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The video game industry works with different types of professional profiles. The creation of a video game, from concept to final product, can take years and involve different teams of professionals. The video game developer is a key professional in this process.
This profile is involved in the creation and production of games for personal computers, game consoles, online games, tablets, mobile phones and other portable devices.
However, there are a number of key characteristics that a good video game developer must meet. Do you want to know what they are?
read on to find out!
what is a video game developer?
In this case, the words game developer and programmer are used interchangeably. A game developer is responsible for creating the software and programming logic that makes a project become a game.
They often play a role in several elements of game development, including visuals, artificial intelligence, user interface and game logic. In other words, without developers, there is no such thing as a video game.
- Tasks and responsibilities
The type of work you do as a games developer will vary depending on the size of the company you work for and your specialisation. In larger games companies, you are more likely to have a more specific role working on a particular element of the game. In an independent publisher, you may be involved in several processes in the lifecycle of a game. Here are some of the day-to-day tasks you may have in this role:
- Develop new ideas for game design
- Translating visual ideas into code
- Prototype, iterate and polish gameplay.
- Collaborate with designers, producers, artists and quality analysts
- Oversee game stability on all platforms
- Review existing code and recommend improvements
- Porting games or elements from one system to another
7 skills a good game developer should have
These are the 7 skills that should be considered when talking about a good video game developer:
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Creativity
A video game programmer must have deep creative thinking to produce original game ideas and create amazing virtual worlds. Greater creativity allows developers to add uniqueness to the video game. It also helps them to create imaginative characters and captivating maps.
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Programming skills
Everything that is experienced in a video game feeds into programming, making programming one of the most vital parts of development. The programmer of a video game brings all of its visual and sound components to life once the visual artists and sound engineers have produced the graphics and music.
Programming helps game developers create environments and mechanics by choosing languages depending on the game they want to develop. For example, some languages are preferred for developing mobile games, while others are indispensable for desktop and console games, such as Java, C# and C++.
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Passion for the job
a game developer without a passion for games is not a suitable candidate for this job...
A person who creates games for a living can't succeed if he doesn't like the world he is in and doesn't know it inside out. To learn and be inspired, the ideal candidate must be a passionate gamer. It will help him to analyse:
- How popular games work
- What the gaming community really wants to play
- What they can do to improve their current products
Developers who are avid gamers have an exceptional attention span that helps them improve their performance and productivity at work and sets them apart from other developers.
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Animation skills
Animation and game development are, in fact, two different fields. However, over time the two become intertwined. Developers with animation skills can create smooth moving characters and objects in 2D and 3D. This skill allows them to add emotion, personality and practicality to the game.
Game development platforms are another reason why game developers need to be familiar with animation. Most of these have built-in animation features that can only be handled by someone who knows animation well, which is why many game companies prefer a candidate with expertise in both fields to create the perfect product.
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Ability to work with game engines
The most common trait and skill that companies look for in a game developer is the ability to work on different game engines. The ideal candidate should, at the very least, be familiar with the most popular game development platforms, and even the entire list. In addition, a game developer should be familiar with the type of engine to use to create a game of a specific genre.
Unity and Unreal Engine are the two most popular development engines in the world of video games. Unity is a cross-platform game engine that allows developers to create 2D and 3D games, and is very popular for mobile and indie games.
Unreal Engine, on the other hand, is ideal for 3D games on multiple platforms, including PC and consoles, and is ideal for developing first-person shooter games using the C++ programming language.
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Collaboration and teamwork
A video game developer may look like a lone ranger, but in reality, video game development involves many people. Multiple departments and teams work in harmony to ensure that the game is completed to specification and ready to launch on time.
An exceptional candidate works with project managers, music teams, storyboard artists and other departments to ensure that the final product has no gaps. Given the necessary volume of people involved, a game developer must have good communication and collaboration skills. They must be comfortable discussing ideas and accepting the opinions of other team members.
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Time management
Developers must adhere strictly to deadlines if they want to be competitive in the video game industry. They must be able to break down large tasks into smaller parts to make them easier to manage and complete on time. They must have the ability to complete tasks in the shortest possible time to ensure that there are no delays in the game's release.
if you have all these skills, then you are more than ready to take the plunge into the world of video games!
