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Is it crazy to start a new career at 30?

I'm over 30 years old and have opted for a serious IT career instead of becoming a video games programmer like I always wanted. What should I do to successfully get back to start a video game career?

  • I know Java very well, C/C++ as well, but as a general rule I am quite proficient and can adapt to many languages, APIs or developments environments. My "serious IT" career is in e-government software development, where I have been technical writer, build chain/integration developer, and now business analyst. I do actually (try to) do it as a hobby, but feel defeated by the tiny amount of time I can spend on it, since it is just a hobby and not my day job. Thanks for your insights! I must say they match my perceptions of this industry: fiercely competitive, very demanding, merciless and uncertain environment, but compensated by the rewards of doing what you love, really mixing work and fun... I am really wondering if, out there, there are examples of such career changes, in the last 10 or 15 years: a 30+ hobbyist game-creator who met so much success that it turned his life/career around? Entering through the front door seems just impossible when looking at job offers: you need either be a senior with 7+ years in the industry, including 1 or more AAA titles under the belt, or a junior "jack-of-all-trades" in charge of janitoring tasks for low wages (e.g. "data management" which I often understand to be high-turnover jobs, responsible for putting grease in the development environments/delivery chain) or web community moderation...

  • Answer:

    It depends on what your goals are overall. If you're simply after a programming job within the industry I'd suggest either designing your own game and programming it. Or teaming up with a decent designer to make something small and low on art needs. More over if you aren't already, I'd suggest getting back into playing a ton of games to help gain some perspective for the modern industry. Taking your time to examine every detail from a technical standpoint. Along with that, attending any and all conferences you can to gain knowledge specific to the video game industry will be invaluable. GDC in San Francisco is easily one of the largest development focused conference I know of. In addition the networking opportunity at a large conference is unmatched. The video games industry is arguably one of the most competitive, given it's extremely small size and project based nature, often you will be competing with many other well-qualified candidates. This usually means that who you know matters, they can open the doors and help you get where you want to be. I hope this helps some these are just my opinions based on my industry experience and stories from others. The TLDR version: Make a game, good or bad you'll learn more that way. Go to a conference to learn and network with like minds. Then work hard, it's a tough road with great rewards at the end. Thanks!

Evan McAnulty at Quora Visit the source

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I don't know that much about gaming first hand, but I also have heard it was very competitive.  I know someone who hired an ex-game developer and in this case, the guy got a large raise while still being paid at the Jr. developer rate.  Of course there are all sorts of situations and being in the majors is going to be a different story than being in a small outfit. I would say to first decide whether this is something you could take a pay-cut for (assuming you have already done the obvious steps like send your resume around and linked-in networked). If you can take a pay cut: Try other networking opportunities to look for the small fish.  Go to an online meetup club site and look for related professions:  Graphics designers, 3-D modelers, and possibly fiction writers and get your name around.  Visit start-up incubators and ask them about code-jams and similar events. If you cannot take a pay cut: Even in the most competitive areas, companies still pay top dollar for people they couldn't afford to lose.  Become the real deal even if it takes long hours and extreme focus.  If you are not reading technology books or working on code, read books like Josh Waitzkin's "The Art of Learning".  Build something that shows off your skills and then be ready to ace an interview. Or, a back-door approach.  You could try to make a diagonal move into product management, quality assurance, product evangelism, or content.  These would be relatively competitive as well, but a large percentage of the people applying would probably be less well-qualified than you are from a technical perspective. I would add that you also can't really begin this process without a success criteria in mind.  If you end up in the one area of gaming that you like less well than e-government software, then have you made progress?

Jeff Little

I concur with Evan McAnulty about making your own game. I would suggest Unity if you are looking to do a 3D game. You will need to find an artist or be willing to spend a little of your own money to acquire assets, but you should be able to get something going for a pretty low cost. Also look into serious games. Not as sexy as triple A games but a foot in the door can let you move onto bigger and better things

Joseph Hopper

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