Advice for newcomer

Hi,
I just finished university and and got a degree, but I cannot imagine myself working in that field for the rest of my life. Life is too short so I think it is time to pursue something I really love to do.
I love video games, and although that does not necessarily mean making games will suit me, I would really like to give it a try, and maybe later have a career as a game designer.
My biggest obstacle of course is that I do not have a relevant degree such as Computer Science or Art. I learn using software fast and have experience with programming language such as VBA, C, and C++, but I am not sure what is enough. I heard that prior project is important to land a job, so I am thinking of learning Unity and creating a game of my own. For now, my strongest point is just passion.
Also, I am not a Singaporean, but I need to work in Singapore for a few years (tuition bond). The gaming industry is still young in Singapore, and game designing jobs are not abundant from what I observe, so that is another issue.
I would like to ask for advice from you all. In my situation, how should I start ? What else should I do to finally get a job and nurture my dream ? I can expect it is gonna be really rough, but if I do not try, I will live regretting all the time.
I very much appreciate your responses.

 

I can't tell you anything about the professional part since I have no relevant experience. What I can tell you as a guy who is still on the first steps of learning, is that the first you have to do is actually download unity editor and get started. Learning software hasn't much to do with this, other that finding your way around the editor, and as much programming experience you may have, game designing is a lot more than just programming. Of course it helps!
So my advice is, download unity, start with the tutorials you will find here, and judge for yourself if you like it or not. If you like you, you can go on thinking about it and gather more job related info, if you just hate it, no reason to even think about it.

 

Best way to get into the gaming industry is to make games. Unity is pretty easy to use, and you'll quickly see if you have the aptitude for coding.

The industry is still very much based on what you can do and produce, rather then formal qualifications. Formal qualification help to get you the skills you need. But they are not absolute must haves. Finished games speak more then degrees. Both together is even better

That of course is all good advice it you want a job in the industry. By your accounts that might not be an option in your geography. So don't focus on "what do I need to get a job in the game industry", focus instead on "what do I need to do to sell games". Then ten years down the track you can be the gaming industry looking to hire people like you are now.

Remember, all of the big game studios were all start-ups not that long ago. The industry as a whole is still pretty young.

 

Thanks for your advice.
So does it mean that I should start building portfolio by making game and selling it on websites such as Steam or Google Store?
@BoredMormon, may I ask if you are an indie developer yourself ? If yes, how do you find the process of making games?
Any more advice from forum members would be greatly appreciated.

 

Rightly speaking I'm a hobbyist. I make games, yes. But more often I make YouTube video tutorials for Unity. Most often I simply browse the forums.

In the interests of full disclosure, I've never actually worked in the games industry. My day job is a chemical engineer , and it pays the bills well enough to let me make games on the evenings and weekends.

 

Can you suggest how I should start learning Unity ? I watched some tutorial series on Youtube but I think they are quite slow in pace and do not cover all the things I need. Is documentation page on Unity website good ? Is there a book/tutorial series/website that covers almost everything about Unity ?

 

Since you already know how to program, my book Unity in Action would work great for you!

They are pretty good, but if you are concerned about tutorial videos being too slow, well these might be too.

 

I am on same level as you .... and my plus point is also PASSION

 

Well, if you feel that you are above the tutorials level, why not try to start creating a project? No better way to learn than to actually do something... Once you run into a problem, figure it out using documentation, searching the forums (and google), and maybe even ask for help if you do not find an answer.
You can't just watch videos and read something and all of a sudden know unity or game developing, practice makes you learn.