Michael Greenhut

👣 Define your path 👣 Before diving into sending applications and doing interviews, pause and reflect ⏸️🪞 Too often, job seekers skip the first step in the job search process. This is, establishing what you actually want to do. I've spoken to many aspiring game devs who cannot only design games, they can code, they can animate, they can sculpt, they can write and so forth...which is fantastic if you are planning to work on your own game or join a smaller studio. However, if your desire is to work on a larger production, more often than not, you need to become a specialist. So, if you are looking to work at a big studio....start defining your path... ...ask yourself.... 🔹Where do your strengths lie? 🔹What do you enjoy doing the most? 🔹What part of the game do you want to have most impact on? 🔹What type of games do you want to make? 🔹Which environment will you thrive in the most? Taking the time to give your path some definition will make your job search more focused. You'll apply for positions with purpose and communicate with certainty and confidence, as you'll know exactly what you're aiming for. 🏹🎯 Define the path, then start the search 👍🏽 #jobsearch #gamedev #careers #students

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Opportunity for entry into game industry

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🕰️This was Breshna’s MVP 3 years ago Clunky, bare bones & not very pretty 😅 I almost cancelled our MVP launch 6 hours prior because I was too scared, too embarrassed, too skeptical! (thanks to Rizwan Nusrat’s 3am pep talk, we stayed on track)! Since then we’ve: ✅Completely revamped the user interface ✅Added 21 new game templates & 3k+ game assets ✅Integrated RTL script ✅Enabled custom uploads ✅Enhanced data analytics ✅Introduced co-creation of games ✅Implemented mobile optimization ✅Developed foundations for security & scalability ✅Procured a patent for our tech stack ✅Built an AI powered text to game engine & 3d metaverse Today Breshna is delightful to use, is now a beast of an ecosystem with 180k game makers & 2m game plays and is only getting started! The thing about momentum is, it needs building blocks! You gotta start somewhere, so start today, start with the bare minimum, start with something you’re not fully sure of in it’s current state but it’s potential is crystal clear, let the present be uncertain so you can cement your future vision! *************** If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late. – Reid Hoffman ***************

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The hard truth about game design education. Classroom vs the trenches. Here's what I learned after 20+ years in the industry: Most game design degrees are teaching yesterday's methods. It is simply logistics. Why? → Many instructors haven't shipped a single game → Theory without practice = dangerous knowledge gap → The industry moves too fast for outdated perspectives → It's easier to teach technical and art classes than game design This disconnect is painful to watch. Here's what works: → Learn from active developers → Study game releases RIGHT NOW → Build real projects, even tiny ones → Get feedback from players, not just professors Quick story: At 13, I pretended to be 23 and worked for a French video game company. I learned more from 3 years of actual game development than any class could teach me. Even though that project failed, the lessons stuck. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 - 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. But without guidance from people actively making games, It's the blind leading the blind. Your move: 1/ Find mentors who are still in the trenches. 2/ Study their work. 3/ Build something. Worked for me 🎮 PS. 21 free game design resources in the comments!

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It's TONIGHT! 6:30 pm at the Northeastern University, we'll host our PVP Entertainment Guild Hilarious Improv Pitching Night! The video game industry is facing challenging times and the layoffs across the board are devastating, but our mission of sharing knowledge and empowering the community stands strong. That's why we decided to put a spin on it and host a fun evening to raise funds for the Trevor Project where anyone can pitch a game project generated on the spot. That's it, no preparation necessary, no NDAs, and no pressure! Only laughs! Get tickets at our event page: https://lnkd.in/g7tBuP6d Frequently Asked Questions: What if I've been recently laid off and/or can't buy tickets? - DM me! We've got Industry Support tickets for those who want to join, but cannot afford them. What if I can't attend the event? - If you can't make it, please consider purchasing a ticket to help us raise money for charity or get one on behalf of someone impacted by layoffs. Do I have to pitch at the event? - No! You can come to just watch and learn, but we bet you'll have a lot of fun if you decide to pitch! #gamesindustry #event #comedy

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Friends, there are consistent questions about games hiring data that many of you have asked, several of which I want to address today after some weeks of research. People often ask me how much of games hiring goes to those already in the industry, what historical applicant-to-hire rates have been, and how this compares with other industries. Let's take these one at a time: Multiple credible sources suggest that 80%+ of hires in the games industry come from within the industry itself. This relative magnitude is confirmed by my own data. This high percentage underscores the challenge of breaking into the games industry for those without prior industry experience. Next, applicant-to-hire rates in the games sector have remained steady at 4-5% or less, as far back as I could find robust data, which dates to 2020. Data suggests that this figure has never gone above 10%, even in the last two decades, but I do not have raw data for this—rather, industry studies in which I need to take others' word on it. To provide context, let's compare games' 4-5% rates to other industries: - Tech sector: 5-7% applicant-to-hire rate. - Healthcare: 2-3% for specialized roles. - Finance and Consulting: 1-4% for the most competitive roles. It turns out most highly desirable opportunities have simply become very competitive. So why does games sometimes feel even more competitive than those industries? First, the smaller number of total roles in games and the high incumbency for existing opportunities, as mentioned above, with a fifth or less of roles going to those at all seniority levels who want to break in. Additionally, the relative number of new applicants each year compared to industry size is higher in games, further intensifying the competition. Another difference is the relative layoffs to industry size, which have been at 10-15% of the entire industry in the past three years (30,000+ out of 200,000-250,000). This is why I always talk about run rate hiring versus overall numbers and filling the hole. Finally, for those gamers working in North America, the cuts have felt much more intense, with it being like a 2-3x relative impact because 75-80% of the cuts have taken place there. We are relatively competitive with other sought-after industries for rates of hiring, but a much bigger hole, more inbound desire, and higher incumbency make it harder. I hope this helps provide answers to a number of your open questions around games jobs data.

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📣GAMES INDUSTRY RECRUITERS PAST AND PRESENT📣 I have a curious question that you all have unique insight into! Today, I was chatting with some of my teammates about hard to fill roles in the gaming space and how we illustrate that to our greater teams and stakeholders with data. While we are definitely doing more data exploration I am also just curious about personal anecdotes and experiences so with that being said: ✍🏻 What are THE hardest roles you have had to fill in the games space? ✍🏻 Historically which roles have you found require a bit more work than usual? I figured this could be useful or interesting for other recruiters to see as well! As for me, I will be taking notes.

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If anyone, especially a recruiter says using the #OpenToWork banner is desperate... They're wrong. 🧐 Wanting to put food on the table shouldn't be frowned upon. Accessible resources are limited as is. Don't put others down for making use of them. 👏 The green banner is valid 💚 #GameIndustry #GameDevelopment #Recruiters #Jobseekers #EntryLevel #Layoffs #Support #DEI #Community #Network #OpenToNetwork #LGBTQ+ #Portfolio #Student #Marketing

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I understand the challenges many face when trying to break into the games industry and find the right role. Before contacting a team member or recruiter, I recommend checking the job listings on the company's careers site to identify suitable positions. This approach not only demonstrates professionalism but also expedites the process. Simply reaching out to inquire about available roles may not be the most effective initial contact, as it can lead to a less fruitful conversation. For those interested, here is a link to all the current open roles at WB Games: https://lnkd.in/enp8Q8YN #GameIndustry #CareerOpportunities #Professionalism

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Friends, The other day I shared that roles requiring 0-2 years of experience, including internships in games, make up between 4-5% of total. For this and other data in our Games Jobs Workbook, I often get questions from members who compile their own job resources or are curious about our process. For example, for this 0-2 year data point, I've also seen other estimates from 6% up to even 10%. Let me explain, for those who haven't seen me post on this in a while, how our Games Jobs Workbook differentiates. First, let's define the goal. I seek to present the total number of game developer and publisher roles that exist in the world, focusing on active, known roles and ensuring accuracy by going down to the base data. Many services that provide games jobs data are simply aggregators. They either go to a site and pick up the number of roles on that site by category or aggregate on top of aggregation by going to other sites with existing jobs data. I don't do either of these things for a few reasons. For starters, I venture into the primordial soup of the job descriptions for every single role and pull the words into an statistical analysis framework. Nobody else does this, as far as I am aware. Why this level of effort? First, mis-categorization. Someone may have a category for production roles but may have something listed that should be in marketing or art, and vice versa. Second, many lists include general interest roles. I don't count these. I only credit an employer for an opportunity if they have an actual role with a specific requisition that someone could be hired against. This is also true for internships - I look for specific programs. I also discount listings that are more than 6 months stale. Next, I only show game developer and publisher roles. Other lists may include companies like Ford, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, because those employers have roles like UX design, engineering, or art that could have gamer relevance. While this is a reasonable approach, our purpose is to focus on resources and jobs for games employers only. My criteria are simple: if a company’s business is not more than 50% in video games, I don’t include them. I'm highly confident that the number of games employers who are actively hiring is not more than roughly 1,000, although we may find a bit more. This is, again, because I don’t count general interest jobs or employers not primarily in games who may have game-related roles. Regarding the 0-2 years experience category, the two years part is tricky. Many services categorize entry-level as 0-2 years and accept others' classifications. However, they often include roles that call for two years of experience as entry-level. In my book, two years of experience goes into the 2-5 year category. So if you're wondering why our numbers might be different, check if the other sources include only games employers, and see if they list roles that require two years experience as 0-2 years. Thank you!

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Interview question: What games do you play? A common question for those interviewing in the video game industry. Here's the thing, over the years I've consistently found those who play table top games are some of the best, most creative, and productive people I've worked with on video games. We all play video games, yet games are not limited to digital, they include many other aspects, like table top (think board games, card games etc.) So when you're interviewed next, and you're asked the game question, don't be shy at including Uno, Ticket to Ride, Pokemon or whatever other games you might be playing with friends and family. Table top games have been infuencing digital interactive video games for decades, and continue to do so. It's a super power not a career limiter. BTW, if you have kids, check our Peacable Kingdom games. These are incredible cooperative games aimed at kids, where you all play together to beat the game, not each other. Enjoy! #videogames #games #whatinspiresme #inspiration #careers

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We have recently become aware that some bad actors are impersonating Bluepoint Studio and conducting fake interviews. To be sure, Bluepoint and all PlayStation Studios do not conduct interviews via Discord. We take this matter very seriously and are working diligently to address it. To help you stay safe, we recommend reviewing guidance on recognizing and reporting scams. This resource offers valuable tips on how to spot fraudulent recruitment processes and protect yourself If you come across any suspicious activity or have any concerns, please report it immediately. Your safety and security are our top priorities.Stay vigilant and stay safe!

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The One Games Job Market Thing I Wish We Cared More About Fixing When I reflect on the last two years and the thousands of conversations I’ve had across the games industry, I come to a single conclusion: While the ultimate goal should be getting more people jobs, the biggest, fixable problem is the hiring process itself. It’s completely broken. From companies destroying recruiting teams during mergers, to 500+ applications swamping hiring managers over a single weekend, I’m not seeing real solutions that address the core issues. Tech screening tools may help in some ways, but they create a sense of detachment. Meanwhile, candidates are left in the dark, hiring managers are overwhelmed, and no one’s addressing the elephant in the room: the system itself. I haven’t seen any large-scale initiative successfully tackle these issues head-on. If anyone has, I’d love to hear about it. But from what I see, we need a hiring process that blends technology with empathy, that scales while staying human, and offers clarity and communication every step of the way. This is the fixable thing that we should all be aiming for.

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Develop isn't over for most people. But sadly it is for me. Gabriele Sanfilippo and I attended on Tuesday and Wednesday morning to chat shop with people interested in hearing about life at Spliced Inc. and Anchor Point Studios. Develop never disappoints. And as always>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Familiar Faces ✅ Worthwhile conversations ✅ Effervescent energy at the hotel bar ✅ More beards than the year before, and the year before that ✅ People sporting a different hat every day of the event? ✅ Several meaningful introductions made that we'll keep in touch with? ✅ But more than all this - whilst a lot of studios and publishers will measure ROI by looking at the cost of attending the event and seeing the data off the back of it (as important as this is) - let's not undervalue>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The energy we take from it, and bring back with us 🔋 The connections we make that remind us of the industry we love so much 🤝 The subsequent uplift in focus, happiness and positive attitude it brings to all of us 🌞 What a great reminder of the best industry on the planet! 🌍

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I'm so sorry to report another games job cut, this time at Mighty Kingdom, as reported by the company itself and resulting in a "28% reduction in workforce" https://lnkd.in/eBBFa-Tj Here's where this puts us. I continue exposing these statistics regularly as a reminder of the human cost of these decisions: 100+ games layoffs in 2024 One games layoff situation on average every 1.3 days in 2024 (apologies for getting this inverted in the picture) Over 10,000 games layoffs in 2024 YTD Within ~450 cuts of hitting 2023's games layoff number...in May If you were in fact affected by these cuts, I have no words to express my feelings. However, our community has three resource "homes" built to help you: HOME 1 - 🔗 AMIRSATVAT.COM: Our hub offering 15 resources to help you find work, including a fully updated design. - 🔗 Games Org Support Posts: Find a template at AMIRSATVAT.COM (Category 4, Resource 10). If you can provide information from your team (with their consent), I’ll help edit and disseminate the final product, reaching 100,000+ people. These posts are highly effective in increasing visibility and we have done 96 of them. HOME 2 - 🔗 Please visit discord.gg/amirsatvat to join our Discord, a live extension of our community resources. With nearly 2,800 members, we are in an open-join phase. HOME 3 - 🔗 LinkedIn: Our community here includes nearly 87,000 members, with 1-3 daily posts offering support and career assistance in the games industry. To our broader community, your involvement makes a difference. Here’s how you can help: - Spread the word: Reshares and comments on this post amplify the visibility of these resources. - Offer support: Utilize the 13 ways listed on AMIRSATVAT.COM under "How You Can Help" to assist, or simply lend an ear or advice on our Discord server. - Join our movement: Volunteer with us at AMIRSATVAT.COM to support our colleagues in the games industry. Our network has facilitated over 1,800 jobs and 33,000 coaching conversations to date and has been visited by over 3,000,000 gamers lifetime. We're committed to providing daily encouragement and support during these challenging times. We will never stop fighting for you!

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To all my writing peeps out there, whether you're a junior game writer or senior narrative designer (or someone else altogether): what are your tips for studying and analyzing games you admire? I've been keeping a game journal for about eight months now where I jot down notes for story beats, narrative moments that impacted me, story progression, mechanics that involve narrative and/or UI (i.e. tutorials that use diegetic v.s. non-diegetic prompts), et cetera, but I've found this can be very jarring--especially on my first playthrough--so I'm curious if anyone has tips or tricks you use so you can enjoy the experience as it was intended while also helping you understand the hows and whys that make the game and the story work. #gamewriting #narrativedesign #gamedesign

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🗣️💬 Can you spare 5 minutes? If you use communication apps in your work or personal life, I would love to hear what you think about the experience. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gT8XHkev I am wrapping up my MA in interaction design at the University of North Texas. My capstone focuses on folks who use apps to keep in touch with people in their communities: hobbies, personal, school, sports, work. #discord #slack #survey #teams #unt

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TONIGHT AT 6:30 PM join us for an improvised version of PVP Circuit and help us rebuild our local community brick by brick. I still can't believe I get to work in the video game industry. My 6-year-old would laugh, and then cry once she realized what it means to work in the creative technology sector. That's why IMO everyone could use some levity during these unprecedented times. Join us for a fun evening to raise funds for the Trevor Project. Event link >>> https://lnkd.in/g7tBuP6d Frequently Asked Questions: What if I can't attend the event? - If you can't make it, please consider purchasing a ticket to help us raise money for charity or get one on behalf of someone impacted by layoffs. What if I want to join but can't justify the cost? - If you want to join but find the cost prohibitive, DM me and we'll make it happen (see point above). Do I have to pitch at the event? - No, you don't have to pitch if you prefer to observe. It’s a great way to see how it's done. Will there be another event like this? - We plan to host our community again, but I can't specify if this event will be the focus. #gamesindustry #event #comedy <3

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