How to turn gaming into work? Is it okay to play games as work?

Hello, I’m the administrator.
I’m sometimes asked, “Are the administrator and editor-in-chief the same person?” But at SQOOL, they are different people. The editor-in-chief is a more serious person.
So what does the manager do? Well, it’s like a talisman.

Well, always game strategy! Thank you for visiting SQOOL.NET. Everyone who visits this site loves games! Many people would say so. If possible, there are probably some people who would like to work in a game-related job in the future.

This article is for those who want to get a job in the game industry, and I would like to write about the surroundings from my perspective, which happened to happen.

Like everyone else, of course I love games, and when I was a child I would play games without my parents’ eyes.

“If you only play games and don’t study, you won’t get a good job.”

My parents often told me that, but now I wish I had played more games. Games are my job.
If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and tell my parents, “If you let your child play more games, you’ll earn more.” (But homework is also important, so everyone should do it properly.)

I’ve been hooked on Another Eden lately, and I think there are a lot of older gamers who saw the frog in Another Eden and thought, “Ah, this is Chrono Trigger!”, but I don’t know if this would be useful in my work. This is not possible unless you work in a game-related job, and I think that a game-related job is a really good job for someone who loves games.

*The scenario and direction for Another Eden was created by Masato Kato, who also worked on the scenario and direction for Chrono Trigger. It’s unclear whether the frog character came out in that vein, but I think it must have followed that trend.

So, what should I do to get a job in the game industry? I think this is something that gamers will be concerned about.

I think one option is to get a job at a game-related company.
Because of my job, I have the opportunity to work at various gaming-related companies, and I feel like there are many companies that are playful because they are gaming-related. Working for a game-related company is one of the recommended options for game fans.
There are a variety of companies, from well-established companies from the Famicom era to venture companies that have grown rapidly in the smartphone era.

Another option is to start doing some gaming work yourself.
Unlike in the past, we now have the internet and smartphones. It is quite possible for an individual to start working in the game industry without spending too much money.

For example, SQOOL.NET started as a blog that I launched in January 2013 with an initial investment of 315 yen. It was gradually enlarged to its current form. I would like to continue to make small changes to make it a better game medium.
Launching a game-based media company is one of the easiest ways to get started.

There is also another path, such as developing an app game.
App games include huge titles released by large game companies with development costs of hundreds of millions of yen or more.
On the other hand, there are also many app games developed by individuals. There are many people who started developing app games completely by themselves and have released popular titles.

If you look around the world, there is a big market for PC games, even if it’s not just apps.SteamDo you know? Although it is not very well known in Japan, it is like an app store for PC games, and by posting their games on Steam, PC game developers can disseminate their games to gamers around the world.

http://store.steampowered.com/?l=japanese

In addition, there are also game scenario writers, designers, marketing, game writers, localization (making games from other countries into Japanese versions), monetization, etc., which seem to be highly difficult. Since the game market is large, there are many jobs related to games, such as professional gamers and commentators.

So, can you make a living with that game-related job? There are doubts about this, but
If you want to work for a game company, I think it depends on the company. As long as the name is familiar, it’s probably fine. It doesn’t really matter because it’s game-related; if it’s a company that’s socially acceptable in general, it’s probably okay, but if it’s not, then it’s not.

The problem is when you want to start something on your own, such as starting a business or becoming a freelancer, but as I mentioned earlier, there are various paths these days, so even individuals with no experience can start something on their own for the first time. It is quite possible.
If you can carve your own path and make a living by making a career in games, I think that’s a pretty good thing.

However, although it is quite possible, the road to achieving this goal is not very smooth. If you do it yourself, you need to be prepared.

In my case, I started a web media company, but in the early days I was running it alone for a long time, and since I was an amateur, I spent about 18 hours a day working in front of a PC. .
In the early days, there was almost no income, and it was a very mentally difficult period.

The same goes for game developers.

[Unite 2017 Tokyo] How to make a living with personally produced games? How to swim in the smartphone game Red Ocean?from UnityTechnologiesJapan

Here are some slides by Mr. Itanoku Manbou, a famous individual game developer, so if you are interested, please take a look.

I understand that game development is not easy.

In fact, whether it’s game media or game development, there are many people around me who have collapsed and folded their businesses. It’s already full of dead bodies.

I’m sure some of you are thinking, “That’s no good,” but that’s not the case.
A while ago, when there was no internet or smartphones, there was no way for me to start up a game site and earn a living like I did.
Individuals could not make a living by developing games.
Speaking of the web, we are now in an era where you can create your own original website at a super cheap price thanks to WordPress. If WordPress seems difficult, you can start with a blog like I did.
Even in game development, there are game development engines such as Unity and Cocos2d-x, and it has become quite easy for individuals to start developing games.
There is an opportunity for anyone if they want to do it.

However, I think there are some people who would like to proceed a little more safely. For such people, you don’t have to jump into the path of Shura on your own; for example, you can first get a job at a game-related company and learn the know-how, and then go independent and do what you want.
Mr. Waken, who chose such a path for Kyoto, runs “Geek House Kyoto Tofukuji”

If you are interested, please come and visit us. We’re also looking for residents, so it’s probably OK if you just come and listen to the stories and have dinner. (Be sure to check before you go.Also, if you bring something with you, I think they’ll be more likely to be happy to tell you things.)

Considering that any job is difficult, I think it’s very logical for people who like games to aim for a job in the game industry. Whether it’s me or someone else, even though I like games, there are times when I have to work hard at work.

“Well, it can’t be helped since it’s a game job.”

With this spirit, I am able to overcome these challenges happily. I think game lovers can probably survive with a tougher spirit in the game industry. After all, work is a game, right? Every day is fun, really.

the other day”When an otaku stops being an otaku | Bunshun OnlineI read an article titled “, and it talks about the feeling of emptiness in your life when you have to stop doing something you loved so much that you were immersed in it, so if you are interested, please read it. But that’s why I think you should do what you love as a job.
Some people say, “You shouldn’t turn what you love into a job,” but that’s a lie.If you love something so much that you’re completely addicted to it, you should strive to make a living from it. I think if we neglect this, we might end up grabbing younger people when we get older and telling them, “You shouldn’t do what you love as a job.”

Games are entertainment, so we need more gamers in the industry.
If you are a fan of games and would like to work in a game-related job if possible, please come and join us, although it is not easy just like any other job.
If you want to go into game development, choose SQOOL. NET is a media, so we will support you, so please contact us if you release a game.
If you are starting a game media company, you will be competing with them, so please share information with them.
In the case of other jobs, as long as we’re in the same game industry, we’ll meet eventually, so if we meet somewhere, I’d appreciate it if you could meet me.

It’s okay to make gaming your job. It’s hard, but it’s fun.