Plan on living in Japan

hi there i've had a dream since i was young about 13 years old to live in Japan and i don't plan on giving up on that dream. before i ask for advice i want to chre ifo about myself so you can give better advice. i'm 16 years old and plan on going to japan after high school (i'm a sophmore) or after college. i have a part time job and i have money saved in my account for later use (about $1000). I get decent grades Cs and Bs ( no Fs). I want to be in the video game industry for my career of choice. I'm not good in math. I don't know any japanese ( you'll find some of this info useless) based on the info i gave i have questions that i would like to have answered to prepare me for the future. 1. what things might i need to know before going to japan 2. is learning japanese essencial for my stay in japan or should i be safe with english ( if you know sites or helpful tips to learn japanese then share) 3. what are my chances of getting into the video game industry in Japan.

In order to increase your chances of realizing your dream, you need to acquire Japanese language skills. Otherwise, you will have troubles finding an employer.

And you will have to get a university degree in order to qualify for getting a work visa. You also need the professional skills that make you competitive in the video game industry. So, choose your university major accordingly.

Lastly, you need to expect a bad pay. Entrance positions in the video game industry in Japan seem to be very poorly paid.

I also recommend that you visit Japan as a tourist and possibly as a short-time language student in the future to find out more about Japan, and whether it is really the place where you want to spend your future.

If you can't find a position in the video game industry, you might want to consider to work as an English teacher for a year or two and work on your connections while you are there.

I had a similar dream as you when I was a university student (although different professional goals) and I am now happily living in Japan. And I am not working in the industry that I originally intended to work in.

thank you for giving me a base to start off of. i still have more questions

when i go to college how long should i stay to be eligible for a work visa?

i'm not sure if you know but how much do video game makers get paid on average (is it enough to survive)?

I'm not much of a good teacher let alone an english teacher but i will use that as alternative. f you don't mind me asking but what was your career choice and what are you doing now?

when i go to college how long should i stay to be eligible for a work visa?

Most visa types require a bachelor degree. That usually equates to three or four years of university.

i see. well then does anyone know how i should obtain the japanese language. i don't like to self teach cause i'll cheat myself.

If you don't want to study by yourself then you will have to attend a university which offers Japanese or look around for classes in your area. It's worth a look at some texts by yourself too, it's fairly easy to learn hiragana and katakana studying by yourself.
Jobs in the video game industry for non-native Japanese are few and far between but I have seen a few ads for video game translators recently. Obviously you will need to be able to read Japanese at an almost native level- you will need quite a few years study for that.

Otherwise as Uji says, once you have a Bachelor's degree you can take the English teaching route, which gets your foot in the door in Japan so you can start to make connections in the industry you would like to go into.