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[ecplav]

Hi,

Sorry if this isn't the right place to post this or if this post is maybe a bit of a downer. But to be honest, I don't really have another place to ask this question and I don't think my friends and family can help me on this one.

I've started a new job in a gamedev studio. The team and the work itself look fine. I've been doing QA Testing and Loc work for a while now, and on the good days I really enjoy it.

The thing is, I don't feel like I enjoy videogames anymore. They all feel like sludge. They all feel like a chore, or a second job. I'll boot up a game, any game, any kind, play for 15 minutes, feel like I'm wasting my life and stop. I used to play games for the escapism and now it feels like they want to make me a prisoner, in a way.

Regarding that job: that will be the third time I'll be moving cities in four years. I'm getting tired about that as well. Despite me being kinda scared about this possibility I've been thinking more and more about leaving this industry. I'm saying scared because I'm afraid of being bored to death. All these soul vaccuuming bullshit jobs that make you stop seeing colors and slowly make you dead inside, that kind of things.

I would like to know whether any of you went through the same kind of problem and how they dealt with it, cause right now I can't really find anything that would help. Were you able to transfer any set of skills you got from the videogames industry elsewhere? Did you start a new formation? Did you go another way?

Thanks a lot everyone.

[Schrompf]

I was a C++ coder, I am now a C++-Coder, so transition was easy for me. I *think* good QA engineers can make that jump just as easily, we're looking for one for quite a while now.

Concerning the traits of today's games: Mobile is FUBAR in my opinion, and so is most of the Triple-A productions. I still find fun in small dedicated indie games and an occasional AAA game as long as I can coop with my friends and keep out the rest of humanity at the same time. So maybe you really grew out of Gaming in general, or you're just looking for a pleasurable experience in the wrong places.

[J-Snake]

If you are too bored, you can always search for something more challenging. If you lack the skills to do something more challenging, you can work on it in private until you get there where you want to be. And there is still life outside the job. If you are still bored to strive for something, then you should rather change your personality than your job. A positive mindset and physical training is a good start to get grounded and ready to approach any activity in a healthy manner.

[Tobers]

I work in the Mobile games industry as an artist and I haven't experienced that yet. I think Schrompf has a good point about making a jump though. I'd hazard a guess that furthering your career out of the position that plays broken games all day might help you out of that funk.

Granted most of the QA testers I know still play games, so maybe I don't have a point.

Regardless, if you're super organized you might consider being a producer, if you're very experienced with QA and work well with a team you might manage that team. That way you can leverage your experience, do something that isn't playing games and build more skills and experience that will help continue your career elsewhere.

[InfiniteStateMachine]

I left the industry a couple years back and am considering rejoining.

The most important thing is a good team.

[s0]

i've never worked in the game industry, but i think this is normal to an extent when you turn your hobby into a job. most people don't want to spend 8 hours on a job and then spend the evening doing more of the same thing they already do at work.

one thing you can do is get a job that matches your skill set and interests but is not the same thing as your hobby. i worked as a researcher in social science for the last 2 years. that was the best job i ever had, because it covered a lot of the things i like doing (such as working with statistics and complex, fuzzy systems as well as working very independently). but it was in a context that is different from what i do in my spare time (i.e. playing and making video games), so there wasn't that sense of fatigue

[tecomprendo]

Yeah it's kind of hard to keep in the game industry and to see the fun in games sometimes. All of the games you play now doesn't feel fun. Don't know why 

[Tobers]

I left the industry a couple years back and am considering rejoining.

The most important thing is a good team.

I agree with this 100%! I would only add that even though the project matters less than the team, if you're facing ridiculous overtime then even the best people/team in the world won't be able to balance your life.