When Masahiro Sakurai announced his YouTube Channel about “Creating Games,” many were eager to learn from him. After all, he is a video game legend and has made multiple titles over a few decades. Plus, he’s known for his innovation, desire to make things fun for gamers, and more. In short, a lot of people can learn from Sakurai. So far, he’s talked about the games he’s personally worked on and designed, more minor elements of video games that sometimes get forgotten, and more. But his latest one is a topic that everyone has been eager to hear his thoughts on: how to make a living in the video game industry.
We won’t say that everyone who plays a video game wants to make one, but we will say that many have “gotten the bug” and want to jump into the industry. But, even with all the advances made over the years, that’s tricky. Some people go to college for game design and development degrees yet don’t end up in the industry.
For Sakurai, he doesn’t beat around the bush. He says one way he feels you’re “guaranteed” to get into the game industry is you make your own game.
This is a blunt answer, but he is accurate and gives reasons for saying this. In his video, he details how if you were to make a video game, you could showcase it in an application you send to developers. Showing you can make a game proves you have specific skills. The company might need those skills, or at the very least, they’ll remember you for later.
Moreover, making your own game can teach you how to get it done from start to finish. From coming up with the initial idea to game design, working with teammates, playtesting it, and marketing, making your own game provides experience in those fields.
Masahiro Sakurai is also wise in calling out how some people don’t want to be a part of the “big brands” and would instead work with the small teams they’ve formed. You can also be someone who tries to make a game, fails, and realizes that this isn’t the life you want.
In the end, there are many ways to get into the video game industry. But if you want to show your passion and see how far you can go by making your unique title, go forth with Daddy Sakurai’s blessing.
Source: YouTube
