Has anyone worked in game companies in Japan or South Korea?
I have worked and lived (not necessarily in that order) in Tokyo for 6 over years.
how hard would be for a foreigner to work in a company in Japan or South Korea in an entry level position? (knowing Japanese or Korean at a high level)
Knowledge of Japanese is helpful, but everything really depends on being smart about where you apply.
I work at Square Enix and most foreigners here (not including myself) interviewed over Skype, got the job with no Japanese language skills, and flew over, many of them directly out of a University (no prior experience).
K-SOFT, the company where I worked first in Japan, has also done this, and so has my previous company tri-Ace.
So clearly it is possible to have no experience, not live here, not know the language, and still get a job.
In preparation of the Olympics this is becoming slightly more common as the country as a whole opens up slightly more to foreigners.
But it is not your best bet. Maximize your chances by being here for the interview, speaking the language fluently, and having some work experience.
Another good strategy for maximizing your chances in any situation is to apply to many many companies.
Also note that you do
not need a degree for programming jobs. If that was necessary, I’d have taken the time to get one.
Are there prejudice with foreigners?
I truly don’t care what others think of me, so much so I literally don’t notice if anyone is being prejudice unless they make it extremely obvious. I have had only 2 cases that stick out in my mind, and in the 2nd every other Japanese came to my “rescue” and he got kicked out of the place (I was giving a piano performance for a small audience and he tried to boo me).
If yes how hard is for a foreigner to grow in a company because of the Prejudice?
You typically can’t own a Japanese company (though you can own your own company).
The CTO of Kojima Productions is a foreigner. The general manager and many leaders in Silicon Studios are French. The technical director in Square Enix is French, and many leaders are foreigners. I am a senior training to be a leader.
In other words you can rise to anything but the absolute top.
As for working conditions, once again, just be smart about where you work. I have never worked severe over-time except by choice.
But it is also very common for severe over-time to be expected of you to show your “dedication” in many companies outside of game programming.
Just don’t work for them if you don’t want to have that kind of lifestyle.
I don’t know about South Korea or North Korea, though I have my doubts that North Korea actually exists.
L. Spiro