Game Industry

Game industry

Many ways to game industry

  • The only prerequisite to getting to industry:
    • You want to make games
  • Different paths:
    • Study independently online
    • Study math & science at a University
    • Study computer science / IT at a University (of Applied sciences)
    • Study video game making on a dedicated curriculum
    • Study on a course like this

Game industry worldwide

Wikipedia: Video game industry revenue graph

  • Biggest companies: Sony, Tencent, Microsoft, Nintendo
  • Mobile, PC, Consoles
  • Virtual & physical sales
  • Many emerging markets
  • “By 2018, the United States video game industry had matched that of the United States film industry on basis of revenue”
  • 2010s & 2020s trends
    • Free to play (f2p)
    • Mobile
    • Games as a service
    • Rising budgets
    • Subscription services (gamepass)
    • More and more indies

Consolidation

  • Consolidation happens every day
    • There are less and less big actors as they’re bought out by even bigger actors
      • “AA” games basically nonexistent, at least underrepresented
      • The trend is pushing towards AAAAs
    • Microsoft buys ABK
    • Sony buys Bungie

Games industry in Finland

  • Finnish game industry has roots in the demoscene
  • Industry today in Finland is very mobile-heavy
  • Neogames: About the industry
    • Company listing

PC & console

  • Remedy
  • Housemarque (Sony)
  • RedLynx
  • Frozenbyte
  • Colossal Order
  • …

Mobile

  • Supercell (Tencent)
    • Easily the biggest one
  • Rovio
  • Small Giant Games (Take Two)
  • Futureplay Games (Plarium)
  • Next Games (Netflix)
  • Fingersoft

Active indie scene

  • Many indie companies
  • Three important organisations
  • Both IGDA and FGJ have Discord servers and you can join them

Unions

  • Finnish level of unionization in game industry is pertty good
    • much better situation than the trainwreck in the US and the like
  • Game Makers of Finland
    • Trade union for people working in the game industry
  • TEK
    • General union for tech workers
  • others

Games industry in Vaasa

  • Almost 100% indie
  • Platonic Partnership
    • High Voltage Society, Bone Dust
    • Lydia, Good Mourning, Leväluhta, client projects
  • Lingon Games
  • September Games (Henrik Hermans)
    • Stilt Fella
  • University of Vaasa
  • Remote work is increasingly an option, too
    • Rovio

Jobs vs education

  • The unfortunate truth: There are less games jobs than there are games students
  • Many games people find jobs from tangential fields, examples:
    • 3D animation for marketing & other media
    • Regular software development
    • Games education
      • AMKs
    • Edugames & gamification
      • LudoCraft
    • VR
      • VRKiwi, Varjo

Where to learn Gamedev?

  • Watch this lecture in Finnish / in English
  • There are surprisingly many learning opportunities in Finland
  • Also, you can learn stuff online these days pretty easily
    • GamesNow lecture series by Aalto University
  • What you don’t get so easily online, are networks of likeminded people
    • This is what you can find in schools and courses like this

Vocational education

Universities of applied sciences: Full curricula

Universities of applied sciences: Gamedev courses

Universities

Learn how to make good games

  • Play games
    • Play good games
    • Play bad games
    • Take notes
  • Learn from those who know
    • Watch GDC lectures
    • Watch GMTK
    • Watch Tim Rogers

In a nutshell

  • Find out what you want to make, and make it
  • Share your creations with others as soon as possible
  • Participate in game jams, online and in-person
  • Play games by others
  • Talk to said others about the games they made
  • Don’t overwork yourself
  • Have fun