So You Want To Work In Video Games?

About Jeremy Dempster

Jeremy knew he wanted to work in games ever since he played the original Pokemon games when he was 10 years old. A longtime program manager for Riot Games, Jeremy has worked directly in game production as well as on programs related to corporate culture and talent development, giving him a broad perspective on what it’s really like working in video games. He studied math and economics at UCLA and worked as a web developer for a number of years before making the shift from coding to game development. When he’s not playing League of Legends or Magic: The Gathering, you can find him cooking or cheering on his UCLA Bruins in IRL sporting events.

About the class

For avid gamers who aren’t quite Esports superstars or Twitch influencers, few jobs could sound better than working for a video game company. Who wouldn’t want to design worlds and characters, build levels and events, or create and play games and get paid for it? Which begs the question: what does it take to get one of those jobs? And since it’s a job someone is willing to pay you for, what is the work really like outside of playing the games themselves?

Find out in this live, interactive session featuring Jeremy Dempster, a Program Manager for Riot Games. In over 8 years at Riot, Jeremy has lived the dream, working with an amazing team to create characters for his favorite game, and managing talent programs across the company, giving him unique insight into the many ways you can work in the world of video games. Jeremy will discuss the skills and experiences you can develop to get in with a gaming company, what the actual work looks like for those working on games and how it compares to hopes and expectations, and the wide variety of skill sets that gaming companies need to recruit and hire. Come and level up your knowledge of how to pursue your dream job, and what it would be like once you’re there.