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Startup vs. Corporate in Gaming – Choose Wisely!
After you brought your Reign of Chaos to the world while staying on a Frozen Throne and contending with Lilith over the right to attend a Football Game, one of your relatives called Altaïr was busy climbing walls, hiding from that DoomGuy, and the other rebel one, named Raynor, embarked on an expedition to find his love, the Queen of Blades. You said to yourself: where did I put the Elden Ring?
Meanwhile, your life-long friend Raiden initiated a competitive arcade challenge with Ryu, controlling some point-eating entity, all while evading hungry shadows.
Soon, you received a video call, and on the other end, Astarion was riding an E46 BMW M3 GTR, attempting to outpace Commander Shepard through a Portal to Tyria with only Half-Life. Undoubtedly, he had stolen the Elder Scrolls again, embarking on a trip to Morrowind.
You just remembered that today is Geralt’s birthday. Will he be able to have a drink with you, or is he busy again with that little child, Ciri, or perhaps engaged in a conflict with Triss and Yennefer over some Civilization… He should be thankful that the Dragon Age is over…
If these names brought you memories, perhaps you have thought about entering into games. Well, then you are lucky! I’ve just made an article that can help you make a choice!
Did you ever dream of seeing Rivia, or maybe you want to create a new world?!
Read below and see the main similarities & differences!
Introduction
Okay, so you want to work in games? When considering your career in the gaming industry, the decision is around choosing between a startup environment and an established gaming company. Both options present unique attributes, and understanding them can aid you in making an informed choice aligned with your professional goals.
Common Stuff:
- Passion for Gaming: Everyone here wishes to work, create, and contribute to the gaming world.
- Collaborative Environment: Collaboration is key in the gaming industry. Each of the departments (QA, Design, Sound, Art, Animation, VFX, Dev, Ops, Sales, Marketing, HR, Recruitment, and Account Management) is an extremely important and equally important part of a game’s success. If these teams do not work well together, chaos will come (or an Elder Brain, or even the Prime Evil will consume this world).
- Adaptability: The gaming industry, by nature, is very dynamic and ever-evolving. If you don’t believe me, look at the metaverse, cross-platform playing, and mobile games (oh, and how this one has evolved…. Do you remember when we were playing only Snake on those phones?!)
Differences:
- Innovation and Autonomy:
- Startups are often places where you can innovate, making a culture where new ideas are a must-have. Working in a game startup provides an opportunity for greater autonomy, where you can learn how to work and have the opportunity to make a game mostly on your own. These types of companies usually don’t have oversized teams.
- Known Company: Established gaming companies, while still innovative, may have more structured processes and hierarchies (we all know those titles: Junior 1,2,…n). The level of autonomy might not be so high, but here you will have the opportunity to work on some of the most-known worldwide titles(I bet that you can name at least 1).
- Resources:
- Startup: Startups typically operate with limited resources, which can lead to a more dynamic and fast-paced environment. This sentence can be translated as You will not have all the things that corporate environments have, but you will be able to understand how a great product can come from less.
- Known Company: Well-known gaming companies often come with substantially more resources and experiences from similar past projects, providing a feeling of stability and the ability to undertake ambitious projects. The trade-off might be a more structured environment with less immediate exposure to the entrepreneurial challenges faced by startups.
- Career Growth and Specialization:
- Startup: Joining a games startup can offer accelerated career growth, as you will wear multiple hats (that is 110% sure) and be involved in various aspects of game development.
- Known Company: In a larger gaming company, there’s often room to gain expertise in specific areas, offering a more structured career path.
Conclusion
It all depends on your personal preferences, career goals, and honestly, the games that you like playing (an RPG player might not like the work that Football games involve doing…).
Thank you for reading this article!
Below you can find all the games that I was talking about:
- Reign of Chaos & Frozen Throne -> Warcraft
- Lilith -> Diablo
- Football Game -> FIFA
- Altair -> Assassins’ Creed
- Doomguy -> DOOM
- Raynor & Queen of Blades – StarCraft
- Elden Ring -> Elden Ring
- Raiden -> Mortal Kombat
- Ryu -> Street Fighter
- Point-Eating entity & shadows-> Pac-Man
- Astarion -> Baldur’s Gate (appears in BG 3)
- E46 BMW M3 GTR -> NFS (appears in NFS Most Wanted)
- Commander Shepard -> Mass Effect
- Portal -> Portal Series
- Tyria -> Guild Wars
- Half-Life -> Half-Life
- Elder Scrolls & Morrowind -> The Elder Scrolls
- Rivia, Geralt, Ciri, Triss, Yennefer -> The Witcher
- Civilization -> Civilization
- Dragon Age -> Dragon Age
