The special powers needed to succeed in videogames

In this line of work, we’re asked lots of questions, some of them repeatedly. Such as: what’s it like to sit around playing videogames all day and call it a job? And: how do I get started in the videogame industry? Also: that guy who wanted to be able to talk to the monsters in Doom – have you checked in with him lately to see if he’s all right?

Another common question: who are readers? People ask this because it helps them decide whether or not they should be trying to talk to our audience through these pages, but breaking it down into tidy demographics isn’t easy. Some readers make videogames, some want to make videogames, some don’t. Some readers are teenaged, some are in their 50s and 60s, some are in between. Most are men, some are women. Ultimately, all we can say is: our readers are into videogames. Really into videogames. So into videogames, in fact, that they remember bits from the review of Doom from over 20 years ago.

We’re all so consumed by our interests that it’s almost impossible to remember when our lives didn’t have videogames in them. Many of us, though, can remember the specific point at which that changed, and the tingling, breath-stopping realisation that nothing would ever be the same again. In this issue, Britsoft pioneers including David Braben, Jeff Minter and Archer Maclean share their own life-changing moments, identifying their first steps on the path to helping shape a nation’s game industry.

What these people have in common is how much they put into their work. In the process of making we talk to videogame creators every day, and the ones who make the biggest impressions are those who care the most – the people who are really into videogames. In the creators of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, who share their motivations in our cover story, we found just such a group. For people looking to break into the game industry, their commitment should be an inspiration. Elsewhere this issue, the 2015 edition of Get Into Games provides some additional guidance.