Does an Architecture degree count as a related field for a game designer work visa?

rudehd

Hi everyone! I’m from Korea and currently studying game design on my own to break into the industry.

I actually graduated with a bachelor's degree in korea Architecture, but I decided to transition into games because I find this field much more exciting and fulfilling.

I have a quick question for those based in Europe or North America regarding work visas: When applying for a visa as a game designer, do immigration authorities generally consider an Architecture degree as a "related field"?

Since I didn't officially major in games at a university and am studying it independently, I’m curious if my Architecture degree will hold any weight during the visa screening process. I’d love to hear about your experiences or any insights you might have. Thanks in advance!

Eric Chadwick

It's going to be difficult, and perhaps impossible. The current ongoing disaster of the U.S. political scene is also very biased against immigration, which is very unfortunate. But even if you ignore that, the traditional work visa process has always been biased towards direct experience in the specific work area. A degree helps a little, but significant work experience (or significant published research) is the chief factor.

I think this is a pretty good article on the subject: https://www.casium.com/blog/o-1a-or-o-1b-which-visa-works-for-different-designers

The way for you to solve this would be to contribute significantly to the development of games in your own country, or else remotely, and demonstrate your contributions in your portfolio. I know this is kind of a catch-22, but that's how the work visa process is structured, they're taking experienced developers rather than entry-level.

poopipe

it's fairly difficult to get into the uk at present  - visa restrictions have become more strict and it's really not worth a studio's time to hire foreign staff that aren't quite senior due to minimum salary requirements etc.. 

It may be less restrictive in mainland europe - i'm really not sure anymore.