The International Student Blog

The decision to study video game development in the United States continues to rise in popularity amongst international students. It is increasingly the case that those who enjoy playing video games turn their passion for this hobby into motivation for a successful career in video game development. However, many international students graduating with video game development degrees need help with both finding a video game development job, and knowing how to secure the position once it’s been located. Here are a few ideas that will provide international students with helpful tips to make the process of finding a video game development job a little easier.

Get an Undergraduate Degree in Video Game Development
The most important step for an international student hoping to set themselves up for any number of careers in video game development is to obtain an undergraduate degree in video game development. Although computers are an ubiquitous piece of hardware and there are a number of computer whiz individuals who have no formal education in programming, this is hardly the resume of the typical video game developer. It is of paramount importance to attend an accredited institution in the United States to receive a video game development degree that will be competitive on the international job market. Receiving a robust foundation in C/C++ Programming Language (the programming language used for the majority of video game development) will help a game development graduate to get the attention of employers during an interview or screening process as someone equipped to really contribute.

Take a Video Game Development Internship
Without industry experience, securing a video game development job right after graduation is difficult. Securing a video game development internship in the United States is the best way for international students to both gain the experience their future employers will demand (often, without experience it is difficult to even get an interview), as well as establish connections with active development studios and members of development teams.

Develop, Develop, Develop
While an internship may be the best way to demonstrate to employers you possess the experience they require, it is far from the only way. Actually, developing or having helped develop a game can offset the absence of an internship on a resume. Having a portfolio of work to which you contributed or took the lead on is another excellent way to demonstrate to employers both your skill and dedication for video game development. This will put you one step closer to your dream of finding a video game development job.

Attend the GDC (Game Developers’ Conference)
Since 1988, the Game Developers’ Conference has met on an annual basis to facilitate networking amongst video game developers and those looking for careers in video game development. It is the largest gathering of video game developers in North America, and represents the best pool of employers from which to draw. All the major development studios will have representatives there taking resumes and arranging interviews for future employees.

All of these tips will assist you in finding your dream job as a video game developer in this growing field.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 27th, 2012 at 7:00 am and is filed under International Student, International Student Study Section, Study in the USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Written by Bryanna Davis

Bryanna joined EIC in 2011 after returning to the United States from teaching English in China. Her interest in international education, sparked initially by her own study abroad experience in Wales, led her to the company. Bryanna is originally from Missouri and is a graduate from the University of Central Missouri.

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