Nintendo recently announced their next upcoming Chief Executive for Nintendo America: Bowser.
Unfortunately, it isn’t the super-villain, but instead a man called Doug, who shares his name with Mario’s most formidable foe. Is he legitimately the best candidate for the job, or has he landed the role on the merits of his surname?
Who’s to say?
Here at FinalBoss, we’re a little obsessed with bosses, although we tend to favour the virtual ones to the weaker organic specimens like Doug. Don’t get us wrong, we’re sure he’s a fine man for the job, but when we heard that Bowser was taking over Nintendo, we couldn’t help but think about how on Earth he’d be able to land such a prestigious position — not Doug, the King Koopa.
When you tear back the layers of what makes Bowser such an iconic video-game character, and look at his personality traits and characteristics though, there’s certainly plenty of things the evil turtle monster can teach us about landing a job the likes of which fleshy and shell-less Doug Bowser just got handed.
So if you’re interested in the sector, and are looking at how to get a job in the gaming industry, what lessons can you learn from Bowser to help you get the job that other Bowser now has?
Kidnap Princess Peach (Be Persistent)
You’ve got to hand it to Bowser, he’s damn good at kidnapping Princess Peach. Apparently, he’s done it 23 times. He may not be great at keeping hold of her, but that isn’t the point.
The Koopa is persistent. He’s always finding new ways to get what he wants.
Now, if you go out kidnapping members of the video-game industry, or random princesses, you probably won’t improve your chances of getting a job in gaming, that’s pretty much a given.
Being persistent though, just as Bowser is, is always going to help you yield better results. Mario eventually succeeds in rescuing Princess Peach, but does that stop King Koopa from trying again? Oh no, he just comes up with a bigger and better plan. Sure, he has yet to actually retain her, but persistence has brought him damn close. If you want to land that job in the video game industry, you’ll be fighting off hordes of other ‘Marios’ trying to get exactly what you want.
Bowser doesn’t just let Mario get his way, he fights back. Follow his lead, don’t give up when those pesky fake Italian plumbers try to take what’s yours, and one day you could be the Doug you’ve always wanted to be.
Build Up Your Network
Bowser couldn’t do everything he does without help. Sometimes he employs the support of Shy Guys, Koopa Troopas, Goombas and those endlessly reckless Bullet Bills. Other times he goes for bigger guns, like King Boo, The Koopalings and even a paper version of himself.
Whoever he gets help from, you can be sure he’s getting help. Bowser wouldn’t be the threat to The Mushroom Kingdom that he is without his cast of supportive players. So how are you going to get where you want to go without your own network?
Networks are important in most industries, but in the gaming world they are essential. The more people you know, the more contacts you have, the more opportunities you have to find chances to get involved with developers and land paid work.
How does Bowser meet his allies? We assume they all go to villain-only conferences, or maybe it’s some sort of a Mario-free retreat they run, but you can do other things, like reaching out on social media, attending gaming events, joining online communities and taking up unpaid work.
Have a Strong Presence
Bowser isn’t somebody you can miss. He breathes fire. He owns many dangerous and highly-unsafe castles. His jump could crush a bull elephant. I’m pretty sure he’s been the size of the house, and also about five feet tall. He always finds a way of getting in the heart of the action.
The man, or should I say turtle creature, has a habit of getting himself noticed.
Visibility and notoriety are incredibly important when trying to get a job in the video game industry. With so many people gunning for the same positions, it’s all about how you stand out that defines success.
Take a leaf from Bowsers book and find a way of building a strong presence that people actually recognise. It could be building a large following on social media, developing a mobile app or indie project, or constantly over-throwing The Mushroom Kingdom, it doesn’t really matter, just find a way to get noticed!
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