AUSTIN, Texas — They're on game systems, your phone, your iPad and your computer. If you want play a video game, they're easy to find. But finding enough people to make those games isn't as easy.
That's why the University of Texas is tapping into new talent.
You know the games and have probably played them yourself: Words With Friends and Farmville. They have been played by millions around the world, and Zynga is the company behind them.
"We are growing,” Alica Hendrickson, with Zynga, said. “When I started with Zynga in Austin, we had around 50 employees and we're at about 125 in less than two years."
The rest of the industry is growing too. A report from Newzoo shows the industry grew 13 percent from 2017 to 2018, generating $137.9 billion. And mobile games alone generated a large share of the revenue.
That's why companies from EA to Zynga found themselves at a UT career fair looking for talent.
“We're just having an increase in players, so the workload is obviously getting more, so we're just looking for more hires to help us out and keep growing with the industry as well,” Kevin Lam, with Zynga, said.
Another gaming company called Kabam said it's looking to fill 50 new positions by the end of the year at its Austin studio.
“This drive for more games and more interactive experiences has led to growth in companies, led to, 'Hey, we really need more talent in this,' so that's what led to the creation of this program,” Lam said.
UT said it will offer a new game development and design program for students to make sure they meet the demand for designers statewide.
According to UT, those students will walk away with a solid background in computer science and game design — something tech companies are looking forward to as the industry continues to grow.
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