More people than ever choose to become game developers for reasons that we will discuss here. We will also be taking a look at what an average day in the life of a video game developer typically looks like before revealing some of the main things you can expect from a career in game development.
Why do people choose video game development as a career?
Most people who choose video game development as a carer do so because they already have a passion for gaming. Gaming enthusiasts are often drawn to the development side of things to create engaging and immersive experiences for others.
They are usually great at solving problems, creative, intelligent, and technologically minded. There’s a lot of job satisfaction when completing games, and people can work alone or as part of small or large teams that come together collectively on bigger projects.
The gaming industry is constantly evolving, and it’s an exciting sector to specialise in, with constantly emerging new technologies and platforms, which creates plenty of opportunities for employment, growth and innovation.
That’s not forgetting the financial incentives and rewards. Although it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and perseverance to make it to the top, today’s highly skilled game developers with specialised talents can command huge annual salaries.
People who decide to enter a career in developing games for the digital entertainment sector also have plenty of options to choose from.
For example, you might want to develop the next high-end, graphically demanding triple-A video games, feature-rich online slot machines, and other online casino games commonly found on today’s safest iGaming websites.
Alternatively, you may want to help develop the next generation of games for various other popular genres, such as first-person shooter games, RPGs, MMORPGs, Indie games, casual games, simulation games and virtual reality (VR) games. There’s so much choice.
What does an average day in the life of a game developer look like?
The average day in the life of a game developer can vary somewhat, depending on which role you decide to specialise in. It also depends on how far along you are in the process of developing a game.
However, the main things that some developers can expect from a typical day in this industry are the following:
- Drafting the necessary documents required for the games you work on and assembling the different levels/phases/stages of the game
- Planning and executing storyboards, animations, graphics, and digital 3D content
- Writing source codes, debugging, and general problem-solving
- Collaborating with other game developers and having meetings
- Staying up to date with the latest computer programming/coding languages and industry trends
- Researching new technologies and techniques
- Testing games to identify issues and which elements need improving, which also includes gathering user information and feedback to ensure the games you develop are fun
In the early stages of game development, in the pre-production stage, roles may include planning and developing concepts and prototypes, followed by the actual production stage of developing the game. The latter stage, post-production, includes finalising the game elements and getting it ready for release.
Final thoughts
The main roles in game development are designers, programmers, artists, and testers. Others that you might also like to consider specialising in are technical directors, user interface specialists, network programmers, writers, and sound/audio engineers.
You also have producers, marketers, quality assurance specialists, engine programmers, backend developers, and many other crucial roles, all of which require the right kind of mindset, the passion to succeed, and the willingness to learn and take criticism.
It also helps to have extensive knowledge of the Unreal or Unity game engines and several computer programming languages relevant to the types of games you want to develop.
The best game developers also sometimes have a background in computer engineering, a good understanding of mathematics, and will always have the necessary qualifications required to become a game developer.