Pick your path.

You are about to graduate from high school. The time has come for you to make one of the most important decisions of your life. You have to choose your career. You research the ins-and-outs of every post-secondary program in Quebec, and you whittle down the choices considerably. You wish to pursue your artistic passion either in the video game industry or an intensive theatre program. Which do you pick?

Choice 1 : Video Game program.

Choice 2 : Theatre Program.

Video Game program.

You are loving the new program and your fellow cohorts, although you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the workload. (add a sentence about the technical parts of the industry here). Your friend Alex invites you to a party at his bachelor pad. However, you have plans to study for an exam that night. Do you go anyway?

Choice 1 : Go to the party.

Choice 2 : Study all night.

Theatre Program.

Although the program is rather intense, you love the work culture and the vibrant personalities of your peers. Nevertheless, your funds are quickly evaporating. You have to acquire an income, fast. After a cursory job search, two positions appear before you.

Choice 1 : A job at Starbucks.

Choice 2 : The microbrewery.

Go to the party.

You wake up the next day with a hangover and an odd stain on your favorite shirt. You check your phone and realize you are missing your first class. The class meant for your exam you had planned to study for yesterday. You rush out of the apartment in a hurry. Your moment of weakness will have serious repercussions.

Choice 1 : Go Back

Study all night.

You study all night and pass your test. Your hard work is paying off! Your report cards are nothing but straight A’s. You have completed your program sooner than you could have ever imagined. Your teachers have written stellar recommendation letters and are proud of you. You have been accepted for an interview for many jobs in the industry, but two jobs especially stand out. Who do you call back? The giant studio that has a formidable reputation, or the tiny indie studio that made one of your favorite games of all time?

Choice 1 : Ubisoft.

Choice 2 : Studio MDHR.

Continue the internship.

Being the underdog is not always the solution. Although you try your best, you are not a professional event planner. You soon burn out and end up with a disappointed boss. You mourn the countless hours you sunk into this project.

Choice 1 : Go back

A job at Starbucks.

Your job as a barista starts off okay. However, the drudgery of customer service slowly wears your creativity. You wake up every day with an intense sense of dread. You know this dead-end job is sucking away your passion for life. You soon realize this state of affair is unsustainable and quit your job. You successfully fish your academic career, but not without a significant amount of debt.

Choice 1 : Go back

The microbrewery.

This is honestly one of the best jobs ever. All of your colleagues are pursuing creative endeavors and inspire you to be better. The clients bring dogs for you to pet. Life is good. The only drawback is the minimum wage salary. You stretch every dollar you have, but you are seriously considering an alternative source of income to pay for groceries. Be that as it may, you greet the day with enthusiasm and determination. After a conversation with one of your regular clients, you realize that she has recently bought a building and is offering you an internship for her high-end art show. This could be your chance to get a foot in the door as an artist! Do you accept it?

Choice 1 : Accept the internship.

Choice 2 : Say no.

Pursue higher education.

You apply for the most innovative university program named the NAD. They are one of the oldest video game programs in Canada. Specializing in the narrative theory of video game design, your true purpose. You become a true scholar of interactive storytelling; the creation process of video games no longer hides any secret from you. You are even offered the opportunity to consult for a large project a certain game studio that interviewed you so long ago. You enjoy the small snub you make when you decide to work with another company instead.

Choice 1 : The end (or is it?)

Accept the internship.

You forgot one of the most stereotypical traits of being an intern. They are unpaid, exploited, and underappreciated. This opportunity soon becomes a growing pile of responsibilities you are not prepared for. You don’t have the time to organize this complicated project while going to school and working part-time. However, the experience you are acquiring is simply invaluable for your future career. You have made connections veteran artists would never consider possessing. Do you continue working on this project despite the difficulties?

Choice 1 : Continue the internship.

Choice 2 : Start again

Say no.

Although you politely refused the offer, you soon manage to find a short term contract job from a friend of a friend. The work is a lot of leg work, but it gives you a test drive in the theatre. You slowly learn the ropes of the show curtains. You complete the three-year intensive program with a great deal of miscellaneous odd jobs you could complete for extra cash. Your reputation precedes you, and you enter the industry full time the second you acquire your diploma. You spend the rest of your career chasing after the next gig, never truly settled in one job.

Choice 1 : The end (or is it?)

Ubisoft.

Your palms sweat as you enter the office of your possible future boss. He greets you amicably and gives you a slightly stiff handshake. You breeze through the interview questions and are promised a premium wage. After some talk, he asks you why you like the video game industry?

Choice 1 : The storytelling.

Choice 2 : The teamwork.

Studio MDHR.

You nervously enter the office of your soon to be boss. After you awkwardly proclaim that you are one of their biggest fans, you get on with the interview. The studio is extremely interested in your potential and finds that your portfolio closely matches a lot of current and future projects they have in the works. After a long discussion, you are offered two positions. Would you prefer to work in character design or become a world-building concept artist?

Choice 1 : World-building concept artist.

Choice 2 : Pick Character design.

The storytelling.

You passionately explain the power of interactive storytelling to the interviewer. He declares that although you seem like a great person, he doesn't believe you are the right fit for his team. Chagrined, you learn that the indie studio is also no longer looking for new artists. What is your next step?

Choice 1 : Pursue higher education.

Choice 2 : Go back to the Beginning

The teamwork.

You explain to the interviewer that working with a large team of other people on a project bigger than any individual is what you love. He gives you a long stare, then stands up to give you a handshake and the job on the spot. You start working on their flagship franchise, Assassin’s Creed, in their illustration department. However, it soon becomes clear that crunch culture pervades the workplace and that unpaid overtime is a regular occurrence. Deadlines seem insurmountable and overwhelming. The other artists engage in the most vicious office politics you have ever seen, undermining each other at every turn. Moreover, your supervisor is getting a bit… too grabby. You knew it would be hard to get a foothold in the industry, but this misconduct is getting out of hand. You need to change the state of affairs.

Choice 1 : Involve the HR department.

Choice 2 : Reveal the truth to the Media.

Choice 3 : Quit.

Involve the HR department.

You go to the Human relations department hoping for some help. You report the blatant misconduct and sexual harassment that has been occurring. Unfortunately, the situation is brushed under the rug, and you are coerced into signing an NDA agreement. You have never felt so alienated.

Choice 1 : Go back

Reveal the truth to the Media.

Although you are hailed as a pioneer who helped to abolish the systemic exploitation of workers in the video game industry, you are universally shunned by your studio. You are quickly fired. You find a new career as a minor public figure and motivational speaker. You have a very active Twitter account.

Choice 1 : The end (or is it?)

Quit.

You resign in short order and begin looking for a new job. You find an old email correspondence you had with your favorite indie studio. You reach out to them to discern if there are any vacant positions you can fill. Your boldness pulls off, and you get the opportunity to get an interview.

Choice 1 : Studio MDHR.

World-building concept artist.

Although you chose the less publicly desirable job, you do not regret your decision. You end up making more money than your peers in character design yet still have the creative freedom that you wanted. Getting to build the intricate details of a world from the ground up is endlessly satisfying. You realize that the pressure is also much less intense and the work is less grueling than you expected. You are fast friends with your colleague. Life is good.

Choice 1 : The end (or is it?)

Pick Character design.

The job is the perfect balance of challenge and fulfillment. You test your creative abilities to the limit every day with a smile on your face. You master limitless rendering programs, learn to animate by hand, and so much more. You feel like you’ve won the game of life!

Choice 1 : The end (or is it?)