5 things we learned during the Webinar: The Game Industry with Amber studio
Last week we had our exclusive Game Dev Talks with one of the biggest game dev studios in Romania – Amber Studio. We want to thank the speakers – Ana Pohrid (HR Manager @ Amber Studio) and Gabriel Stancu (Executive Producer @ Amber Studio) for sharing their insights and knowledge of the game industry and giving us some pretty interesting and useful advice on how to start our career in it!
1. Who is Amber?
Amber Studio is one of the global innovation companies with more than 700 employees worldwide. They have 6 offices located all around the world but the first office was opened in Bucharest in 2013. Amber works with some of the biggest creative and tech companies – Disney, Gameloft, Epic Games, Unity, Roblox, etc. Amber works on mobile and PC games but also on QA, full and co-development and live ops.
2. The Romanian game dev industry at a glance:
The Romanian game dev industry is big! This is what we can see at first glance and also support the statement with the latest game dev report from RGDA (Romanian Game Development Association). There are more than 125 active studios creating their video games or co-developing. More than 6000 people are employed and can call themselves game developers! The yearly growth of the industry is almost 20% which is impressive and we hope that Bulgaria can follow the same path just like Romania!
3. Why should you start working in the game industry?
Okay, we don’t want to be pushy for sure but we will give you several reasons why working in the game industry is not only interesting and innovative but also satisfying.
- You work what you love ❤️ – we probably won’t be able to find a game developer who doesn’t love playing games but just imagine taking part in the dev process of your favorite game and seeing one day your name in the credits in the end!
- Financially stable industry ? – the numbers are showing it pretty well and we can only agree that growing in the game dev industry won’t only satisfy you on a mental level but also a financial one!
- One of the most diverse industries ? – just like Gabriel proves it “Seeing how the minds of the people in the industry work will change the outlook you have on life in general. It can raise you spiritually!”
4. The game dev career path is different and can change throughout your life
If you’re passionate about games you should follow your dreams! Gabriel Stancu shared his story and showed us that once you start your career in the game dev industry you can always switch or prequalify later in time in the same industry but with different roles. He’s been working for 17 years in game dev but started as а newbie who didn’t even have an idea what to do in the industry. First a Q&A tester, then after some time a game designer, now Gabriel is the Executive producer at Amber!
5. There are internship programs in the game industry… but you have to look for them!
Internships are something difficult to integrate into the game dev companies due to the strictly secretive nature of the work. After the start of the pandemic, this process became even more difficult but now studios are trying again to rekindle the integration. Here are two important tips on how to find an internship in the game dev industry:
- Make a list of game studios ? – this is the first step that Ana pointed out during the talks. Making a list of studios will help you get familiar with the different possibilities on a local level and the companies where you would eventually find an internship.
- Research websites and social media ? – social media can be the place to find your internship! Very often the game dev companies will share on their website and social media job/internship advertisements so just go and follow the pages of the studios from your list! Events such as game jams or educational programs are another option where you can find internship opportunities.
We thank Amber studio for their really interesting and useful lecture! For everyone who missed the chance to watch the whole event, we’re adding the video recording!