David Hodgson, an author of Paid to Play: An Insider's Guide to Video Game Careers, says the hours are long, the deadlines are strict, the work can be monotonous and, in the case of programmers, the pay starts at around $50,000 a year -- below that of other high-tech industries.

"It's not like working in the industry is sitting around playing video games," said Hodgson, a longtime video game journalist who wrote the book with author and game designer Bryan Stratton and career counselor Alice Rush.

The good news is that jobs can be creative, varied and rewarding, and there are as many video game careers as there are ways of breaking into the business.

"There are multiple paths, which is the best news around," said Hodgson, who gathered information for his book from 100 industry insiders with careers ranging from testing, design and sound to publishing, management, journalism, retail and professional gaming.