Making Time For Video Games

[Kabuto]

This is a two sided question: one side is asking how to make time for video games when you get older, and the second side is asking if it is possible to make video games in a fun career.

Question A: Is it wise to make time for video games?

So I noticed myself weening off video games. It mostly started after I finished college (though I was cutting down on the hours and my investment before then too). I realized I had to do something with my life and get paid for it. My college degree wasn't getting me work (and still isn't). So I definitely began cutting down my hours in favor of working tirelessly on art projects, job applications, as well as traveling. I used to occasionally play Smash Bros Brawl with friends and games I really liked (the last being Skyward Sword), but now, I no longer do that. Now, I never touch a video game- I even find myself avoiding the friends that play Brawl.

But yet, I have a great nostalgia for video games. I miss them a lot, but can't get back into them for psychological reasons. And yet, thinking back to Sonic jumping around Green Hill Zone, Ridley invading Planet Zebes, Charmeleon evolving into Charizard and Mario jumping around in Kuribo's Shoe, I have nothing but the fondest memories of video games, and those were truly some of the most enjoyable and imaginative times of my life. Would it be wise to make time for them? I feel like I'd be wasting myself if I did.

Which transitions me into question 2....

Question B. Are video games worthwhile to explore as a career?

I have a relatively useless design degree from college. And I don't want another useless degree. There are gaming programs out there, but they are very expensive. I'd have to know I want it, which is fine.

But....here lies most of the problem-

I am an artist. The computer science/programming part of making games doesn't appeal to me as much as the imaginative environments, creative characters, etc. But there is a greater problem- did you notice most of the games I listed? Most were 2D and most were Nintendo games. Now, I enjoy a 3D game from time to time (Zelda and Metroid being most notable), however, 2D is my primary preference, as is Nintendo. So, could I really find myself enjoying a career in the gaming industry? I fear my creative enjoyment might be gone if I were, lets say, designing backgrounds for First Person Shooters. And I really respect video games as an art form.

Video game reviewing would also be a very enjoyable career for me, but everyone and their mom wants that job.

 

[Axel.]

I think making time for video games is ok. But I view playing a game as most people view watching TV or reading a book, its a hobby, not a way of life. You are not wasting your time by doing activities that make you feel good, on the contrary its these activities that help you take on the not so fun ones. You remind me of when I used to have a big exam or something and I couldn't play video games because I'd feel guilty for not using my time to study. Somewhere down the line I lost that feeling though.

And if you are an artist I'm sure you can work with an indie developer, many 2D indie games use hand drawn backgrounds and characters like super meat boy and even scribblenauts even thought that one is not indie.

 

[Avenger Angel]

Making time for video games isn't bad. You need some time to take a break, relax, have fun, and just be casual, or else you're just going to stress yourself to hit burnout. Video games are engaging entertainment that make you think, develop strategies, increase reaction time, and develop resource management skills. It's better than just spending all night watching TV or getting plastered at a local bar. So don't feel ashamed about still playing video games. Some of the coolest and most interesting people I know were still playing video games at 40.

As for video games being a career, well, just know that every career and job involves work, and know that playing video games and designing video games are two totally different things. Sure, some of it can be fun, but even in video games, you have lots of coding going on, lots of debugging, testing, scripting, development, and editing. Developing backgrounds for FPS games will also probably be work and you may not personally love what your managers expect you to make. I was a professional graphic and Flash designer for a corporation for a little while, and yeah, very often what I thought was a great idea didn't get approved and I had to go against my own personal style in favor for what the team wanted. Expect to run into that kind of thing. Also, video game careers are extremely competitive, so you've got to make sure you're going in there fully loaded with skills, commitment, and passion.

Also, one of the other things I've heard about these kinds of careers is that they're extremely time-competitive. Release dates often force developers and designers to work heavy overtime to make sure games are released, and even after games are already out there, sometimes issues and bugs need to be fixed. I'm sure the people at Blizzard have plenty of stories when it came to the opening release of Diablo III. But if you're ready to take that kind of thing on, then go for it.

 

[Kabuto]

I don't think I'm the type of person to get into the industry then, to be honest. My passion level isn't high enough for me to justify doing so.

If nothing else, I wish I can work for the 2D gaming industry back in the 1990s- I would love to design for games like Castlevania and Contra! But alas, I think those days have passed.

 

[SailorSketch]

As an animation and programming student, video game design is one of my potential routes, so I think that making the time for them is pretty important, at least in my case.

 

[Zirac888]

A few days late, but, here's my two bits:

Pretty much what everyone else is saying, if it's what you enjoy, surely it's worth making time for. What I want to touch on is you saying you can't get back into them for psychological reasons. I won't ask if you don't want to talk about it obviously, but if it's an issue, I wouldn't force yourself to do it for the sake of doing it, that could just lead to stress. But you seem like you really enjoy video games, so, as a pastime, it isn't a waste of time!

And yes, with the industry the way it is, it probably would be a lot of work and you may not enjoy doing some of the work if you end up with some big corporation. While I'm not an expert on the subject by any means, and I don't know the time/cost/effort that would go into it, you could try to get together with friends that specialize in other areas of game development and create and indie game. Find something you can all enjoy as a little group, and work on it as a hobby. You could create the 2D games you enjoy so much while someone else focuses on the programming/sound/ect. It may take a while casually, but eventually you could create and maybe even market a game.

 

[Steampunk]

See, I do think we could all use some entertainment now and then, but I don't think its good for you when/if it takes over your life. Like if you neglect to do something important to play a game. Its still just a game after all. I see it as something similar to reading a book/surfing the web, watching TV, a hobby.

 

[Ruas]

Giving some time in your schedule to play games is perfectly fine and won't go wasted. Just like Mr. Spock said, they are like any other hobby. It's entertainment & does good to you too. There are countless studies out there about the benefits of gaming. You just need to keep a check & make sure you don't become addicted by it.

Also, for any form of art to succeed, it usually comes from studying several unrelated things & connecting the dots. Sometimes you need inspiration from the most unlikely sources. If you're going to design games, just like any other product, you need information on the market. So, again for you, it's even a less of a waste to play games. Finally, if you're worried about 2D games no longer having value lin the current day, then that wouldn't be true. Graphics is just one aspect of what makes a good game. I've loved To The Moon (2011), which a 2D game & can't wait for it's sequel.