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General Description

This is an ideal career for creative thinkers. Games developers are involved in the design, creation, and production of computer games, video games, handheld games, console games, arcade games, games for the Internet and mobile phones.

Career Advice - Games Developer Career

The career title of games developer is very broad, and can include a number of roles including programmer, producer, project manager, animator and graphic artist, designer, sound technician, and quality assurance tester. The stages of games development include creating and designing a game’s ‘look’ and how it plays, animating characters and objects, developing sound, programming, testing and producing.

As a games developer, you will work as a part of a developmental team.

What you do every day

A work day as a games developer will largely depend on your chosen specialisation and the stage you contribute to the development cycle.

The conceptual phase includes designing the program, reviewing alternate concepts and associated components, and adjusting the program code to identify and correct errors. Artists, programmers, and designers dominate this phase.

The initial design phase includes generating scripts and storyboards. It’s the visual stage in the game development process where graphic artists and technical/3D artists are the main people involved in the process. You would be liaising with the programmer for code generation and with the producer and director to finalise timing and initial costing, budget and marketing expenditure.

The production stage includes preparation and development of digital graphics, animations, sound, video, photographs and images, often using 2D or 3D modelling and animation software. Sound development includes all audio features of music, sound effects, and the voices of the characters.

Towards the end of the production stage, structural, mechanical and artistic elements are added to the game’s environment. As a tester you then tests for bugs and makes adjustments and alterations to improve its quality.

It’s a lengthy process and one where consumer market research is used to validate end user appeal and identify future purchase intentions at different price points. Technical problems must be solved; complex information must be understood and incorporated. All the game development team must work in a collaborative process recognising pressure, budget constraints and deadlines are an everyday occurrence.

Personality that best fits this career

Games development requires strong computing and software skills, and an interest in games. A keen awareness of current and emerging game trends is important, along with imagination and a flair for creativity. Since games are sold internationally, a strong level of cultural awareness is important to ensure that games are appropriate for the target audience.

Communication and interpersonal skills are important, since you will have to contribute to the game development process as a team member. You will be working alongside other professionals, collaborating and brainstorming and ensuring end product consistency. You may go through multiple design stages, making alterations, and so patience and problem solving skills are necessary. During the design process, you will draw off an ability to concentrate and stay organised, as well as manage your time effectively.

Considering the tough competition in this industry, you will need ambition, motivation and dedication to succeed. Due to the growing popularity of the games industry and its advancement towards film-like games, cinematography and story writing are likely to be embraced within this field in the near future.

Best thing about this career

The best aspect of being a games developer is the freedom to be creative and imaginative. You can watch your ideas take form as you develop your part of the game through the stages, whether you’re animating a character, developing voices or sound effects, or programming. Nothing beats the pride and satisfaction of seeing your hard work come to life during production, meshing with the other elements to form a complete, functioning game. Two projects will never be the same, and this brings constantly challenging and varied work.

Worst thing about this career

The games industry is becoming very popular, and so finding employment within the field is now more competitive. Starting from the bottom and working your way up can be frustrating and feel like a waste of time. Becoming degree qualified is now more expected, particularly if you intend to focus on programming. You may also experience creative blockages, which can negatively affect your work and make the pressure of deadlines feel even heavier.

The games industry is constantly shifting and updating, and so you will have to work very hard to maintain a grasp of emerging styles of games that consumers will view as new and exciting. Also, with the progression of technology you will have to be the best in your specialisation to be successful in your job.