Gaming Resume Example & Writing Guide

The gaming industry is the dream of many who are looking to turn their passion into a profession. However, the competition is fierce, and you’ll have to combat plenty of other gamers, artists, and software aficionados to get in. In that situation, your weapon of choice should be a well-written gaming resume.

A strong resume is a skill card, an achievement list, and a character sheet all in one. It’s your ticket into a pixelated world of magic and adventure, which is why you need to know how to make it properly.

This in-depth guide will show you how to strike a perfect balance between professionalism and personality, highlight your key qualifications, and grab the recruiters’ attention to secure yourself an interview. Press play, and let’s get started!

The Ideal Format to Use for a Gaming Resume

The ideal format for most gaming resumes is the chronological resume format. It puts the work history and achievements in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent professional endeavors.

This arrangement of information is favored by recruiters and employers, as it gives them a clear insight into your progress and qualifications. Furthermore, the chronological format is ATS-proof, so you shouldn’t run into any issues with the scanning software.

There are two additional resume formats that are good in certain instances. These are:

Gaming Resume Layout

Resume layout refers to the visual style of your document, which is crucial for optimally showcasing valuable information. Here are some guidelines that can help you end up with a clean, professional, and compelling resume:

5 Essential Gaming Resume Sections

Every gaming resume needs to have these five sections:

If you have more valuable information that would increase your chances with recruiters, you should add it to the optional sections. This includes:

Of course, you should only add optional sections after you’ve included all the mandatory ones. Certifications are important, but they don’t trump a solid work history. So, if you don’t want to keep track of what takes priority and in which order, you can use our resume builder.

It’s an all-encompassing software solution with ready-made gaming resume templates that you can use and adjust to your liking. Effortlessly input your details in predetermined spots, quickly change everything from font to colors, and have your resume finished in minutes!

Speaking of gaming resume templates, here’s one to help you visualize what the final product should look like and to show you what you’ll find if you opt for our resume builder:

How to Present Contact Information on Your Gaming Resume

Contact information is a regular section in every resume, and it goes in its header. The good thing about this part is that it’s straightforward, as all you need to do is list the following details:

You can also include other relevant bits, such as a link to your portfolio or personal website, social media, LinkedIn, etc. Naturally, you shouldn’t include a personal Instagram or TikTok page if it has nothing to do with the job.

Now let’s check out an example:

However, the simplicity of this section doesn’t detract from its importance. Here are a few pointers to help you ensure your contact information is written optimally:

How to Write a Gaming Resume Objective/Summary

Your gaming resume objective or summary should be short and catchy. These are introductory paragraphs with the purpose of grabbing the readers’ attention and persuading them to look at the rest of your resume.

That’s why, in 2–4 sentences, you want to emphasize your:

Junior Game Tester Resume Objective

Let’s check out a strong example of a resume objective written by a junior game tester:

Notice how the candidate mentioned relevant interests and experiences, even though they don’t have a prior work history. They’ve also highlighted their motivation for advancing in the field, indicating that they are likely looking for a long-term role.

Now compare that to a poorly-written resume objective that lacks any substantial information about the candidate:

Senior Gamer Developer Resume Summary

The purpose of a resume summary is to emphasize your most prominent accomplishments. Here’s a good example written by a senior game developer:

The following is a bad example that features unsubstantiated claims about work-related achievements:

Without concrete examples, this summary likely won’t grab anyone’s attention.

Gaming Resume Professional Experience

Professional experience is usually the most important section of every gaming resume. It shows recruiters and employers your past work, which can often be a strong indicator of future performance. That’s why you want to make sure that this part of your resume is polished to perfection. Let’s find out how to do that.

General Tips

If you’re using the chronological resume format, you should place your most recent job first and then go down from there. However, make sure that you’re only adding past positions that are relevant to the role that you’re applying for.

Here’s what you should add for every past job that you include in your gamer resume:

Furthermore, since recent roles are usually more important, you want to put more focus on them by listing more achievements. As a general rule, 3–6 notable accomplishments per job are a good number. To get the most out of them, you should:

Video Game Designer With No Experience

Even if you have no history in the role that you’re applying for, you can leverage other experiences to craft a strong section. This includes everything from different but analogous past jobs where you’ve obtained transferable skills to volunteer work and internships.

In the following example, we can see how a candidate took advantage of their previous role as a graphic designer to highlight their strong potential for being a junior game designer:

Experienced Game Tester

As an experienced professional, you want to highlight more than one facet of your competence. For instance, in addition to technical prowess, you can also emphasize your leadership or organization skills. These abilities come with years of work in the field and are often highly sought-after by employers. Let’s see that in an example:

Gaming Resume Education Section

The education section of your gaming resume will usually be brief and to the point. In most cases, you should simply list your highest degree and call it a day. Here is what that looks like in practice:

If you’re an entry-level candidate who lacks a professional history, you can put more emphasis on your education by listing a bullet point with notable achievements, much like in the work history section. Some details you can add include GPA (but only if it’s 3.5 or higher), relevant coursework, abroad studies, etc.

You can also include more than one degree in reverse-chronological order (e.g., both bachelor’s and master’s degrees), but avoid adding a high school diploma unless it’s your highest one. Finally, you can add a degree even if you’re still studying; in that case, either put an expected graduation date or simply write “current” instead.

Gaming Resume Skills

Gamer resume skills (alongside your work experience) are the most important section in the document. When adding them to your resume, the key is to include relevant skills that you know employers are looking for. For instance, proficiency in social media might not be all that important to a game tester.

That’s why you want to research the company and the job ad to figure out what the requirements are before listing those abilities. Furthermore, it’s important to differentiate between technical, job-specific hard skills and interpersonal, soft skills. Both are important for a good gaming resume, and they should be listed separately.

Gaming Resume Hard Skills

Hard skills are a must-have in any line of work, including gaming. They are trained and learned, often come with degrees and certifications to back them up, and allow you to do highly specific tasks.

In gaming, hard skills can be proficiency in programming languages, such as:

There’s also knowledge of game engines, like:

Designers might want to list some of the following skills:

Gaming Resume Soft Skills

Soft skills are invaluable in the gaming industry, where multiple different teams constantly cooperate on big projects. These skills can make or break your application and help you stand out among candidates with similar hard skills. Notable examples to add to your gaming resume include:

Gaming Resume: Other Sections

Optional sections are a perfect way to elevate yourself above the competition and show that you have more to offer than the mandatory minimum.

Certifications

Certifications simultaneously demonstrate dedication to professional advancement and mastery of particular skills. That makes them an invaluable addition to any gaming resume. You can list certifications in a separate section after all the mandatory ones, but also under the education section if they are tightly related to your academic career.

Volunteer Work

Volunteer work is a strong indicator of passion, teamwork potential, and community engagement. In particular, volunteering at gaming events, such as tournaments and conventions, can help entry-level participants gain credibility. It’s also a great way to emphasize valuable soft skills, such as leadership, organization, communication, etc.

Languages

The international nature of the gaming industry makes knowledge of foreign languages a valuable asset. It helps you collaborate with foreign studios and professionals, reach diverse audiences, and create enriched experiences. The best way to list language skills is based on proficiency level, starting with the highest one.

Publications

Gaming publications demonstrate that a candidate is an expert in the field and that they are seen as an authority. Everything from game reviews in blogs and magazines to technical articles about game design and programming speaks volumes about the person’s critical thinking and communication skills, competence, community engagement, and more.

Personal Projects

Personal projects are one of the best ways for new programmers and game designers to get into AAA production, even if they lack a professional history. These can include everything from indie game development to custom mod creation. Listing them on your gaming resume highlights practical skills, initiative, passion, and more.

Hobbies & Interests

Hobbies and interests are sometimes overlooked by candidates during resume building, but they can be an invaluable section. They show who you are as a person outside of work, making it easier for recruiters to remember you. Moreover, gaming-related hobbies and interests signal genuine enthusiasm for the industry.

Do I Need a Cover Letter as a Professional in the Gaming Industry?

A cover letter is an optional but highly valuable document that supplements your gaming resume. The mere fact that you’ve written and submitted it shows diligence and willingness to go the extra mile right off the bat.

Moreover, it gives you a chance to expand on some of the points in your resume and talk about additional skills and experiences that you didn’t manage to include initially. But just like a resume, a cover letter needs to be brief and to the point.

3 Expert Tips for Creating a Gaming Resume

Let’s wrap up this extensive guide with three expert tips that will help you elevate your gaming resume:

Gaming Resume Example

Use this example

Finally, here's a gaming resume example that encapsulates everything that we’ve learned so far. You can use this example to study further and as inspiration when crafting your own document.

Closing Thoughts

In the span of a couple of decades, gaming turned from a niche-oriented hobby into a multi-billion-dollar industry. As the demand and user base keep growing, so does the need for skilled professionals that make these contemporary art forms.

Getting into the gaming industry and becoming a creative professional is the dream job of many enthusiasts. While the road isn’t easy, this guide can help you get the edge over the competition, write a gaming resume that grabs attention, and land interviews. Best of luck!