I did some game testing when I was a teenager (paid in free software). A couple nights playing a game that either sucked or just wasn't my cup of tea was enough

I did some game testing when I was a teenager (paid in free software). A couple nights playing a game that either sucked or just wasn't my cup of tea was enough to show me that playing games was a lot better than working on games. Anytime I hear a young person say they want to be a game developer I want to grab them by the shoulders and try to shakes some sense into them. If you're smart enough to do game development, you're probably smart enough to go make twice as much to work half as hard somewhere else. You can go work your 8 hour day, and play whatever game you want the rest of the night. Or do something completely different.