We continue to summarize the results of 2022. Next up is an interview with Pavel Moseikin, co—founder and CEO of XYZ School.
What is the current demand for courses in game development from students? How big is it?
The growth of XYZ School depends both on the state and growth of the gaming market, and on the development of online education in general. We see that in 2022, interest in education in the field of game development has not only remained, but has also grown significantly. In our school, the peak occurred in the second half of the year — the demand was twice as much as in some months of the first half of the year. In July, the growth of our indicators reached +101% year-on-year. In total, more than 60 thousand students have registered for paid and free courses in 2022.
In December, we observed an increased interest in the field of game development during the launch of our joint hh.ru reality show. We have received a large number of applications from those who want to get a game dev profession and have the opportunity to get acquainted with the employers of the industry.
Where does this demand come from? What is the main motive? Money? The desire to move? Love of games? Something else?
Rather, all at once. Students understand that game development is a promising direction all over the world. The global video game industry has been showing annual growth for several decades.
In addition, there is a noticeable interest in such specialists in the labor market. According to hh.ru in 2022, over seven thousand gaming vacancies were published on the platform. For comparison, only 4,308 vacancies were published in 2020. At the same time , analysts hh.ru it is noted that there is a high shortage of specialists in the market now — the number of job seekers looking for work in game development does not correspond to the level of demand. Also, according to a study by Moscow Digital School and Get experts, the salary level in game development in Russia and Belarus remains higher than in many other industries.
Therefore, the main motive of our students is to get a modern and interesting profession with a high level of earnings (including in foreign currency) and the possibility of remote work.
Who is the main target audience of game development courses today?
The core of our students are people aged 20-35. 60% are men, 40% are women. Their interests are quite obvious — games, development and creativity.
Which directions are the most popular among students?
3D modeling, 2D graphics and concept art were and still are the most popular areas of our business. In 2022, we also noticed an increase in demand for long-term programs that last from a year to 2.5 years.
The desire to get into the industry is understandable, but do many people understand the difficulties associated with the field? How high is the failure rate usually when you have to understand that hundreds of hours are needed, including independent work, to become a specialist?
In my opinion, there are no specific “difficulties related to the industry”. In order to learn any craft, it takes time and hard work, and everyone who is serious understands this. Nevertheless, not everyone really reaches the end of the course, but those who do, in most cases achieve what they want. It is rather a question of motivation and perseverance of a particular student.
It is important to understand that the market needs strong specialists — game dev continues its development and professionals are in demand. But in order to stand out in the labor market, it is especially important for specialists today to develop skills, train their eyesight and be persistent even at the training stage.
Where, as a rule, do students want to get a job after graduation? Are there any top most desirable companies? Or do most still just want to get into the industry?
I think most people have their own dream studio. But most often the main task is to get into the game development industry itself.
At the end of 2022, the set turned out to be more or less than in 2021?
In 2022, enrollment at XYZ School turned out to be about 25% more compared to the previous year.
Have you reduced the pool of partners against the background of the events taking place in the country?
We are trying to actively develop partner projects and, as a result, the pool of our partners has only grown over the year.
How great is the interest of the gaming companies themselves, who have remained in Russia, in partnering with courses?
We have built relationships with many gaming companies. In 2022, employers from the industry still often came to us with a request for talented students. Among the important changes: there are even more distributed teams on the market, so the competition for strong personnel has grown even stronger. Companies are ready to hire specialists from different countries and offer competitive conditions for remote work. Foreign outsourcing studios also continue to hire Russian game dev specialists, including developers, 3D specialists, and so on.
Have you had conversations with representatives of gaming companies about training specialists specifically for them?
Yes, companies themselves often come to us with a request to improve the skills of their employees. We are very pleased to receive positive feedback from HR about our students and their further development within their company. Some companies even came with a request that we create a course or rewrite one of our courses for their specialists specifically for the company’s tasks.
However, we refuse some offers. For example, there was a case when a Microsoft contractor studio came to us with an initiative to hunt literally all our graduates in 3D. We told the students about it, and their reaction was mixed. As a result, we refused the initiative, but the studio helped — we recommended it as an employer to our graduates, those who wanted responded and got a job in it.
Against the background of attention to the gaming industry from the government, have orders for the training of such specialists begun to arrive. Or, perhaps, conversations on this topic have begun?
So far, we have not received any official requests. We are constantly monitoring the situation in the industry and are aware of the changes that are taking place. It is obvious that the Russian game dev has entered a new stage in which it will exist in new conditions.
Is there any understanding of how much the Russian industry lacks gaming specialists today?
Judging by the active support that the state is going to provide to the Russian gaming industry, a lot of specialists will be needed. It is also worth noting that Russia is among the top 5 countries in the world in terms of game content consumption, so the market and industry have great potential.