Love the video games that you play and passionate about developing games? Then you’re on the right track to learn how to become a video game developer.
But, you should know that becoming a video game developer is not going to be comfortable without these guidelines. I have mentioned a few things that you should be aware of before you make a career as a video game developer.
As a game developer, you will be part of collaborative creative team. The team includes game designers, programmers, and game artists.
As a programmer, your primary duty will be coding to tell the computer to perform an action based on user input or other variables.
Other things that you will be focusing on us designing core features of game, game testing, and reviewing designs. The competition for the job is intense. But, I’ll break it down to make it easier for you.
Video game developers are software engineers who may work on different platforms of games. In 2021, there are various platform to become a game developers. Hence the opportunity is enormous.
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FAQ on How to Become a Video Game Developer
What is video game development process?
The process of developing a video game involves the concept of gameplay, program, engineer, render, produce, test, etc.
For a typical PC game or console games, it will take a few years to complete the project.
What video game developers do?
Video game developers work on a creative, collaborative team to plan, design, and produce video games. Their work involves in creating stunning visual content and writing code to bring life to functionality and game features.
Is video game developer a good career?
Becoming a video game developer is a great career choice. You should be passionate about gaming and dedicate your time to learn programming language.
Why choose a video game developer?
The answer to this question entirely depends on the individual. Some are passionate about gaming, and some are interested in a great career start.
There might be a different reason as well, whatever it maybe it depends on self-evaluation.
How much video game developers make?
The average salary of a video game developers are between $40000 to $70000. But, this depends on the nature of the occupation, designation, and experience level.
Which video game development course should I take?
I am assuming that you’ve no prior experience in video game development. I recommend you to take a look at this specialisation course, designed for anyone with no prior knowledge.
Although a video game developer needs to know one of the programming language, this course teaches everything.
Now that we learned some of the frequently asked questions let’s see which programming languages you should learn to become a video game developer.
Programming Language for Video Game Developers.
While there are many languages, it is best to choose the easiest programming language to learn. Based on the programming language you learn will depend on the game engine.
If you want to develop a video game in Unreal Engine or CryEngine, you will need to learn the C++ language. But Unity game engine requires you to know the C#.
C# is the programming language developed by Microsoft and is a combination of both C and C++. C# is much easier to learn when compared to C/C++.
Since we know C# is more comfortable to learn, it is best to choose C# to start learning as it is easier to get started with Unity engine. It is wise to start with the Unity to understand the fundamentals and how the game development works since it offers a more natural environment.
The video game development course that I suggested earlier takes the approach of C# and Unity. An excellent course by Coursera.
Let’s move on to understand more on the video game development by learning about the game engines.
Game Engine to Become a Video Game Developer
There are many game engines to start your video game development career, but which is best, to begin with? Let’s find out.
Game engine is a framework on which the game is developed. It comes with the many in-built features that doesn’t need you to code from scratch.
It handles the game’s core functionality such as game physics, game input, AI, scripting of in-game, etc.
Some of the popular game engines listed below:
Unity
A great game engine for beginners, it comes in both a free version and a premium version. The basic version covers enough resources to get you started.
Some of the popular games that were designed using Unity are Monument Valley 2, Lara Croft GO, and Inside.
The Unreal Engine
It is one of the best game engines in the world. If you’re a casual or passionate gamer am sure you have might have seen their logo at the start of the game.
You are free to use this game engine to learn and develop great games. What’s impressive is that if you make a successful game using it, you will have to pay a small percentage of revenue after release.
The Unreal Engine is a great and the most popular one to choose among others.
CryEngine
Heard about FarCry, didn’t you? Then this is the engine that was used to create such a fantastic game. CryEngine is completely free and have access to all the features without paying any fee or royalties.
It would be best if you start learning now.
Do not wait for any circumstances to start learning; learning is an evergreen journey. You start by taking the first step, without baby steps, there’s no great walk.
Procrastination is the only thing that stops you from doing great things. Hence it would help if you started learning soon to develop great games.
If you make up your mind to become a video game developer using C# and Unity game engine, enrol for this specialisation course.
This course offers an excellent start to develop video games using Unity and C#. It doesn’t have any prerequisite or knowing a programming language.
Since it is a specialisation course, it comes with a set of 5 courses. All five course should be followed in the same order as it is. It offers a self-paced training, hands-on project, and provides a certificate.
Unlike other courses where the certification is provided after completing the course, Coursera offers it to only who has completed hands-on projects.
Such a certificate would add more value to your resume and to your LinkedIn profile. Also, mention the hands-on project in your resume, which prompts your interviewer to ask more question on it. Since you’re the one who did it, you can answer the question with ease.
Motivation: Don’t Give-up on Becoming a Video Game Developer
The imagination of rising to the top of the gaming industry is a beautiful thing, but making in real is the challenge. To achieve such a challenge requires excellent patience and learning curiosity.
It might become hard to learn, and you might find the course challenging, you may find the concepts complicated. But, nothing is easier in this life. Everything is difficult when we don’t know about it.
When you find yourself in such a situation, it’s going to be alright. Everyone’s been there but, only a few rise above it.
Summary
Now that I have answered how to become a video game developer, it is your time to take the decision.
Video game developer is a great career choice, and it is easy by taking the course that I suggested earlier. Moreover, you are provided with certificate to highlight your resume.
Please reach out to me in the below comment section, if you’ve any questions. I would be happy to get back to you.
If you loved this guide, it would be a great help if you share it with your friends and colleagues.
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