Motivation. A magical word, most candidates try to say during the first job interview. Our preliminary research confirmed that motivation is an important factor when beginning a career in a gaming studio. Even though it varies from person to person, the main factors that deter it are noticeable. We try to determine whether a person would be happy working here during every job interview. Or whether we will be enthusiastic about having such a team member, and whether such a person would feel at ease and fit in the studio environment. It is critical for both parties. 

Naturally, communication skills are used to calculate motivation. Having said that, the candidate’s personality has a lot to do with expressing. One can be an outspoken person who can easily explain himself/herself. On the other hand, sometimes it’s clear in a conversation that the person is unsure of what they want. We have to coax words from them, attempting to deduce from their nonverbal communication whether they want to be here or not. 

When we ask about their favorite game, most motivated candidates can’t stop talking about it. It’s also a hobby for the majority of us here at the studio.  

So motivation can take many forms, such as a desire to work in the games industry, a passion for playing, a decision to attend university, or even a desire to become a skilled developer. I recently had a job interview where one of the candidates admitted that he went to university to learn about game design solely for the purpose of getting a job at Nordcurrent. Isn’t that also a great example of motivation? 

If a person is enthusiastic and lives for games, they almost certainly have that drive.  

Even after 10-15 or 17 years of working here, coworkers still believe they have something more that drives them to the studio every morning and propels their projects to success. This is a critical point. 

It is a myth that only experience counts when applying for a job. At the studio, we define “experience” differently. Gaming is an experience in and of itself. We can read the experience without having worked in another gaming studio. 

To work at a gaming studio, a programmer does not need to have extensive programming experience. They may have studied IT in school, taken an exam, or played video games since they were children. 

A skilled student is one who has participated in games and completed projects. His resume may be lacking in that he is still a student and has never held a job or internship, but that does not preclude him from working with us.  

That’s why, 98% of the time, when we hire new employees, we learn and grow alongside them. The vast majority of managers, project managers, and senior executives have grown up at Nordcurrent.