5 Jobs I Want in the Gaming Industry

Being a games journalist is pretty cool, but sometimes I dream of a job where my opinions are not subjected to a barrage of hate. Of course that job is always related to gaming, because otherwise what’s the point? These are the five jobs I fantasise about when the trolls get too much.

Narrative Designer (Telltale/Bioware/Bethesda):

If “games journalist” was a pokémon, I feel like this job would be its evolved form. All that practice with shoehorning words into a review pays off in the form of excellent aptitude with creative writing. You get to take those skills and create worlds, characters and a story capable of knocking the socks off your target audience. Imagine creating projections of yourself and watching as thousands of players fall in love with them (you). That’s living the dream, right there.

Voice Actor (Literally anywhere, but plot-heavy games especially):

If you can’t write yourself into the games we all love, then voice acting is definitely the next best thing. I mean there’s the issue of ordering takeout and being harassed by the obsessed fans who loved you as ‘dying soldier #7’ in the new Call of Duty, but it’s totally worth the hassle. Even better, the only time my voice sounds even slightly unique, or sexy is when I’m hungover so I would have to spend a lot of time off my tits on gin - the perks are never ending!

Games Tester (Red Thread Games? Pick me!):

I mean, this is the bigun’ isn’t it? Everyone wants to be a games tester. Spending all day playing games, getting access to them way earlier than everyone else, signing non-disclosures like it ain’t no thang. I’d LOVE to be a games tester. Sadly, you have to actually be good at games, and not a casual-loving gamer like me to get into that, and a hell of a lot more technically inclined. So long my love, we were never meant to be. However, if you’re looking Red Thread Games...you know where I am.

Romance Tester (Any game with a romance, particularly Dragon Age games):

Okay, so I made this one up but it should totally be a thing. With romances becoming more and more prominent in games, it makes sense that there should be some sort of testing process whereby you check just how swoon-worthy your options are. Can you imagine it?
“So what did you do at work today?”
“WELL, I finally kissed [insert name here], after learning all about their past and helping them come to terms with their [insert stereotypical plot line here]. It was amazing, and I can’t wait to see them - I mean test them tomorrow.”
Problem is, I already fall head over heels with all my in-game lovers, so this would severely hamper my willingness to try and maintain something in actual real, human life.

Composer (Indie games would be great to go this for, or any story-filled number):

I spent some time in my late teens and to a certain extent to this day writing songs, or just pieces of music that mean something to me, but a job where you get to create scores of music for a videogame, is the ultimate career path. The thing with this job is that there would be so much variety, and the music you create would have such an impact on the final product. A teenager here gets those raised hairs down the back of their neck and pins and needles in their fingertips. A lonely soul sits on the fence with a romance and is thrown entirely over the edge into love as a subtle melody shines over a cutscene. You get to tailor and fashion notes that cause emotions to flare, to rage, to feel broken. It’s something that honestly, I wish I had the talent for, because I think the knowledge of touching that many lives, however marginally is just wonderful.