Live & Work in Japan

[Alastor]

First of all: I hear Japan can be hell to try to get into, get a job, and a place to live, etc.

With that said, I'm planning to move there... but not until after college and some work. So we're talking about around 5-6 years. Which means that, yes, the situation can change... a lot. Now, the reason I want to move to Japan is because the video game industry is large there; also, Japanese video game companies tend to develop games that fit my liking more than a European or American VG company would.

So, during my stay in Sweden, I'm thinking about getting a nice college degree and get some working experience at Massive Entertainment - something like assisting game design or level design. After that, I'd like to move to Japan. By that time, I'll already have studied plenty of Japanese and hopefully learned enough to speak, read and write. All three will be vital in my work, so I won't focus more on one part.

So, how do you go on about it? I've head the Japanese can be very distant to foreigners, and I'm sure I won't have all that much fun when it comes to my social life, but will it directly affect me at work/while I'm working?

I'm aware that I'll need a place to live - preferably in the same city as the one the company's located in. So most likely I will have already needed work in Japan, so being an English teacher sounds about right. Does anyone have a clue what any larger video company will require from me when applying for a job?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Alastor

Does anyone have a clue what any larger video company will require from me when applying for a job?

As a foreigner they will require you to have something a Japanese person doesn't have in order to make it worth going through the hassle to sponsor your visa. 99 times out of 100 that is a foreign language skill.

[jasonbvr]

IT techs such as system admins are in more demand in Japan than graphic programmers. I think that is the case. I see recruiters scouting for them but never for a programmer. Samokan will know the most about this type of stuff, but what nationality are you?

[samokan]

actually there is a great demands on game developers, last time we talked about it with my manager/agent. That time we thought there were no demands cause he never introduced us to that kind of work. One reason was that when development would start, they would literally almost live on their desk, and we don't want that kind of life. But there are lots accdg to him, but skill is a must plus language ( japanese ).

If you want to get directly hired to the company then you need to apply to them directly. But some company in Japan ( as far as I've noticed ) would prefer to hire their own graduates and if they want to get more developers they would contact their partner company who could supply them with developers with the required skill.

Also right now, I'm hearing that Financial is the most "in " things. Big salaries and less work..

But then, don't worry about that much, go with your plans to finish college, get some experience and learn the language. Lots of things may happen in the next 5-6 years.. who knows..

GoodLuck!!!