Freelancing
It is becoming increasingly common for game developers to be hired on a freelance basis and to perform their work remotely. However the vast majority of developers and publishers still prefer people to work in-house at the studio.
Even if you do manage to secure a freelance contract there will almost certainly be an initial meeting where you will be expected to travel to the studio and meet your employers.
You are most likely to secure freelance remote work when you have a history with your employers. If they have worked with you before then they will have a good idea what you are capable of and will be far more likely to trust you.
Onsite contracts for periods of a few weeks up to a few months are more common. You will find work in this category for all types of roles especially since many developers now have a small core team they employ permanently and all other staff are hired as needed for various tasks during the development.
If you are called in to deal with a specific problem then often this type of work will be confidential and you will not be credited for it. If studios call you in because things are going wrong they don´t want the wider public and industry to know about it as confidence in them would be damaged.
Most successful freelancers have already had a long career working in studios and have a huge wealth of experience to draw upon. They are generally hired on their reputation.
For artists, writers and software engineers remote work is far more common than for other roles. If you are looking to secure this type of work then an up to date website to showcase your skills is essential and you will have to use your networking skills and contacts to find jobs.
There are a few agencies that specialise in this type of work, for the UK you should check out GameOps.
There are also plenty of job sites that advertise freelance contracts especially for software engineers.
Freelance contracts will tend to be much better in terms of pay but you will be responsible for dealing with your own tax and will not be entitled to paid holidays or other benefits that full time employees enjoy so there is definitely a trade off. In some cases it might be worth setting up a company for your freelance work but this is not essential.
Working at Home
Working at home is definitely not for everyone. You can spend long periods without company and may find you miss the social aspect of working in an office. It can also be difficult to make the break between work and relaxation especially if you do not have the space to set up a seperate office within your home to work in.
You´ll also have to contend with distractions and rely on yourself to impose a strong work ethic so that you make sure you put in the necessary hours.
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