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The Top 7... Worst jobs in the games industry

Fun and games don't always go together

Words: on June 23, 2008
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3. Mascot

You don’t see them very often, but grown adults are in fact paid to walk around in giant game character costumes (though we still aren’t sure if they’re hired contractors, interns or PR specialists being punished). We’ve seen them at a few industry events, at tournaments, and even occasionally in our own office.


Above: Nintendo editor Brett Elston poses with Aiai and Sonic in front of GamesRadar’s giant cookie wall – we don’t know why we have a giant cookie wall either

Looks fun, standing in a costume, hot as hell, pretending to be happy for the enjoyment of a bunch of hyperventilating geeks. We certainly appreciate their dedication to making us squeal with glee, but we wouldn’t want to do it.

2. Executive of a Console Manufacturer or Major Publisher

Make loads of cash, jet around the world and have a major impact on the future of the games industry - what the hell is better than that? Er, what the hell is worse?

Sure, times can be good, like for Satoru Iwata, CEO of Nintendo. But would you really want to be in the shoes of Sony's Kazuo “Riiiiidge Racer” Hirai or Jack "I'll give you $1200 for a PS3" Tretton right now? With stockholders breathing down their necks and constant public scrutiny, everything these industry leaders say and do will be scrutinized, misinterpreted, and lampooned.

It's a hard job, and we don’t envy them. Though we do like to quote them when they say stupid things.

Related

Platforms:

Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC, Wii, DS, PSP, GameCube, Xbox

Topics:

Top 7

15 comments

  • FacetiousPhallus - November 20, 2012 11:29 a.m.

    I have worked as a jr. game programmer at a small game start up and i both agree and disagree with #1. on one hand yeah it's very likely if you work on any aspect of game development that doesn't require a you will work long hours and late nights. it's not a given but given the nature of games and the ability to always make them better it's a real possibility . On the other hand we are extremely fortunate while another persons daily task list may be to organize files or make someone a sandwich when they walk through the door we get cool task like making main menus or implementing functionality on the next gun type. the fact you get to work on cool tasks with brilliant and very cool people is awesome . It's not lal peaches but i definitely think as developers we get ab better leg up than testers , as a jr. game programmer i got paid more than senior game testers ( confirmed by my producer who began testing at very large game developer) for way less tedious work . which is more monotonous tweaking an A.I. path-finding algorithm or playing through level 5 and doing a playthrough where you try to bump against every section of a levels boundary to check if it's possible to fall through? yeah no question lol. I have to say the whole " Life in the game industry isn't all bad argument" is always lost on me when someone mentions Valve....there's a reason valve is considered the mecca of game development studios.....and one does not simply walk into Valve XD

  • tyler_14_420 - May 4, 2012 6:20 p.m.

    Best job I ever saw related to games would be working at a local LAN Cafe (It was essentially just a place where people came to rent out Xboxes, etc. Like an internet cafe, but for consoles). When the manager was leaving, the guy came on shift, manager said to him "Just make sure nobody steals anything." and the guy popped open his laptop and started playing Starcraft 2. I can't say I've ever been paid to play Starcraft 2 (Although I have spent a good portion of some of my shifts browsing Facebook, Reddit, and playing Angry Birds on my phone).

  • mrmorozov987 - December 21, 2010 9:27 p.m.

    @sleepy92ismypsn You couldn't be more wrong. A friend of mine had a brief stint in game testing, in which he spent 3 hours straight turning off and on a console, listing to the braindead manager accuse him of stealing company supplies (i.e. pens and paper), and subsequently getting fired. Yes, I'm sure they're keeping secret how fun it is.

  • sleepy92ismypsn - September 15, 2010 12:15 a.m.

    That buzz guy looks just like paul ryan. As bad as you say being a tester is It still sounds like fun as long as you test for a company that makes good games. I bet they keep how fun it really is a secret so everybody doesn't try to become one.

  • SilverWerewolf - November 18, 2008 10:41 p.m.

    Retail Employee? Are you kidding me? I work at Gamestop and nine times out of ten the customers are quite nice. Jerks do come in, but they don't stick around long and they even provide a good laugh from time to time. The last jerk I dealt with was at the Lich King midnight release.

  • tyler_14_420 - May 4, 2012 6:16 p.m.

    You're considerably lucky then. It's widely known that Retail Employees at EB Games are often some of the most mistreated employees around. Why? 1. They have to deal with kids. These kids waste time begging you to sell them M rated games, run around screaming, etc. 2. You have to deal with Parents, often asking for a "PlayCube 360" and proceeding to get extremely upset when you don't get them what they ask for, even if it doesn't exist 3. You get called for Battletoads. Thanks 4chan 4. The truth of the matter is, every kid thinks it would be super awesome to work at a game store (I.E: EB Games) so you don't have much job security. It's not like it's an obscure store that occasionally gets a resume in. They put a hiring sign up and there would be a line-up of applicants. Sad but true.

  • KirbyCupcake - November 10, 2008 9:24 p.m.

    You've just turned me off working in gaming, lol.

  • tyler_14_420 - May 4, 2012 6:18 p.m.

    Don't let that turn you off of working in the industry. Just avoid the terrible positions. Game Tester? Working at EB Games? Shittiest jobs in the industry. Design Associate? Character Artist? Level Designer? All incredibly rewarding positions, depending which company you work for. Valve is one example of a company that would be great to work in (If you're well suited for that type of environment).

  • PiplupChimcharTurtwigOhMy!!! - September 22, 2008 10:41 p.m.

    cool

  • abovedefault - September 14, 2008 4:44 a.m.

    I currently work full time at NOA, and I happen to love it there, and I couldn't imagine a better job for myself right now. If you want a more informed view so you can correct your article, let me know.

  • GamesRadarCharlieBarratt - September 3, 2008 10:20 p.m.

    That picture of Paul never gets old. They're both wearing glasses!!!

  • scbyfn4evr - November 4, 2008 7:21 p.m.

    Abovedefault....have you worked at EVERY game company? If you have, feel free to "correct" their article. Otherwise, enjoy your job, and leave theirs to them.

  • NullG7 - January 14, 2009 12:58 a.m.

    The things you guys at gr do post are always informative and fun to read thanks guys

  • Romination - February 11, 2009 6:28 a.m.

    i came back for the Paul Ryan picture. it's worth my time.

  • D1n0cz4r - January 27, 2009 1:52 a.m.

    Yeah i work at an independent video game retail store non corporate, i work with 2 other like minded guys my age, and its the best job ive ever had.

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