Is it possible to work from home in the game industry? I live on the East Coast USA which I feel like has a smaller local game industry compared with the west coast. I grew up in a Japanese household and would love to work for companies that have connections/Origins from Japan. It is possible for me to move to my parents house's in Japan, but I can't see myself living on the west coast.

Your question is really broad, so it is easy to answer: yes, you can work from home. I have worked from home for many companies writing code. It really depends on what role you play in the project and what company is running the show.

Is It Possible?

Yes, many things are possible.

Lots of people will remote to their desktop at work from home. They will come in virtually when they are sick, or check their email in the off hours, or verify the status of a build, etc.



Better question:

Are you likely to get a game industry job on the West Coast, while maintaining your residence at the East Coast?

No.

You will either need to move, or make commuter flights to be in town during the work week.

You need to be where the game development hardware is; all the 1st party manufacturers have strict contracts that their tools and technology must be kept on site, usually in locked and secured premises. Even if you aren't on consoles, your employer will want to see your smiling face and check up on you. You will be expected to attend meetings, socialize around the office, participate in team building, and more.

It is very difficult to do all that from across the country.

Quote: I can't see myself living on the west coast.

So don't. There are game companies on the east coast. See gamedevmap.com for a list of companies.

Why not just work in Japan?

Quote: Original post by Diceydawg
Is it possible to work from home in the game industry?

If you have years of experience making games (so that people trust you) then it is possible. However this is generally only on small projects where day-to-day interaction with the development team isn't necessary - or where, like me, you do a role which is separate from the rest of the team.

If you don't have a proven track record making games then the chance that anyone would hire you to work remotely is next to zero - except possibly for a small indie team with little/no cash that needs to take risks to get their game done.

You could move to Japan, provided that your families home is within commuting distance of Japanese game companies, or you could work for East Coast game companies. All of this presupposes that you have the necessary qualifications/skills/portfolio for the job.

K thanks for the response. It is possible to commute from where I would live but the living costs in Japan are alot higher and I am not sure that I could afford it on my own early on. I was thinking of living at a friends in San Francisco but since I'm still in school for a couple more years so that won't happen for a while. I'm going to try my luck with east coast companies until I feel comfortable enough to move somewhere else.