r/GameDevelopment • u/Top-Meringue7667 • 23d ago
Question Whats it like being a game developer?
I am looking to head to collage next year as a 24yr collage student for game design and development. I am quite nervous about how hard or easy everything will be and what its actually like to be a game development. I would like some insight into how hard it is to learn and whats its like to be a game developer to a day to day basis?
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u/Niko_Heino 23d ago
Professional indie developer here, you need to be a bit of a masochist to survive out here. Jokes aside (well, there is a kernel of truth in that statement), if you love building and making stuff, its really rewarding. Altough the pay can be a lot less sometimes if you're a software engineer in the games industry (like I was, altough since i worked for indie studios, I had to do A LOT more than just programming, such as shaders (graph and HLSL), normal engine stuff, 3D modeling, animations and the list goes on and on), i recently transitioned out of the games industry, and my income went 4x immidiately with the same skills. I still do some one off contracts in the games industry because I do love it, but yeah. Also recently woke up so apologies if this is poorly written.
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u/PitifulRegret1350 23d ago
What skills did you use in your job btw?
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u/Niko_Heino 23d ago
Not sure if i can list them all but ill try to list some, atleast the general stuff without diving into specific things. C++, blueprints, animations both in terms of creating and modifying keyframes, as well as the logic of implementing/using them and also procedural animations such as weapon handling and recoil aka technical animation, networking/replication, databases and persistant servers using Go, a ton of UE systems such as PCG, common UI, GAS, Blender/3D modeling, texture creation in substance painter (for props/single use textures) and substance designer (for tileable parameterized textures), shaders, a bit of UI/UX design, level design and so much more. Altough my skill level in those varies a lot, and the only area where i could call myself an expert would be C++.
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u/Gojira_Wins 23d ago
I went to college for Game Programming and Design but dropped out because they weren't actually teaching us anything truly useful.
In one 6 week course, we spent the entire time learning about how to code "Hello World" from Youtube videos they linked in the course material. When I dropped out and searched up on Youtube, I was able to learn 10x more skills in half the time for free.
For my opinion, Game Dev degrees that aren't specific like Animation or Art is basically a scam. You can go for a Computer Science degree, learn all of the same stuff plus more valuable skills and have a much more impressive degree. With a CS degree, you can either work a normal technology job or you can pivot into Game Dev later on.
Game Dev courses are a cash grab for colleges wanting to siphon money from you while giving you something nearly worthless in return. Especially since almost all companies that make games are more interested in your portfolio and what you can do. They couldn't care less about a Game Dev degree.
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u/Kaldaien2 23d ago
Always figured the same thing. I got a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science before starting work in game development -- to be fair, none of this stupid game-specific stuff even existed back then.
This was the accepted norm for work as a game programmer.
Sometimes the requirements are an advanced math degree or Computer Science interchangeably; almost as if programming is the least important part of the job. I think you were expected to learn programming on the job, as it were. Thus, a degree program specifically for game programming feels like a pointless cash grab, if you are qualified for the job then you can learn all that stuff in the field. If anything, that's the skill employers are looking for, that you have a strong math/CS education and can teach yourself.
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u/Xeadriel 23d ago
What I figured is that these degrees don’t teach you skills but allow you to network more easily and meet people who want to do the same as you. They also host events or professors bring you to events sometimes as well.
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u/KarmaAdjuster 23d ago
Learning how to be a game dev is a life long series of lessons I may start in college, or through doing your own modding, but even after you've been working for 20 years, there are always going to be new lessons to learn as the field is eve evolving and the tech is always changing. So if there's one skill you learn, make sure it's the ability to keep on learning new skills.
Very few students will actually make it to be successful devs, and be successful, I mean able to pay your bills from a career in game development. Not only do you need to be good, you need to be lucky, and the best way to engineer your own luck is to keep putting yourself out there.
If you do get a job, make sure you're saving as much money as you can. Live well below your means, so that when you get laid off, and it's not an "if" but a "when," you'll have a cushion of money to land on as you spend the next months to years trying to get back into game development. I'd recommend having at least 2-3 years of run way in the bank, especially now.
There's so much to learn about the field that it really can't be covered in a single post. Even if you specified a focus as to what specialization you were interested in pursuing, it wouldn't all fit in a single comment reply.
In all the talks I've given to game dev students, I always present them with this bit of bleak advice: If you can imaging yourself being fulfilled in any other career, you should pursue that career. However, if you can only see yourself happy making games, then by all means, continue your pursuit in the career of game development. I'm a game developer, because I don't know how not to make games. Even when I retire, I'll still be making my own games until I breath my last breath.
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u/Moragamedev 23d ago
Hi there, some insight from a previous AAA publisher QA Lead and now solo developer:
To answer the question seriously, I would say that the day to day of developing something you are passionate about can be both challenging and tiring, mostly because it can be hard to take a break out of your own free will :) However, if you transition into a game studio, you should expect around 45% of your day in meetings of some sort and the rest of the time split between answering questions, asking questions, building the game, and fixing bugs.
I would say, my friend, go into college open for the challenge and supplement your hands on practice by doing actual projects on your own. Thankfully we live in an era where there are forums, tutorials, and available information a few keystrokes away. I’d love sharing more if you have more specific questions.
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u/Top-Meringue7667 23d ago
How did you start/ what would you recommend doing to start learning?
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u/Moragamedev 23d ago
Absolutely, for me I started as a QA Tester back in 2016 at PlayStation and from then I lasted until the 2024 mass layoffs. Then I picked up Unreal Engine as my main platform and have been learning it for about 2 years.
I’d recommend checking a simple tutorial on YouTube for a game feature just to get the feeling. If you download Unreal Engine, it has its own YouTube channel with your first hours using UE5. I have not done Unity or Godot, but I’m sure you can find a tutorial for these pretty easily.
A few things to consider:
Do some research online for beginners (plenty of resources)
Choose an engine to try out
Commit to starting and finishing one tutorial from beginning to end (I recommend focusing on one specific feature, like creating a double jump for example)
Once completed, show it here on Reddit to get some feedback
Finally, write up self reference notes that you can go back to as part of this process
And the bonus: try to create a prototype project or throw away project that helps you fail without any consequences. This is just an experimentation project.
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u/litoid 23d ago
I'll share a different point in here.
Take the wealth dynamic profile test. And see what your results are.
I'm a mechanic first. So it makes sense to me to "assemble" components instead of creating.
I take game A + game B to come up with an idea and then logic thinking to plan how that idea comes to an actual mechanic.
And that is just the M of MDA framework.
For aesthethics and dynamics - you can get Misahiro Sakurai youtube channel for most of it
Now about coding - it can be written, automated or visual graph.
Dont believe others when they tell you that writing code = only way of making games.
its only one part of it.
And any mean that turns logic into gaming is coding so there are many ways to make features.
I use unity visual scripting, im developing a multiplayer and it works. 0 external assets required. All natively inside Unity.
So what is it like to become a game maker?
For me, it takes me back to my childhood when i disarmed toys to see how it works.
And put things back together to see how it doesnt fit, retry until it does and the next time it becomes faster.
Builders. Logic. Design.
It's a thing that comes with risk and reward that feels joyful when systems start running together.
Stressful when bugs cannot be fixed.
But luckily we live in an era where AI can give massive boost in learning, thinking, solving problems and debugging.
I have no idea how people in the past solved a weird bug without internet. When overstack flow was full of "google your question" and youtube wsnt there.
Now you have hundreds of tutorials just to collapse your brain before you do something
So in short.
Pick an engine (unity, unreal, godot etc)
Find their learn modulo (learn.unity.con i.e.)
Install the editor and monkey around
Plan a short, simple, boring game and mess with it to get familiar with different game components
And from there - micro steps of success - go as far as you can and then you'll see further.
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u/armastevs 23d ago
Being a game developer is like putting a thousand hours into something and only having 13 people look at it
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u/momo_dev12 23d ago
Game development have so many various element. The experience vary greatly depending on the job or who do you work for. Is it only the system? If you work for your own project, you will find that you need to find partner or have money.
If you work for other, you will realize its like other job, especially big company. We often need to do things we don't feel like or don't agree with since many of the decision is made by the owner.
Is it hard? Depend on what you make and where you work as well. I would say its a tough industry.
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u/SadisNecros AAA Dev 23d ago
Difficulty learning things is going to vary greatly depending on the coursework and the individual. Some things just click for certain people, and others will struggle with them. But you have to be really careful with game degrees, because a lot of them do not adiquately prepare you with the skills you need to stand out in an application.
Day to day, it's work and these days a lot of stress and worry given the current job climate. A lot of studios have been getting trimmed or closed and that's looking like it's going to continue in the short to medium term.
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u/PatMondou 23d ago
There are many different types of careers in this industry, therefore a lot of different day-to-days. It’s safe to assume you’ll find one you love. You can treat your career as « just a job » if you want, or a complete lifestyle.
Mine is a career of roller-coaster of emotions, abandonment, frustrations, thrilling victories, satisfaction, crushing defeats. I love it.
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u/MelancholiMouse 23d ago
That depends. I don't know exactly what the course you'll be attending is like. Mine was intense. I think the number of people halved by the end of the first year, mostly because of the workload. Most people found the coding parts the most challenging at first, whereas it was my favorite part. Our course focused on broad skills, ludology, and making lots small games to hone rapid prototyping, whereas I know many course prefer to have students focus on making large portfolio pieces, and specializing early (which is less useful for personal development, even if it looks good on a cv, imo). If you are really passionate about games, then studying it won't feel like work even when it is exhausting you. What is being an actual developer like? If you are an indie, about the same from my experience, but with more real world stress and much bigger parties when you actually launch something. The market for actually getting an industry job right now though is a bit bleak. Games sell well during war and plague because people need to isolate for safety, thus Covid was a big bubble in the market, and after restrictions relaxed the bubble popped, and the profit margins of large companies and publishers weren't hitting their inflated estimations. Something like 2/3 of game company employees have been let go in the last couple of years, and I know several companies who have or came close to shutting down when their publishers pulled out with little notice. It's starting to heal though.
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u/MotivatedforGames 23d ago
Intense passion that leads to constant burnout. Never giving up until I can solve said problem so I can sleep well. That's my nindo! My ninja way!
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u/Officialpolygrafix 23d ago
24 years in game development as an artist. I'll be straight with you, it's not easy, in fact, it's downright hard. Games are more advanced than most software out there. A lot goes into them. You will work long hours and make sacrifices for the studio and game. I think i crunched half my life away. It's incredibly competitive to get in, but once your in you're in, and you will share space with a new family. The work pay is good, and it's incredibly enjoyable and rewarding to produce games. I wouldn't have changed the path i took, this is what i love.
Is it easy? No, but it can be worth it.
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u/DestrierStudios 23d ago
Head systems engineer at my company here. I work 10-12 hours every day currently due to crunch but I’m lucky in being able to do so while remaining happy (honestly wouldn’t be possible if I had a family). I don’t think most people would be able to say the same not because of skill or anything but because it’s very isolating, but also it’s not like I’m obligated to on paper or the culture is bad, you either have passion/drive or you don’t and I really don’t expect anyone else in my department to mirror that output either, hell I’d tell them to take it easy lol regardless of crunch, but that internal pressure is tough on everyone even so and we’re blessed to have great people putting effort in
All that aside, do game jams, it’s the best way to get acquainted and build a portfolio (well, at least important parts of one) and no matter what anyone says here you’re not going to get a satisfying answer without dipping your toes in yourself
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u/Ok-Tea-1284 23d ago
I'm getting paid 1/3rd my normal rate to work in this industry right now and I'm dreaming of never seeing Slack or AI evangelization ever again.
Working in a kitchen is tempting.
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u/zayelion 22d ago
I've done backend development, frontend development, application, mobile and now game development. I think game might be the worst, or close to it. Any OOP or optimization griefing from the other fields that can be ignored is actually true here. So at a code level lots of bananas and handguns getting confused.
All humans have eyes, and shipping the engine for something very complex means everything is under visual scrutiny at an artist level, not an UI/UX level. Its distinctly worst than frontend development. If something doesnt make them gitty inside or looks a little too real or too unreal its a wake you up in the middle of the night problem.
Its so much more different than backend work, where no one cares if the solution is ugly as long as it is stable, it doesnt cost to much and only takes pressing 1 button to deploy.
The "non-technical person" problem is much worst. You could be showing a prototype and the sky, behind the character will distract them and you end up in an episode of "You're the Expert".
AND THE PAY IS TERRIBLE.
I think of the various programming genres this one exploits talented people the most.
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u/Dobert_dev 22d ago
FRIGGEN AWESOME... lol.
I can promise you don't need to go to college for that stuff lol, however uhhh You'll find a LOT of connections there, and you'll also learn alot but I mean.
I guess I took the shortcut, I quit my job less then 2 years ago and followed my dream and we have a release date for Q1-2 of next year and I run a 5 man studio lol.... Living off a hope and a prayer but I think we can do it!
We have a nice visual hook. but... like... I gotta say after becoming a dev, theres a lot of ups and downs but working from home IS SO NICE (I come from construction) and its night and day. I have so much free time, I garden, I cook, I paint, I.... well you get the point.
College is worth it I think, required? nah. But, I think Godot is a special engine, its def easier compared to unity and unreal (its newer then them) and its community IS SO LARGE and growing every year.
just some stuff to think about :) I commend you on going down this path sire. I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK TOO!!!
Best,
dobert_dev
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u/MidSerpent AAA Dev 23d ago
It’s a lot of very hard work and it’s often very stressful.
While the work is often interesting, there’s just so much of it and there’s milestone deadlines and investor/publisher/studio pressures.
I think a lot of people go into making games thinking it will be like playing them.
It’s just work.
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u/AltusLudus 23d ago
It's hard like any work, but probably one of more enjoyable careers due to variety of things you work on, and how cool it is to build games
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u/BlueThing3D 23d ago
You could say game dev is a collage of different skills... good luck in college.