Average age of a successful game developer?

[Neoptolemus]

@franktech;316114

Is that really true? I would say “age is not a factor in working for a developer at any position” as long as you have contacts and / or can prove you’re really talented. Many have been decimated in recent years. Now its all about cuts and costs. Its easier and cheaper to hire younger workers as they’re more expendable. A knock-on effect of that, is that younger teams tend to want to see younger workers get hired. Basically ‘young’ means less overhead, less benefits and less tears should cuts come. Whereas older workers especially those with families carry a greater risk even if they do bring more experience. There are thorny issues here like sick leave and maternity leave that management consider but rarely admit to. The industry isn’t ageist, but everything is fundamentally about the numbers.

Of course, it depends on what kind of developer you join and your own skills and experience. Indie developers in particular will vary drastically in terms of structure and personnel.

Generally though, in positions of responsibility and especially critical roles like project management and design lead, you want guys with a proven track record and experience who have been in pressured and challenging situations before. Of course, if someone has been in the industry from a very young age, or has shown exceptional ability they can take on responsibility at an earlier age. On the whole though, you’re not going to join Rock star at 21 as a junior programmer and be the technical lead on GTA VI by the age of 25 unless you’re a prodigy.