In today’s video game industry, luck can be as crucial as experience and skills when searching for a job.
A former audio engineer from Rockstar Games recently shared his thoughts on the immense difficulty of finding new employment, even with extensive experience.
Rob Carr, who contributed to major titles such as GTA V, L.A. Noire, and Red Dead Redemption, has discovered that his impressive experience and portfolio no longer guarantee employment:
“As it turns out, my twenty years of experience no longer guarantees that I’ll be able to find a new job — whereas five years ago, that would have been more than enough. Now the situation in the industry is such that, yes, I have 20 years of experience, I’ve worked on some of the biggest projects in the world, but there are already 35 other specialists on the market with the exact same experience, tenure, and portfolio.”
Rob Carr applied for several positions but was repeatedly rejected:
“I reached the final selection stage for several roles but didn’t receive a job offer anywhere. When I requested feedback, I was told: ‘Honestly, we can’t tell you anything specific. At this level, everything is decided almost by chance — it’s simply that this person was a slightly better fit for our current needs. Your resume is excellent, you didn’t do anything wrong — it’s just that someone else was a bit more suitable.’ You could say that getting hired now is like flipping a coin [it depends on luck].”
Currently, Rob Carr is busy developing his own game called Nyrkkipöytä.