Many young people assume a career in games means becoming a developer or an esports athlete, but the reality is that the industry runs on a far wider range of roles reached by routes that are rarely straight.
During a careers-focused panel at Lagos Games Week 2026, Maria Burns Ortiz, the executive director of Global Game Jam, highlighted the varied career paths within the gaming industry. Ortiz, who previously spent approximately ten years as a sports journalist at ESPN covering football, the NBA, and the NFL, emphasized that the industry offers diverse roles beyond traditional expectations.
