative of the the video game industry and was offered an interview, which I nailed. Due to my computer knowledge and some programming intelligence, I obtained my position in the computer industry. I may be only a QA Lead, but at least it''s a start, besides... I can say I play games for a living.

Program manager for Cisco... some times between projects I consider myself a gamer instead of lifeless cube slave :).

Man, working in the gaming industry would be pretty cool. I can just imagine what life would be like. Being able to play games all day without the wife giving me dirty looks.

/sigh

My position is a ""Release Manager"" at the Securities IT Department of an, ummh, major Wall Street institution that is a part of a certain financial conglomerate based out of Switzerland.

I work on a two securities trading projects at once, doing builds, maintaining the applications'' infrastructure across the world, scripting and packaging the releases and also programming arcane websites that let people know what our systems are actually doing when those multi-million trade orders hit them.

I''m currently a media analyst working with a big London consultancy...dull, dull, dull

however, used to write for video game magazines (mainly freelance) while @ University!

How hard is it to get a job in the professional gaming media anyway?

I''m an e-commerce manager at a major sports footwear and apparel company. Fun job, even in a tough economy.

It''s terribly easy if you just want to write freelance...

I used to produce copy for all of the big houses (emap, future etc), in a number of different mags - all you need to do is get your foot in the door. One you''ve written at one mag, it''s extremely easy to find more.

Best approach is to write a couple of short, witty game reviews, and send them to the editor of your fav games mag.... hopefully they''ll bite. Hell, that''s how I got in...

I''d also suggest that you call the editor directly after you''ve sent the review, just to sound enthusiastic. Most of them are exceptionally busy, so keep it short...

Was an unreal job while at uni - - really enjoyed playing pre-release games, getting tons of cheap or free hardware and writing about something I loved... certainly more rewarding than working at a pub like most of my university mates.

So working as a free lance game writer = getting lots of free games & stuff? Well you also said that you would rather do that than work in a pub. Working in a dutch pub = free beer however What to choose??

Well,

Used to be a *paid* game desginer...now I do it for free.

Daytime for money:
Designer of a Digital Non-linear Editor...Well I had to do something after LGS folded and moving was out of the question!

on the side- news stuff, editing, shooting...er...video not people...directing

Off Hours- Daddy

I''m a Gigolo, of course.

I''m available for Birthdays, weddings, and funerals, except wednesdays.

Oh, and by day I work in the family business, we make uniforms for schools.

I am a student web programmer for my university I go to. I am also the linux admin, oracle admin, and I manage the BlackBoard software installation for our school (which, btw, is a piece of sh*t, and I hope they choke and die on all the Microsoft money they got bought out with).

I am about to graduate though, and with it, my tenure as student programmer comes to an end. So I am trying to find a full time programming job anywhere. You hear me? Anywhere!

I eventually want to be in the game development business, I was a programmer, well the only programmer, on a Tribes 2 Startship Troopers : Roughnecks MOD (which turns out I was the only one doing any work, doh! It was such an abysmal failure that I dont even have a webpage to show for it).

Very soon I am going to start a MOD that is basically a Multiplayer versoin of Typing of the Dead, using cartoon characters being chased by the government (the story makes sense, really! Besides, its meant to be funny )

Anyways, if anyone is looking for a C/C++/Perl/PHP Programmer, let me know! I give good head!

Guess I''m another non-tech industry anomaly. I manage a five story marketplace in the middle of northampton, MA. About 40 stores/tenants in a building that''s been doing retail since 1877 or so. Pretty challenging keeping something this old and creaky going on a day-to-day basis. Then, of course, there''s the legions of drunks, lunatics, and general freaks one in the building management profession gets to deal with.

(/Me to raving drunk) ""No sir, this isn''t your SEAL base. Yes, I know we''re out of ammo and the commies are coming. Wait here, I''m calling in EVAC."" (/me calls police).

Hey Gorey, I believe I''ve spent quite a bit of money in your building back in my UMass days.

On a somewhat similar topic, why did they close down ""Words and Pictures""? every time I was there it was crowded with fellow comic book lovers.

Pulse- According to the fella who last managed Words and Pictures (and, incidentally, now runs the record store here in Thornes), W+P had serious cash flow issues. The ''concept'' and ''vision'' didn''t germinate into something that could sustain itself without heavy (r/e near total) support from K. Eastman and co.... Impression I got was that the venture never found a comfortable (read, viable) niche between ''museum'' and ''comics shop with related gallery''. I think this all came to a head around the time the comics industry tanked, as well.

A shame really, as towards the end, the actual ''comic shop'' section was really starting to pick up.

And to think, there''s a Day Spa and a cell phone store there now. They even took the gargoyle down :cry:.

Oh well...Word & Pictures was cool while it lasted. It''s a shame it didn''t get broader support from the comic book industry. I wonder what the hell you do with some of the things in that collection. They were gigantic. I can''t believe the gargoyle is gone. I can, however, believe there''s a cell phone store there now. I''m actually surprised they didn''t cram another Starbucks in there. Northampton was quickly getting sticky with corporate america when I left the area. Actually the area in Baltimore I live in now reminds me a lot of Northampton...the good and the bad.

I do know your building, Gorey. It was a trip I was pretty much obligated to take any time family was visiting me at school. It had that boutiquey charm that suburbanites like to visit. Of course, since I was a student, I couldn''t actually afford to buy anything in there. Now I''m getting all misty for my college days.

Tell you what, Sway- in honor of bygone days, I''ll go downstairs right now and buy a cup of coffee, gab with the girls at the jewelry counter, and enjoy the atmosphere myself, cause heck- I run the joint and that''s all I can afford in here!

Man, I can''t believe they took the gargoyle down.

That was the coolest building at night time with the cartoon cutouts in the windows, gargoyle on the roof, etc. **SIGH**

I wonder what they did with all of the comic book museum pieces?

Not that anybody but myself, Sway, and Gorey care..... Sorry GWJers.

Well, I''m glad our bandwith can be used for personal reminiscence! Can we get you some lawn chairs, or a soft drink?

- Elysium

I guess we had that coming!

Driver Development for CD/DVD Recording. I wanted to do programming in the gaming industry, but

a) germany gaming industry is not exactly on a rise

b) low payment and working 24/7 was not what I really wanted

But this is just fine. Gives me enough time for my hobbies :).

I''m a sales associate for GameStop. I get first crack at nearly all games, and own all three of the big systems. I like to think of myself as a pretty impartial judge of games as such.

Luda, What system is your favorite? Just curious.

Hey Luda,

I was a asst. manager of a Gamestop, before they bumped me up to manager, a long time ago. One of, if not the first Gamestop, actually (in the Mall of America). Do they still have their ""check out"" policy?

- Elysium