Interested in a career in game development? It can be an incredibly rewarding choice – whether you’re considering mobile game development, PC game design, console game development, or want to get involved in multiple areas of the field, demand is high, and only going to grow over time. Of course, you need to make some smart decisions here, and one of the most crucial is where you look for employment, geographically speaking.
Best Game Developing Cities
If you’re looking to move to one of the best game developing cities, you’ll want to make sure you look as far afield as possible. While the US is certainly a major player, there are plenty of international destinations of note. Here’s a quick rundown of the major cities around the world (including within the US):
· London: Interestingly, the top city in the world is London, where you’ll find over 100 different game development studios in the greater London area.
· San Francisco: The home of the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as over 100 different game development studios in the surrounding area, San Francisco is definitely on the list. The state of California as a whole includes giants in the game development sector like Sony, EA, Activision and Riot Games.
· Tokyo: Japan certainly has a huge involvement in game development, and Tokyo is home to almost as many game development studios as London or San Francisco.
· Paris: You might not equate France with the top gaming development firms, but the fact remains that the area around the city is home to more than 80 such companies.
· Austin: One of the largest cities in Texas, Austin is also home to over 70 game development studios. Within the state of Texas, you’ll also find Gearbox Software, KingsIsle, Cloud Imperium, Portalarium and more.
· Los Angeles: You knew this one would be here – there’s no denying the fact that L.A. is a powerhouse in the game development world. It’s also home to 70 or so game design studios.
· New York: While New York might not rank as highly as some cities on this list, it definitely deserves a mention particularly due to the fact that this is where King and Zynga are located (two of the consistent top performers in the mobile gaming industry).
These are just a few of the top cities for game development. Others of note include Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, Canada; Seattle, Washington; Philadelphia, Bristol and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Denver, Boulder and Louisville, Colorado; Portland and Eugene, Oregon; Chicago and Northbrook, Illinois; Miami, Orlando and Gainesville, Florida; and many, many others.
Online Developer Communities of Note
While there are plenty of geo-specific communities of note, aspiring game developers should also pay attention to the digital world. Some of the online developer communities of note include:
· GameDev.net
· TIGSource.com
· Indiegamer.com
These sources offer not only a connection with other developers, but also with game development firms and studios seeking talent, particularly in a dev-from-home capacity. Interestingly, remote work is becoming the norm in the industry, with less focus on employing developers within a brick and mortar facility.
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