The video game industry is looking for you

This is an industry that is increasingly looking for talent and the careers you can study to be part of it are very varied. We tell you what they are and where to study them.

The video game industry has already surpassed Hollywood. To give you an idea, Grand Theft Auto V, developed by Rockstar Games, cost 265 million dollars to make, while the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi cost 262 million.

For this reason, studying a career to work in the video game industry can be a good idea. In addition, according to data from The Competitive Intelligence Unit (CIU), the video game industry in Mexico is positioned as one of the 10 most important markets globally, with 65.9 million video gamers aged six or older.

We tell you what careers this industry needs and where to study them:

What careers are there in the video game industry?

Just like movies, making a video game requires a lot of talent. For example, making the video game “Horizon: Zero Down” took 2,141 people, and making “Red Dead Redemption II” took 7,321!

But not all participants were necessarily programmers or developers. Some of the talents required to make a video game include:

1. Programmer and software engineer: A career in computer engineering is recommended.
2. Digital Artist: Bachelor's degree in graphic design, multimedia design, animation, visual arts and video game design, among others.
3. Screenwriter: Bachelor's degree in communications, literature, visual arts or even a degree in film.
4. Composer: It is recommended that you study a degree in music, music production or that you have a solid foundation as a musician.
5. Audio Engineer : Career in audio engineering or music production.
6. Publicist : You can study communications, advertising or marketing.

Where to study video game development?

Just as there is a wide range of careers that you can study, there is also a wide range of educational offerings, both public and private.

Since 2020, the University of Guadalajara offers the “video game engineering” degree and graduates will have the ability to design, program, publish, as well as maintain and create interactive environments, systems and experiences.

The Amerike Institute offers bachelor's degrees in "Interactive Software Development and Video Games" and "Bachelor's Degree in Artistic Creation for Video Games and Digital Media."

The SAE Institute offers the courses “Video Game Programming” and “Video Game Design”. You can also take the diploma “Video Game Programming in Unity”.

Through the Multimedia Center, the National Center for the Arts (Cenart) has an area called “Virtual Reality and Video Game Laboratory” where they constantly hold workshops, courses, diplomas and training completely free of charge for all those interested in developing video games with new narratives.

How much does a video game developer earn in Mexico?

Depending on experience, a junior video game developer can earn between 20 thousand and 30 thousand pesos per month, while a senior video game programmer can earn more than 50 thousand pesos per month.