@piersduplock
Senior production leader in the video games industry. Over the past 15 years I’ve contributed to 36 shipped titles across AAA and independent studios, helping teams align creative vision with production reality and deliver ambitious games.
Producers are not impressed by ambition. We are impressed by constraint awareness.
If you can explain why you chose not to build something, you signal production maturity instantly.
When you present your portfolio, do you explain trade-offs?
#gamedev #indiedev #gamedevelopment #production
Most developers optimise for skill but studios optimise for risk. This can cause a disconnect.
If you were hiring today, what would worry you most about bringing someone onto your team?
#gamedev #indiedev #gamedevelopment #careergrowth
“Self-starter” doesn’t mean motivated.
It means you fix problems without being asked.
Show it.
#gamedev #gamejobs #careertips #indiedev
If you have a strong portfolio but keep getting ignored…It’s probably not your skill.
In 2026, game studios hire for alignment.
Do you reference their work?
Match their role?
Or are you mass applying?
#gamedev #gameindustry #indiedev
Production awareness is one of the most underrated hiring signals.
Shipping small projects.
Patching systems.
Writing documentation.
Improving existing work.
That’s daily studio reality.
Are your portfolio pieces showing that?
#gamedev #indiedev #gamejobs
Some of the most beautiful portfolios I’ve seen still failed the interview.
Why?
Because the timelines weren’t realistic.
Game studios hire for production speed, not just polish.
How long are your portfolio pieces taking you?
#gamedev #indiedev #gamejobs
The games industry isn’t entry level friendly anymore.
Studios are leaner. Teams are smaller. Hiring mistakes are expensive.
That changes everything about how they hire.
Are you still following advice from 2015?
#gamedev #indiedev #gameindustry
A lot of game dev career advice fails today because it was written for a different industry.
Different pressures.
Different expectations
Let's try to change that
#GameDev #GameIndustry #GameCareers #GameDevAdvice
Passion used to open doors in game dev. Now it is the default.
The industry professionalized and hiring expectations followed.
#GameDev #GameIndustry #GameCareers #GameDevAdvice
Tutorials are great for learning but they’re terrible as a portfolio strategy.
Studios want to see decisions, problem-solving, and scope when recruiting.
#GameDev #GameIndustry #GameCareers #GameDevAdvice
I got into the games industry through a radio ad looking for untrained QA testers.
That was normal back then.
It doesn’t exist now and a lot of advice ignores that shift.
#GameDev #GameIndustry #GameCareers #GameDevAdvice
Most game dev advice fails today because the industry changed and the advice didn’t.
What advice do you think is most outdated?
#GameDev #GameIndustry #GameCareers #GameJobs #GameDevAdvice
Entry level in game dev doesn’t mean learning on the job anymore.
It means owning a small piece of work and delivering it without hand holding and this is where a lot of applicants get stuck.
What do you think entry level should mean?
#GameDev #GameCareers #GameJobs
#IndieDev #AAAGames
ArtStation portfolios work best when they show process, not just final images. I go into a bit more detail about that in my latest video youtu.be/GyneBHaN_ok
How much of your workflow do you usually show?
#gamedev #artstation #portfolio
Showing design documentation is tricky.
Do you think feature-focused pages work better than full design documents in portfolios?
Check out my thoughts on YouTube - youtube.com/shorts/ZRVFz...
#gamedev #gamedesign #portfolio
Final renders look great, but they don’t explain much on their own.
How much of your process do you usually show in your portfolio?
#gamedev #portfolio
Portfolio UX matters more than people realise.
If someone has to click just to understand what they’re looking at, that’s friction.
What’s the first thing your homepage actually shows?
#gamedev #portfolio
I use mine for both consulting and full time work, so I get feedback fairly regularly
Reapplying with an unchanged portfolio is more common than you’d think.
How often do you actually revisit yours after getting feedback?
#gamedev #portfolio
About Me pages are tricky.
It’s tempting to write personal stories, but from a hiring perspective they rarely help.
What do you think an About Me should actually communicate?
#gamedev #portfolio
Happy 35th to id Software 🎉
As a huge fan of Doom, id’s work was a massive part of what pulled me into games in the first place.
Getting to work at Bethesda now and seeing the respect between these teams up close is genuinely special.
#gamedev #doom #idsoftware
Your portfolio is a living document.
New work gets added. Old work gets clearer. The site itself gets better over time.
If it’s been a while, this is your reminder.
#gamedev #portfolio
Recruiters do not compile your project.
They read your README. If it doesn’t guide them, they move on.
Write for humans, not just engineers.
#gamedev #github #portfolio
Your portfolio is judged instantly.
Homepage should be the work.
GIFs should prove gameplay.
Labels should explain your role.
How fast can someone understand yours?
#gamedev #portfolio #uxdesign
He looks awesome! Friend or foe?
Game jams are not shipping experience. Shipping starts after the jam ends.
If you want real portfolio value, extend your jam project for two weeks and treat it like a studio release.
What would you fix first after a jam ends?
#gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign #careeradvice #gamejams
2025 was the year of Obsidian Entertainment and now 2026 is the year of Playground Games. I love it
Absolutely here for Fable and Forza this year!
Designers, here’s a smart portfolio move people ignore.
Wiki contributions ARE real experience.
You’re documenting systems, explaining mechanics, and proving design thinking publicly.
That’s valuable.
#GameDesign #GameDev #GameDesignCareer #GameDesigner #PortfolioBuilding
Most portfolios show what you built.
Great portfolios show what you understood.
Reverse engineering a movement controller proves you can identify constraints, timing, and design intent.
That’s recruiter gold.
What mechanic would you try to reverse engineer first?
#GameDev #GameDesign #IndieDev
Most people wait for permission to get experience.
QA testers don’t.
If you can find bugs, document them clearly, and show evidence, you’re already valuable to a dev team. That’s how you build real QA experience.
What game would you test first?
#GameDev #GameCareers #QA #IndieDev #GameTesting
