"What can we do now?" — Job Hunting In The Game Industry

The pay was handsome, the people were lovely, the future looked bright, and yet everyday I’d log on to the company's Slack and feel like killing myself. I was never able to explain why it was like that, burnout just can’t be reasoned with, I only knew that I had to hit the breaks and so in February 9th 2024, I quit my product management and team leader position at Mino Games.

If you are familiar with the state of gaming industry since 2023 you'd think of me as a fool. If before I only felt like dying, then now I'd certainly be dead. It's a jobless wasteland out there, layoffs are non-stop, investment is scarce, critical and financial success can't even guarantee a studio's existence anymore. As someone who wants to continue working with games, how could I ditch a perfectly stable job for this?

Honestly, I don't care about answering that, what's done is done, dwelling on it would only make me as miserable as when I was employed. "What can I do now?" is the most sensible thing to ask, the same question that is probably being asked by the thousands of others that had their jobs cut off in the interest of maximizing shareholder value.

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the absurdity of my choice to leave, even if justified. In my heart, it feels like a slap in the face to those who had no choice in the matter. So in the interest of fairness and showing solidarity, rather than keeping my strategies secret, I want to be transparent about the steps I’m taking to reposition myself in the industry. In the hopes that this can help others learn from my mistakes, find some sort of inspiration, or feel less alone in their own trials. After all, isn't it enough that game development be so shrouded in mystery and gagged by NDAs, why should job searching be an enigma too?

Starting this week, I will be posting weekly reports on my on going job search as a product manager in the gaming industry until I finally land something. I plan to structure these updates to reflect on:

• The actions I’ve taken each week: From applications sent to networking conversations.

• Challenges faced and lessons learned: Highlighting both setbacks and small victories.

• Objectives and next steps: What will guide my efforts and what I'm planning moving forward.

• Strategic insights: Sharing tools and strategies that are helping me move forward.

• Engagement with my network: Inviting feedback, advice, and stories from others.

In essence, I want to reframe the question from “What can I do now?” to “What can WE do now?”, to explore what we can try, the problems we might face, and the learnings we can derive from pursuing our dreams in this nightmarish landscape.