So I enjoy D&D. I've been playing TTRPGs for over 12 years and have played multiple versions, editions, games, and styles. Now I find myself in need of a career, and would love to turn my favorite hobby into a job. My real problem is that I have no idea where to start. Do I need a degree to make myself a more appealing candidate? What kind? Should I reach out to WotC or another major RPG publisher, or try to go it alone? Are there any skills I should be developing?
So if you are in the industry yourself or know someone who is, any and all advice you could give to a potential game developer would be a great help. :)
Of course, if you're going to reach out, it would really help to have something to show them. Make stuff, sell it on sites like Dungeon Master's Guild (?). Homebrew stuff here on D&D Beyond.
When you pitch yourself, you can point to the work you've already done.
Don't do it. Seriously. The 1% of the 1% get to turn this into a career, and even then, it's not a very lucrative one. I do think they have recently expanded a little but last I heard, there were only twelve people doing the creative work at WotC. And adventures? Forget about it. The amount of work that is required to make a well-made and popular adventure is not even remotely close to being worthwhile. You'd make more money flipping burgers.
This all sounds harsh and I will no doubt get told off by posters here but it is the reality of the world and the RPG industry and, even now during a hey day, it's still cut-throat, network-based (cronyism, really) and full of, quite frankly, really nasty people. We see all the laughs and the fun and the shiny lights in the YouTube clips but the reality is very far removed from that. And yes, I say this from experience.
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"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
I'm pretty new to TTRPG (but have played a lot of other tabletop miniature games), but I wouldn't be surprised if this were the case. That being said, there are other careers that might align with the hobby/interest. Such as working in or owning an FLGS. That's at least a consideration. If I had the money to open a store, I'd probably go that route, but yeah that's also running a business and not really doing the hobby for a living per se.
Although I agree with dropbear8mybaby (although maybe not as harshly, but that's just from my experience), a full time career in gaming is EXTREMELY difficult and only after years ad years of freelancing. That being said, as a full time career, it is extremely difficult, but as a side job, freelancing and/or self-publishing in this industry can be really awesome! The pay is very rarely worth it (but unless it's for charity or your best friend as a favor, don't write for free - if a publishing doesn't have money to pay even really low wages, then they aren't ready to be a publisher!), but it can be really thrilling and enjoyable, and eventually if you work hard and make awesome products, the pay can get alright.
But outside of a handful of people at WotC and Paizo, very, very few people work full time at it. Freelancing as a side job, however, can actually be very freeing. When you know your bills will be paid regardless of whether you take on a project or not, that massively frees you to focus on what you want to focus on.
As for skills to develop, I'd say editing (good editors have skills that easily transferable to other industries as well, so bonus there!) both copyediting and more structural editor work, meeting deadlines, and really just being able to create new and original ideas like crazy. The best writers aren't always the ones who come up with the best ideas, they are usually the ones who come up with 10 times as many ideas and throw 90% of them away to only work on the best - and do so in less time others take to come up with a single good idea. That actually is a skill that is difficult to build, but possible.
Working in a gaming store also isn't a bad idea either (especially if you are freelance writing on the side) since it will get you right at the customer level to see what they like. But either way, unless you can survive on absolute poverty level income (or have someone who will support you without resenting it), I'd suggest getting a stable job that you can A) tolerate, B) mentally leave at the office/store/warehouse/construction site/whatever, and C) ideally has a stable schedule so that you can create a stable writing schedule outside of the job and then just freelance or self-publish for fun and extra money on the side. In 5-10 years, it might grow into something more or you might find you like the stability and freedom of that set up where a risky gaming project doesn't jeopardize paying your rent/mortage.
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So I enjoy D&D. I've been playing TTRPGs for over 12 years and have played multiple versions, editions, games, and styles. Now I find myself in need of a career, and would love to turn my favorite hobby into a job. My real problem is that I have no idea where to start. Do I need a degree to make myself a more appealing candidate? What kind? Should I reach out to WotC or another major RPG publisher, or try to go it alone? Are there any skills I should be developing?
So if you are in the industry yourself or know someone who is, any and all advice you could give to a potential game developer would be a great help. :)
If you don't try, you don't get.
Of course, if you're going to reach out, it would really help to have something to show them. Make stuff, sell it on sites like Dungeon Master's Guild (?). Homebrew stuff here on D&D Beyond.
When you pitch yourself, you can point to the work you've already done.
WotC actively scans DMs Guild for quality content. It's probably the best way to get your foot in the door from square 1.
Don't do it. Seriously. The 1% of the 1% get to turn this into a career, and even then, it's not a very lucrative one. I do think they have recently expanded a little but last I heard, there were only twelve people doing the creative work at WotC. And adventures? Forget about it. The amount of work that is required to make a well-made and popular adventure is not even remotely close to being worthwhile. You'd make more money flipping burgers.
This all sounds harsh and I will no doubt get told off by posters here but it is the reality of the world and the RPG industry and, even now during a hey day, it's still cut-throat, network-based (cronyism, really) and full of, quite frankly, really nasty people. We see all the laughs and the fun and the shiny lights in the YouTube clips but the reality is very far removed from that. And yes, I say this from experience.
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
I'm pretty new to TTRPG (but have played a lot of other tabletop miniature games), but I wouldn't be surprised if this were the case. That being said, there are other careers that might align with the hobby/interest. Such as working in or owning an FLGS. That's at least a consideration. If I had the money to open a store, I'd probably go that route, but yeah that's also running a business and not really doing the hobby for a living per se.
Although I agree with dropbear8mybaby (although maybe not as harshly, but that's just from my experience), a full time career in gaming is EXTREMELY difficult and only after years ad years of freelancing. That being said, as a full time career, it is extremely difficult, but as a side job, freelancing and/or self-publishing in this industry can be really awesome! The pay is very rarely worth it (but unless it's for charity or your best friend as a favor, don't write for free - if a publishing doesn't have money to pay even really low wages, then they aren't ready to be a publisher!), but it can be really thrilling and enjoyable, and eventually if you work hard and make awesome products, the pay can get alright.
But outside of a handful of people at WotC and Paizo, very, very few people work full time at it. Freelancing as a side job, however, can actually be very freeing. When you know your bills will be paid regardless of whether you take on a project or not, that massively frees you to focus on what you want to focus on.
As for skills to develop, I'd say editing (good editors have skills that easily transferable to other industries as well, so bonus there!) both copyediting and more structural editor work, meeting deadlines, and really just being able to create new and original ideas like crazy. The best writers aren't always the ones who come up with the best ideas, they are usually the ones who come up with 10 times as many ideas and throw 90% of them away to only work on the best - and do so in less time others take to come up with a single good idea. That actually is a skill that is difficult to build, but possible.
Working in a gaming store also isn't a bad idea either (especially if you are freelance writing on the side) since it will get you right at the customer level to see what they like. But either way, unless you can survive on absolute poverty level income (or have someone who will support you without resenting it), I'd suggest getting a stable job that you can A) tolerate, B) mentally leave at the office/store/warehouse/construction site/whatever, and C) ideally has a stable schedule so that you can create a stable writing schedule outside of the job and then just freelance or self-publish for fun and extra money on the side. In 5-10 years, it might grow into something more or you might find you like the stability and freedom of that set up where a risky gaming project doesn't jeopardize paying your rent/mortage.