Hello, GameDev.net community,

I’m in need of some advice regarding my career in game development. Here’s a bit of background:

I’m 32 years old and graduated from RIT in 2016 with a degree in 3D Digital Design. During my time at RIT, I studied game design and spent a lot of time working with Unreal Engine, especially on environmental art. Unfortunately, life has been tough since then. I’ve been working in logistics and technical support—jobs I absolutely despise. My dad passed away from cancer, suffered the loss of our home, and financial ruin, and I’ve been taking care of my mom, who also got cancer just recently. I feel like I'm in situational disability with one thing after another. These challenges have left me with little time to pursue my dream career in game development. However, in the past year, I have been keeping up with my skills there and there. More now than ever. I feel like I'm going to get sick if I don't get to do what I want to do with my life.

Now, I’m ready to make a change. I recently built a high-end PC and have everything I need to start working on game dev projects and courses again. However, I’m at a crossroads and unsure which path to take:

1. Should I focus on getting an entry-level environment artist position in a game studio? I have the skills in Unreal Engine and environmental art, and this might be the quickest way to break into the industry. My long-term goal is to move into game design, writing, and eventually directing.
2. Or should I start building a game design portfolio by creating small, demo-size games? If I go this route, do I need to begin with simpler 2D games, or can I jump straight into 3D? Also, how proficient do I need to be in programming? I have some knowledge, but I’m not particularly strong in this area.

Given my current situation—being stuck in a job I hate, living in a state with few creative opportunities, and having limited time—what would you recommend? Has anyone here been in a similar position? I would really appreciate any advice or insights you could offer.

Thanks for your help!

This is not an either-or situation. Welcome back, by the way.

Do you have a portfolio of environment art? If not, you should absolutely create some spectacular environment art and build a portfolio.

A portfolio of small game demos is not a game design portfolio, but it makes perfect sense to create some small game demos.

I assume you're still in Cleveland. Have you identified any of those listings from gamedevmap last year? Have you contacted any of them to at least get in touch?

Hey Tom, I remember you. Hope you've been well. 🙂

Tom Sloper said:
Do you have a portfolio of environment art? If not, you should absolutely create some spectacular environment art and build a portfolio.

Yes, I do have an environment art portfolio which is a bit old and outdated and it was done on an older PC that struggled with frame rate and performance issues. It was hard to work off but I did it anyway.
It's not the best but I feel now that I have a new PC that runs really smooth and fast. I feel it won't hinder my ability to work. I think my environment portfolio sucks and needs to be replaced completely but I don't know if I'm being too hard on myself.

https://olliverpetkac.artstation.com/

I don't mind making 2-3 environment projects that are small in scope but high quality including some props made. I'm also interested in level design which is kind of a cross between game design and environment art.

Tom Sloper said:
A portfolio of small game demos is not a game design portfolio, but it makes perfect sense to create some small game demos.

What I meant is to not try to create a full-sized game, just keep it small as it was a demo to showcase the game itself and gameplay mechanics, etc. Keep the project scope small and doable.

What constitutes a game design portfolio because I always felt that was some convoluted thing. I googled game design portfolios and saw some AAA game design portfolios or students who made a few small games. Some specialized game design portfolios like “Gameplay Game Designer” or “Narrative Game Designer” and sometimes I'm not sure how to specialize especially when I"m just to get entry, just get into the industry.

I'm interested in game design, gameplay, writing, narrative, and overall product of what the game is and how it looks and feels. I do enjoy the art aspect of it and appreciate the programming side of it as well.

Tom Sloper said:
I assume you're still in Cleveland. Have you identified any of those listings from gamedevmap last year? Have you contacted any of them to at least get in touch?

Yes, unfortunately, I'm still stuck in Ohio. Yeah, I did look around gamedevmap and got in touch with a close friend of my dad's who is a game designer, formerly a writing director for Wizard of the Coast for Magic the Gathering, and I got in touch with him. He basically told me to just make something either some small games or environment arts, etc. He also told me to take it one day at a time, he was in a similar situation as me 15 years ago with one dead-end job after another feeling hopeless and lost. So I'm sure he's right about that part.

Unfortunately, with my life taking such a sharp turn in the last year, I lost my job and then had to get a new job. Then my mom got cancer and also had to help her with her bills and get away from an abusive relationship, etc. It was hard to focus or even begin doing what I wanted to do. Even my current job takes up all my time. I feel like a lot of it is situational that is disabling me from moving forward. It's so frustrating, I can't even express how frustrated I am by it. I did also join a meetup group of game devs in Cleveland just to meet other game devs but I haven't been able to attend for the last 3 months due to being at the hospital most of the time with my mom.

Now the good news is my mom is getting better, I got her situation better, she's cancer-free as of 2 weeks ago according to her doctors but deciding on radiation to be safe so that it doesn't come back.

Oblivion2500 said:
I think my environment portfolio sucks and needs to be replaced completely but I don't know if I'm being too hard on myself.

If you think it sucks, it needs to be replaced. You ought to get started on it. It doesn't look that bad to me but I'm no art director.

Oblivion2500 said:
I don't mind making 2-3 environment projects

I would hope not, since it's a career aspiration.

Oblivion2500 said:
What constitutes a game design portfolio … sometimes I'm not sure how to specialize

Some functioning demos would constitute a programming portfolio. If you're unsure about the difference between game design and programming, do some research. Specialize in what YOU WANT TO specialize in. PERIOD.

Oblivion2500 said:
I did also join a meetup group of game devs in Cleveland just to meet other game devs but I haven't been able to attend for the last 3 months due to being at the hospital most of the time with my mom. Now the good news is my mom is getting better

Glad to hear that about your mom. Your journey was interrupted but it's not over. Now's your chance to get back into networking locally. Don't think of networking as a cure, but a learning opportunity and a way to meet local devs. You really ought to look deeper into those names listed in gamedevmap, find out all you can about what they do and where they're located. And build a new portfolio of whatever you want to put in it, that shows off your particular talents.

Tom Sloper said:
If you think it sucks, it needs to be replaced. You ought to get started on it. It doesn't look that bad to me but I'm no art director.

I think my best one, DM-Tutorial, which is the first one in my portfolio is pretty decent but I still think it's wise to replace it or redo it at least.

Tom Sloper said:
I would hope not, since it's a career aspiration.

I know you said it's not an either-or situation. However, I have this feeling that game studios prefer not to confuse applicants about their roles. Sometimes I wonder if they are not open to change in terms of roles. I know game designers are not artists or programmers, but having skills in either or both fields would be beneficial for the job. Game designers mainly work on Microsoft Word and Excel, and do some rough sketching to convey ideas. They collaborate with artists and programmers to develop game mechanics, discuss gameplay, and ensure the game is enjoyable. Communication is a big part of the job, and luckily, I'm a good communicator (part of my current job role). Additionally, I'm a decent writer and a good listener, despite my hearing loss.

To start a career in game development, it's crucial to get your foot in the door, land the first game dev job, and work hard. So, if my environment art skills are stronger right now, it would make sense to pursue a job as an entry-level environment artist just to break into the industry.

However, in the back of my mind, I can't help but worry that if I pursue a career in environment art, I might never become a game designer or a director. I'm not sure why I think that, but I'm determined to eventually start my own studio or make my own game as a director. I know it will take a lot of hard work and dedication, and I might have to go full-time indie (similar to Thomas Brush or Two Star Games) or work my way up in a AAA studio and build strong relationships and connections with others in the industry. Go the extra mile.

Tom Sloper said:
Some functioning demos would constitute a programming portfolio. If you're unsure about the difference between game design and programming, do some research. Specialize in what YOU WANT TO specialize in. PERIOD.

I want to clarify the best approach for building a game design portfolio. I understand that game programmer portfolios typically focus on showcasing game demos and emphasize programming skills. However, I believe there are key differences in building a game design portfolio.

If I were to build a game design portfolio, I think it would be best to create small demo-sized games that are of high quality. It's crucial to avoid attempting to create a massive MMO game or a long full-fledge game by myself, as it may turn out to be unfeasible or appears low-quality. Instead, I plan to focus on developing three small games with decent art and audio. I intend to either create the assets myself or purchase them and give credit to the artist or musician. These games should work well in terms of programming, with minimal to no game-breaking bugs. I have decent programming skills in C# and C++ programming, so I can ensure a solid technical foundation (but I'm not a full-time or super-skilled programmer).

In addition to showcasing the games, I plan to discuss the mechanics, theory of fun, prototyping, and share game design documents. If I have to specialize, then in that case I will go with gameplay game designer.

I've come across articles you wrote mentioning that the game designer role is highly sought-after but not easy to obtain, especially as an entry-level position. It seems that game designers often transition into the role from different positions such as game artist, programmer, or writer. I would like to confirm if my understanding of this is accurate.

Oblivion2500 said:
I've come across articles you wrote mentioning that the game designer role is highly sought-after but not easy to obtain, especially as an entry-level position. It seems that game designers often transition into the role from different positions such as game artist, programmer, or writer. I would like to confirm if my understanding of this is accurate.

Sounds like you understood what I wrote just fine. Get your foot in the door with any job in any game company to start. To do that you should build your portfolio and get networking. Good luck.

Thanks, Tom for the much needed the advice and directions. I feel less lost and scattered. I’ll begin working on my environment portfolio and level up my skills. Start looking deeper on gamedevmap and probably here gamedev.net more often. 🙂

There are more jobs in environment art. Even can apply towards movies etc. Game Design is a very limited role. I worked on a Sims game where at least one designer I knew was someone who came from the community as a modder/gamer of the game. I also worked on Killing Floor 2 where 2 of the level designers came from the mod community that used to make maps for that game/ win map making contests, so your resume in theory could be awesome and they choose someone who is has a small resume dedicated to their specific product.

dpadam450 said:

There are more jobs in environment art. Even can apply towards movies etc. Game Design is a very limited role. I worked on a Sims game where at least one designer I knew was someone who came from the community as a modder/gamer of the game. I also worked on Killing Floor 2 where 2 of the level designers came from the mod community that used to make maps for that game/ win map making contests, so your resume in theory could be awesome and they choose someone who is has a small resume dedicated to their specific product.

I was a big fan of Unreal Tournament 3 modding community and the maps made for that game. I never made maps for UT3 but I made a mutator pack which is one of the most popular mods to download on moddb site for UT3.

Doom Eternal just released their modding tools and I’m a huge fan of that game. Maybe I can make a map/level for that game.