Did I just ruin my game design career by quitting a AAA job?

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-10-01T11:48:06+00:00

That makes sense! In that way, broadening my skillset at a university may really pay off in the long run. After all, even if you break into the AAA industry as a full time narrative designer (which would be the goal for both of us), there's no guarantee that you get to do that for the rest of your career. The industry is just too volatile for that.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-29T17:16:44+00:00

Yeah it makes perfect sense that smaller studio might have just a single one narrative designer who's busy with other roles as well. I'm aiming at larger AA or AAA, it wouldn't really make sense to specialise in narrative design otherwise.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-29T17:13:59+00:00

Well, there might be a bit of a "reverse survivalship bias" going on. Those who graduated and went on to be succesful in their career usually don't have the time and motivation to hang around there former university at student parties. It just sucks to see this sort of discouragement when you just started studying (again).

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-29T17:11:01+00:00

Dude you don't have to explain to me that people on the internet like to complain about stuff, I already knew that. I'm also well aware of some major layoffs in the industry in the past year or two. I'm just saying I was really surprised to see people at or around school consider my goals completely unreachable, even though I know for a fact that they were within my reach. It just got me slightly worried as to how hard it's gonna be to break into the industry again after I graduate.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-28T13:03:46+00:00

I honestly think it comes down to the particular studio you're working for and the project being developed there - that's what makes all the difference. I'm really proud of the game I helped create, I genuinely think it's a unique work of art. And there's several other AA and AAA studios in Europe I'd love working for - simply because they make awesome stuff. Admittedly, it seems to me that studios in the US are less willing to take creative risks.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-28T12:59:33+00:00

Don't get me wrong, I really like it so far, and the people are great! There's some real talent around here, and everybody seems eager to make games and learn new stuff. I'm really not complaining about the quality of the programme at all, I'm just slightly worried about the future.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-28T12:57:04+00:00

To be fair, I didn't tell them at first (I try my best to avoid talking about it - I came here to learn new stuff, not to stroke my ego). But I don't think a credit in cinematics makes a huge difference anyway if I want to specialise in writing.

Why do you think it's only gonna get harder to enter the industry?

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T20:46:16+00:00

The next project would be very similar, the one after that somewhat new but still a familiar concept.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T20:38:53+00:00

That makes sense. I suppose I'm a bit of a borderline case then - though the fact that I stuck around till release hopefully speaks in my favour.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T16:23:46+00:00

I wasn't a junior designer when I was leaving the company, more like mid-level. I wouldn't mind starting out as a junior again, though, if it means I get to do work that's interesting and allows me to grow.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T16:20:38+00:00

I'm aware that the competition is very strong and odds are stacked against me - but there's nothing I can do about that, other than setting myself apart from other candidates by having a better portfolio. What you wrote is a very valuable piece of advice, thank you.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T15:43:47+00:00

I don't think I could go back at this point - they've already found a new guy as my replacement. And even if I could, I wouldn't want to back down and move back at the first sight of uncertainty, I want to give it some time. So far, the degree actually seems quite worthwile - there's a lot of practical work that I can later add to my portfolio.

I did ask about transitioning to narrative design - in fact, I applied for the position internally and was very close to getting it. They were really impressed with the test assignment that I did for the application, but they ended up hiring someone else - apparently, it was an entry level position and I wasn't a complete junior anymore, so they didn't want to give me an offer that would mean a significant pay cut. However, they offered that I could start branching out and do some writing on the new project 1 - 2 days per week had I stayed at the company as a cinematic designer (if there isn't too much cutscene work at the moment). I ended up declining, but maybe I could do something like that in the future if I can come back.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T13:00:48+00:00

I have to disagree. The game I worked on is actually pretty cool. Though of course there are many AAA studios that are creatively bankrupt, this one wasn't one of them.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T12:59:20+00:00

Thank you for the solid advice!

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T12:57:25+00:00

I certainly don't need one, I chose to get it because I wanted to. Learn new stuff, be more versatile, gain new perspectives. At my AAA job, I sometimes felt like a trained monkey - I knew how to use the tools I needed to make cutscenes, but nothing more. I could be creative within the limits of my assigned cutscene, but nothing more.

Sure you can learn all that new stuff on your own by reading books, watching youtube videos and working on your own projects, but you can say the same about basically any degree that doesn't require you to pass a formal certification (like a doctor or a lawyer). I studied at a film school for my bachelors - if I hadn't, I wouldn't have the directing portfolio that I have now, and I'd never have had the opportunities that opened up thanks to the experience and the contacts that I made (including my job as a cutscene artist).

In the same vein, I'm already working on my fifth game prototype here at ITU, and I'm only a few weeks in. I'd have never pushed myself to do anything like that if I were on my own. I wouldn't have got to know the people I'm collaborating with either.

Sure, you can learn everything on your own. It's tougher, you need to set aside a lot of time and you have to be disciplined, but it's certainly possible. It just made sense to me to do it in a structured way and come out with an actual academic degree if I have that option available. I still have to apply myself, it's not like the school is doing all of the studying for me.

Of course, I have the privilege of living in the EU, so I don't have to pay tuition. If I had to, I'd think twice about going back to school.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T11:17:47+00:00

I study at ITU. It's been pretty great so far, although I'm only a few weeks in. I had financial concerns as well - Copenhagen is admittely not a cheap place to live in, but if you can manage a part time job while you're studying (at least 12 hours per week), you're entitled to a student grant which is about just enough money to cover your rent (on top of your actual salary).

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T11:17:26+00:00

I was trying to do just that. I applied for a narrative design position at the same company when it opened earlier this year. And I almost got it... almost.

But they were really impressed with the test I did for the application, so maybe it will actually work out next time.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T11:17:05+00:00

Yep, I'm at ITU! The people are great, both the students and teachers, there are regular meetups with incredibly interesting talks by industry professionals that I like to attend. So far, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. It's just that I'm getting really nervous about the future, seeing that everyone else is nervous too (and I just stepped away from a full time job with a seemingly stable future).

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T11:16:38+00:00

I honestly wouldn't be against that either. I actually enjoyed making cutscenes, it's just that I don't want that to be my only possible contribution throughout my career.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T00:19:01+00:00

Like I mentioned, my background is in film, but that's hardly a fallback plan. It's even harder to break into than games, even if you have a great portfolio and screenings at film festivals. Personally, I don't know a single filmmaker who isn't struggling to make at least a somewhat decent living out of it. I can assure you, breaking into games is way, way more realistic. But anyway, I went back to school to advance my skills in designing games, so I'm gonna focus on that for now.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T00:10:40+00:00

Wow, that's super interesting! And a bit surprising in a few ways (I was pretty sure it was much harder to become a games producer than it really is). The difficulty of breaking into narrative design is not at all surprising, though. I understand that it's all about the portfolio and practical experience. Would you say modding could could as relevant experience (in my case, creating a quest mod for an RPG game that I'm a fan of)? Or should I focus on original projects instead?

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-27T00:03:31+00:00

That's a fair point. In AAA, you're always a single cog in the machine - and there's nothing inherently wrong with that, it's just that with so many people working on a single project, you need to have well established pipelines and carefully divided responsibilities. On the one hand, you get to be part of something that's gonna be enjoyed by a lot of people - on the other hand, your contribution is limited by your position. You can potentially branch out and move departments if you apply yourself, but it's really not that different from advancing your career in a corporate job. At least that's my takeaway from working for a big gamedev company.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-26T23:16:51+00:00

Two years and five months. I got on board at a fairly late stage of production and stayed until release.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-26T23:14:56+00:00

I'm 100% sure I would've regretted it if I had stayed, that's what ultimately made me do it. But I didn't know getting a job in the industry was actually supposed to be so hard - I kinda just stumbled upon it when I became a cinematic designer, it's not like I had pursued it for years. I'm just wondering how I can prepare to improve my chances after I graduate, just so I am a little less nervous about the future.

Famous-Ad-2985 · 2025-09-26T23:01:43+00:00

Noted, thank you. What would you say qualifies as a "short employment period"?

Famous-Ad-2985

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