English Help Network - Introduction to the Employment Situation in the Gaming and Animation Industry

Mobile games, online games, PC games... In this era of entertainment, the gaming industry has become a paradise for entrepreneurs, dreamers, and capital players. The successful listing of Giant Interactive in the U.S. has caused quite a stir among insiders in the gaming industry. Is this industry really as outsiders say it is—high salaries for everyone and gold everywhere? Can everyone who wants to join the gaming industry get what they want?

[Talent]: Lack of high-level planning talent

According to their job functions, gaming talents can be roughly divided into three major categories: game planning talent, art design talent, and programming design talent. Each type of talent also has specific functional divisions; for example, art design talent is further subdivided into concept artists, 3D modeling designers, animation character designers, FLASH animation designers, animation post-editors, and 2D pixel game designers in different positions.

"Game planning talent is currently the most lacking in China!" A person from a Nanjing-based game company said that the gaming industry lacks not people, but true talent. Most current practitioners have graduated from computer science, telecommunications, and related majors. Although they meet the technical requirements, they lack a comprehensive understanding of games, and related planning majors are almost non-existent, which easily leads to games lacking depth.

"Planning is not just simple 'ideas' or 'concepts', but should be the role of a director in games." The head of Nanjing Huozhong Games believes that true planning talent should understand what the product can achieve and be familiar with both art and programming work, telling them how to proceed to meet market demands. To possess these qualities and experiences, it takes more than a year or two—it requires years of accumulation.

[Salary]: Not "risk-free"

"Animation and game talent shortage of 1 million", "monthly salary over 10,000 yuan"... As more and more young people hope to engage in this field and create the next myth, many game companies have expressed that salary benefits are not as high as imagined, and joining this industry is not "risk-free".

The head of Nanjing Huozhong Games introduced that the most needed talents in the industry currently focus on planning and programming, with relatively higher salaries, while art positions, due to the large number of job seekers, generally have lower salaries. Software engineers' monthly salaries mostly range from 3500 to 5000 yuan, game planners from around 2000 to 3000 yuan, and game artists from 2500 to 3500 yuan per month. Such salaries do not offer much advantage compared to other industries.

However, if you have been involved in a project, your salary will increase significantly. For example, planners who have participated in a project can earn a monthly salary of over 6000 yuan. In terms of programming, those who have followed a project can earn up to 8000 yuan per month. However, the potential for salary growth in art positions is not high, with salaries for those who have participated in projects averaging around 4000 yuan.

[Training]: Expected to mature further

Many industry insiders have expressed that the lack of highly qualified game development professionals with specialized knowledge backgrounds and formal training has already restricted the development of high-level domestic game software, becoming a bottleneck for the game industry's growth. In many game enterprises, there are plenty of ordinary programmers, operators, and service personnel, but very few comprehensive high-end game professionals, especially in the areas of game software development and game planning. The steps involved in developing a game may seem straightforward, but the number of people who can master the entire process—from story content creation, character design, music composition, software design, to game synthesis—is extremely rare. Without these core and key individuals, it is difficult for companies to create excellent games. There are only a few well-known domestic game enterprises, and these companies treat their top talents with great care, offering high salaries to retain them and preventing any thoughts of jumping ship. Therefore, to change the situation where the game industry lacks momentum, the most important thing is to cultivate high, precise, and cutting-edge all-round talents through various channels.

According to reports, in response to the current situation, some game training schools in Nanjing have taken corresponding measures, such as raising the entry threshold, enhancing the teaching foundation, and during the teaching process, providing additional tutoring for students with weaker foundations.