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To become a game developer is a dream of many computers game fans. What many don’t know: By the time a computer or console game is finished, a lot of people with very different jobs from many different departments have worked on it.
Doesn’t the video game industry seem like a blackbox you can’t get into? All you have to do is knock on the door, but how do you even get it to open? So, there are many ways how you can get into game development. All you need is the right strategy to get into your dream company. A game developer is a person who brings an entire game universe to life.
However, there is no right way and no right strategy to becoming a game developer. Instead, there are many ways to get your first job at a game studio. The game developer writes the code of the game.
Quite often it also includes creating the toolset, which is used to create the game. It is necessary to automate the development process, speed it up and simplify the life of the developer and the team as a whole.
As in any profession, a game developer needs to check the result of his work before passing it on “along the conveyor belt”. For example, to make sure that a new feature (Editor’s note: in the lingo of programmers means a feature, a trick) works as planned and doesn’t break other systems inside the application. Therefore, it is very important to take the time to test it, so as not to slow down (or even worse, block) the work of other project participants.
Here are some strategies you can use to get your first video game studio job started, as well as examples of developers in game development who have done it.
POST YOUR WORK ON THE DIFFERENT FORUMS
If you’re a novice game developer, you may be interested in spending much time hiding behind discussion boards and soaking up as much knowledge as you can. By the way, there are also many professional developers and even IT hunters, who could see your work.
That seems to be surprising, but it’s the perfect way to show your work to the game developers. Be creative, and you can post your works everywhere, for example on the forums about casino online or other interesting topics. Don’t set limits to your fantasy.
CREATE YOUR INDIE GAMES
Many novice game developers ask themselves; how can they get experience making games if game studios won’t even consider their resumes without experience. Try to make your own game. Nowadays you can find a wide variety of free game development tools on the Internet and use them. To be creative, read books about game development, collect ideas. It can even be good to play different games to learn different game strategies and approaches.
GET A COLLEGE DEGREE IN IT
If you look at job postings from various game studios, you’ll notice that many of them require high education. In most cases, it doesn’t have to be a game-related degree, as long as you have learned some skills.
By the way, most people who work as game developers or game designers today are career changers. For a long time, there was no apprenticeship or degree program for exactly these jobs. Game developers, who are responsible for the technical implementation, therefore often come from the field of computer science. Many have studied this subject at university and then qualified themselves during their studies. In addition, there are also similar training professions such as IT specialist, application developer or multimedia developer.
In the meantime, however, private schools and universities of applied sciences are also training software developers or game developers. These schools are all still relatively new – and cost money. Depending on the school, you have to pay a fee per semester or month to be allowed to learn here.
However, if you’re sceptical about it, take a look at the different educational options that can get you a job in game design. The educational requirements for a game designer are as varied as the game designers themselves. Combine different skills, get appropriate education, and don’t forget about practice. An internship in a game studio can be a great option for you if you are currently studying game development. Even if the internship will not be well-paid, it can be a great chance for you to improve your skills and explore the fascinating and wonderful world of game development.
CONCLUSION
The game development field is growing very fast, much faster than other related fields. New technologies appear at lightning speed, and you have to work hard to keep your technical knowledge up to date. And to improve your skills, you have to spend even more time on self-study.
But what is the most important in becoming a game developer? Of course, it is quite important to stay persistent and don’t give up. Is staying motivated and persistent always the right strategy? Like many things worthwhile in life, developing your skills and getting a job in the video game industry won’t be easy at all. You may feel like you’re banging your head against the wall, and you may get frustrated and have some problems. But does it mean you should stop trying to get a job as a game developer? No!
It’s not good when your job application is rejected. But just remember that you have to fail before you can succeed. But each rejection brings you one step closer to getting your first job in game development. But if you have once managed it, you will have a great and interesting job in a fast-growing field.
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