Awkward old age game practitioner

"I'm still creative! I can work overtime! I still love video games, roller coaster and Dr. Mystery." "At a symposium in the GDC Conference in 2015, the old man seemed to have been angry – his sense of self was consistent, but the industry's perception of him had changed."

Muriqui said when he applied for a high-end design position that matched his own experience, he was often rejected for reasons such as "exhaustion of energy" or "excessive arrogance" and refused to recruit when he was looking for jobs at the lower end of the job, fearing he would be tempted to leave with high-paying jobs. Many times, recruiters reject Murich's rhetoric as "inconsistent with the company's culture"-a reflection of the entire gaming industry's discrimination against the elderly.

26% video gamers are over 50 years of age, but according to the American Association of Entertainment Software (ESA) data, only 1% practitioners are older than 50 in the gaming industry. "It is stark discrimination against the elderly. "Muriqui said. And he believes that more than five years of game people can still have a wonderful career.

Muriqui, for example, says he is still a mentor for young game designers. "I write Twitter. I make YouTube videos. I use Pinterest, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I try every means to promote myself, and now my career is more active than ever before. "he said.

Gille Miller (Jill Miller) is a human resource consultant who has also been in the gaming industry for years-she is the 17th-place EA employee. In Miller's view, it is often not about age to evaluate whether a game practitioner is old or not. "Suppose one strives to grow, to innovate, to grow talent." "said Miller. "Then he/she is not old. They are trustworthy, experienced and willing to share knowledge with a relatively small number of new people in the industry. ”

But why are a large number of older developers leaving the gaming industry? Miller says it's because many game companies discriminate against older people or tend to marginalize them. She believes that if a game company wants to make a difference, it needs to change and welcome older workers to join the top management level.

At the same time, Miller believes that older developers should also reflect on their attitude and always remain confident.

At the symposium, Playscreen's chief creative officer, William Volc (William Volk), who worked for companies such as Avalon Hill, Dynamic Vision and Lightspan, shared his views. "Don't complain about ageism. "said Volcker. "What we should do is learn to adapt to difficult circumstances." ”

Volcker advises older developers to find their inner abilities and try to avoid a generation gap with the younger generation. "In 1989, an employee of the Lucas arts community consulted me about CD-ROM-related technology." "he recalls. I gave him the answer. By the year 1994 he became a consultant to a large start-up. ”

Beyond hard skills, older developers should try to keep up with the pace of cultural development. "From the writing code or technical point of view, you can't keep up with the pace of the times, but you should understand the trend of game development." Based on this, you will be able to offer advice to the younger generation. "said Volcker.

Mike Sellers, a professor at Indiana University (Indiana University), has worked for 3DO, EA and Kabam companies. Silas also believes that older developers should keep abreast of the latest developments and trends in the gaming industry through internet blogs, gaming media and academic papers, and are ready to do so.