Editorial
We live in a time of contrasts: Some of the best games ever released come out every year, commercial successes are abound. And yet, layoffs are the defining topic.
That we have to grapple with the highest highs and the lowest lows at the same time can make the decision to start into games complicated. Other media industries are faced with similar problems, to be sure, but gaming as a respectively young industry is only just developing the security nets and thick skin needed for sustainable growth. Complications change depending on where you look, too: North American developers only start out developing a class consciousness and organisational structures of their own. In Germany on the other hand, the industry struggles with fundamental securities provided by state funding.
And yet, games are still a dream sphere of action for many, many people. And with a substantial amount of professional workers still missing in any industry, the games branch too, new game workers are highly sought after. So highly in fact that the Ministry of Economy
spearheaded a new apprenticeship for Interactive Media Designers, a remarkable occasion. With this new way into games that we portray and talk with the responsible parties about, and several academic lanes to learn game development and design, I hope this issue helps you decide your way into gaming, if you are still soul-searching. You can find inspiration in two articles were 42 games industry people speak about their career paths, and compare salaries with the analysis of our second annual game wage survey. Tackling the layoffs, we probed HR departments on their best ideas to prevent redundancies through clever long time HR management. And if you are thinking about a career change, you’ll want to read our piece on the European Space Agency. Whether you start out or are a veteran of the games industry: Have a good read!
Pascal Wagner
Content
4 WAYS INTO THE INDUSTRY
26 personalities talk about their paths into the national games industry.
16 STUDYING GAMES
What courses are available to enter the games industry?
20 LEARNING THE CRAFT
There are more ways to enter the games industry than by university courses.
23 CIPSOFT
24 HR PLANING
Survey of HR managers in the industry.
28 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
Why gaming is a recruiting ground for ESA.
31 TRAVIAN GAMES
32 NEW APPRENTICESHIP
All about the new Designer Interactive Media.
35 WOOGA
36 WAYS INTO THE INDUSTRY
16 personalities talk about their paths into the international games industry.
44 SALARY SURVEY
How much does the German games industry earn? We conducted a survey.
46 LIFELONG LEARNING
An overview of various programmes.
45 IMPRINT
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