My Background and First Impressions
I came into this internship with a background in game development, not entirely sure what to expect or how this experience would apply to my career goals. However, I quickly realized that it was helping me develop in ways that are essential for the kind of career I want to build.
At SUNY Polytechnic Institute, the game design program is divided into three tracks: development, art, and business. These represent the core aspects of the game industry. You have those who make things work, those who make things appealing, and those who make things sell. I’ve always believed that long-term success comes not just from excelling in one of these areas, but from understanding how all three connect and having experience in each space.
Gaining Product Management Insight Through Internship
I already had experience on the technical and creative sides, but I couldn’t say I was particularly business-savvy. That’s where this internship has been so valuable. By working in product management at a company specializing in materials science, I’ve started to better understand what it means to support a product—not by pitching or selling it, but by learning how it fits into the broader industry landscape. This involves understanding the markets it serves, the challenges customers face, the technical requirements that matter, and how all of that shapes internal priorities. It’s not just about having a good material; it’s about knowing why it matters, to whom, and under what conditions.
Diving Into Research: Gaining New Skills
Much of the work I did during my internship revolved around research and building profiles on customers and competitors. It was interesting to see how collecting and making sense of information differed in this environment compared to an academic setting. I began to see the value in asking the right questions and learning to separate what’s useful from what’s just noise.
Getting started was a bit daunting. In a professional environment, there’s far less handholding than I was used to. As a college student, I’m accustomed to research projects with a clear set of guidelines and a defined direction. This wasn’t like that. I was given a goal but no step-by-step process; it was up to me to figure out how to approach it. Over time, I got better at identifying what kind of information was valuable, where to find it, and how to piece it together to support our needs.
Bridging the Gap: Consumer vs. Business Perspectives
Some of the companies I researched were ones I recognized from building my own personal computers. That familiarity helped early on because I already had a basic understanding of their products and reputation from a consumer perspective. What I would soon learn, however, is just how different a consumer perspective is from a business one.
When you’re doing this kind of research, it’s not just about what a company sells. It’s about what they choose to highlight, where they position themselves, and how they communicate their value to stakeholders. I was often surprised by how things I expected to see mentioned – those that felt significant from a consumer’s point of view – were completely absent from certain reports or filings. That absence said just as much, if not more, about the company’s priorities. That’s when I truly started to understand the importance of the story the data tells.
Translating Game Design Skills to Product Management
Coming from game design, I was already used to thinking about systems and users. In game development, you constantly ask questions like: How will players interact with this feature? Is it balanced? Is the experience intuitive, rewarding, and intentional? I found that some of those same instincts translated surprisingly well into product management.
Instead of thinking about how players interact with a mechanic, I was thinking about how customers interact with a technology or a buying process. I learned to look for patterns, not just in what the data said, but in why it said it. What are companies trying to prioritize? Where are the trade-offs? I didn’t expect product research to feel familiar, but it tapped into the same mindset: understanding people, solving problems, and thinking strategically.
Bridging Knowledge Gaps Through Effective Communication
One experience that stood out was a customer audit I observed. It clearly demonstrated how valuable these skills become when communicating with others. I watched two parties from different backgrounds establish a common understanding through careful communication. While there was some shared knowledge, each side needed to clearly express who they were, what they did, how they did it, and what they hoped to gain from a collaboration to determine if it was worthwhile.
This was very different from my school experience, where I’m used to presenting to professors or classmates who share the same starting point. In these professional audits, I observed how critical it was to bridge knowledge gaps when an audience has a diverse background and needs specific, focused takeaways to make decisions.
Collaboration and Communication
Game development is creative, but it’s also highly collaborative. This internship reinforced how crucial it is to communicate clearly across disciplines. Because a company like Indium Corporation has such diverse needs, the ability to connect with people in different specializations and bridge the gap between insight and action is a skill I’m lucky to carry forward.
The Value of Adaptability: Lasting Lessons from My Internship
I’m glad I went into this internship with an open mind. It wasn’t an obvious fit for someone studying game design, but it has been an incredibly valuable experience. It helped me fill in gaps I hadn’t been addressing in other environments and gave me a better sense of how to operate in a professional setting.
This experience is helping me better understand the value of adaptability—not in the vague sense of just “being flexible,” but in the ability to transfer knowledge across different contexts. I still love design and development, and that’s where I want to focus my career. But now I see how valuable it is to understand concepts like positioning, market fit, and long-term strategy, and I can apply this knowledge going forward.
