10 reasons why Game Development is a good career choice
He took his first steps in Game Development in “Mihajlo Pupin” High School of Electrical Engineering, where he learnt to make games in C, and later in Java. He started working professionally with Unity in 2017 when he and his friend founded the company “Stick & Rope.”
At the end of 2018, he started his freelancing career where he works on projects with foreign clients. Since mid-2019, he has been hired by M2H and Blackmill Studija (with whom he still works today) on fixing bugs in games which belong to the WW1 Game Series franchise, Tannenberg and Verdun, as well as on a project for the latest games of the Isonzo franchise.
What is actually Game Development? How would you explain it to a small child and how to an adult person?
Game Development is a sophisticated branch of the IT industry, which connects software engineering and art.
I would explain this to a small child in the manner: “Several people who know different things have gathered in one place and are making a game.”
Explaining this profession to an adult is more difficult. Young children have more contact with technology and are familiar with that world, while adults are not quite (with exceptions). I told my grandmother like this: “I am sitting in front of the computer and typing something, and something is moving on the screen!” 😊
What is the difference between Game Development and Game Design?
These two cannot exist without each other. Game Design is only one process in Game Development. You can always start developing games without design document, but actually it is better to have some basic design as a guide. The Game Design document can later be changed multiple times in the game creation process itself, and this often happens, especially when the process lasts for years. During the development of a game, each segment is constantly tested and if something does not work for the player – it must be changed. Often the final form of the game can look completely different from what was originally intended.
Why love Game Development, and why not?
I think it is better to start with why not. When you have been in this profession for a long time and you want to play a game, you are more concerned with analyzing the game than enjoy playing it. So, you start wondering: How did they do this? Could I do it too? How did they program it? And that is actually the true explanation of “professional deformation”. So, the biggest drawback I would say is that I cannot enjoy playing games now. We call it “the Game Developer curse.” 😊
On the other hand, it feels good to create games. It is nice when you can see how the code you wrote turns into something interesting – jumping, running, shooting, etc. So, what I love most about Game Development is that I see a specific result of my work in the form of something interactive that has its own life – and that is a game.
Is Game Development good career choice?
As someone who works it as a full-time job, I can confirm that you can make a very good living from Game Development, especially in the last 5-6 years. The needs of the market are really big and new jobs are constantly being opened. It is literally impossible to be unemployed while doing Game Development. This is the situation in Serbia, the demand for Unity Game Developers is not decreasing. When I look at job posts, I can see at least a couple posts for Unity Game Developer. The salaries are good, of course, and they can only grow in the future.
The video game industry currently “weighs” around $145 billion, while the music and film industry pass $65 billion, so I would definitely say that Game Development is a great career choice!
Also, this profession can be worked remotely. I am an example of that. I have been working for a Dutch company for two years, and in addition I cooperate with clients from Denmark and the USA.
Can I learn Game Development on my own?
I can tell you about me. During my high school days, I acquired quite knowledge in basics of programming. After finishing high school, for more than 6 months together with my friend we searched the internet every day and tried to learn about Game Development. Then, in one gaming company, we had the opportunity to see first-hand how the entire process of making games actually looks like. After that I enrolled at university.
The formal education did not give me much new knowledge in the field of Game Development, but I continued to study, work and develop in that field independently. So, my answer is: It is possible to learn on your own, but it is the harder way. Anything you would spend months and maybe years trying to figure out, you can learn in a matter of weeks with a good mentor/trainer.
What background knowledge is required for someone to do Game Development and how long it takes to master these skills?
Everything can be learnt. We can start from the assumption that the one who wants to be a Game Developer knows nothing about programming. And it is possible that this person becomes Game Developer. No specific prior knowledge is required. The Game Development Academy can be attended by anyone who wants to engage in game creation, even if they do not have any prior knowledge. After finishing the Academy, the person will have enough knowledge to apply for an internship or create his/her own portfolio that will appeal to employers.
There is no exact time frame, it is very individual. Someone more motivated and talented could master a lot in just 6 months, and someone would need a year, maybe even more.
Is it possible to create games without coding and engineering knowledge?
Theoretically the answer would be yes. There are many different positions in the field of Game Development that are not exclusively related to coding or working with machines. You can be part of the arts, draw or model, you can be a producer leading a team, you can do music.
The best software is the one you know how to use best. I decided on Unity.
Previously I had experience in programming and made games exclusively using graphic libraries that were available for some of the programming languages (SDL for C++ and LibGDX for Java). And around the time I was thinking about the Gaming engine, Unity announced support for making 2D games, and since then Unity and I have been hanging out almost every day.
Is it hard to obtain Unity Professional Programmer certificate?
I would say that it is not difficult but from my experience with the exams, the practical part is very important. If you have several years of experience developing applications in Unity, I am sure you will easily pass the exam.
Can Game Development be a hobby?
It can be, but it is not easy. A Game Development colleague of mine said it was highly intelligent and creative work. That is definitely true, because after 8 hours of working on a game, I am really exhausted and I can hardly work on anything else.
What does your working day look like?
Every day is different from the previous one. At work we currently have a weekly plan. For example, on Tuesday we do the internal play test, every other Thursday alfa testing, and Monday is reserved for meetings. Basically, it all boils down to a lot of programming and a lot of communication with colleagues. What I can say for sure is that working in Game Development is never boring and monotonous.