It was once considered a hobby, but with more than 2.5 billion gamers worldwide, some reports estimate that the video game industry could be worth $300 billion by 2025.
The gaming sector is certain to be a career provider for our graduates – and with that in mind, the Faculty of Science and Technology organised a thought-provoking webinar titled ‘Inside the Game Industry’ yesterday.
We had the honour of having Pontus Mähler, the Head of Global Business Development at game accelerator Global Top Round (GTR), to share his expertise on the world of gaming.
GTR is an interactive accelerator programme that helps small studios from across the globe to get the development, publishing and fundraising expertise they need.
New studios with great content who work with GTR get the funding and the help they need to improve their games and identify and negotiate with potential publishers from all over the world. GTR has invested in more than 45 game studios in 20 countries worldwide.
Mähler has over a decade of experience in creating, managing and driving business opportunities and projects within e-sports and the gaming industry.
A former professional gamer for Heroes of Newerth, the predecessor of Dota 2, he currently focuses on aiding talented gaming start-ups to reach their next level, with guidance and collaboration with investment publishing partnerships.
Mähler kicked off the talk by giving the audience an overview of the gaming industry, before expanding on the structures of companies in the industry. He then shared his expert opinions on game development, career paths, and how to kick-start a journey into the gaming industry.
He noted that to make money, a company only needed to succeed in one market – adding that those who wanted to create games or work with gaming companies should find products that resonated with one market.
Mähler also urged the students to build their skills in multiple roles, as the ability to wear multiple hats would allow them to gain better career paths.
“The beauty of the industry is that roles can change. Try to figure out your career goals and what you want to achieve instead of a specific job role,” he said.
“To increase your chances of being hired, you should prepare a portfolio of your work. Also, network and collaborate with your peers and don’t be afraid to ask. When you’re creating a product, get feedback as early as possible because that is crucial.”
Mähler noted that there was a lot of space for universities to work with the gaming industry, including programmes related to marketing, game programming and game psychology.
It was an extremely eye-opening talk by a big name in the industry who had some incredible insight to share. We’d like to thank our guest speaker for passing along his expertise, and congratulations to the Faculty of Science and Technology for organising the webinar!
You can join Mähler on G.Round Discord and explore the game industry as a tester by clicking here: https://bit.ly/QIU_JUNE2020
