Computer game development, an unconventional and exciting career, is becoming increasingly popular among students with technical skills who want to tap into their creative potential. This course is the perfect mix of technical and creative skills, bringing quality to the entertainment world, where computer games have long prevailed. This article will help you understand how you can kick-start your career as a computer game developer and what it has in store for you. Read on to find out!

What is computer game development?

Computer game development can be simply defined as the process of creating computer games. The development of a computer game involves the efforts of people ranging from developers to animators, all working together to create a unique, exciting game.

Skills required to become a computer game developer

  • Information Technology (IT): a major part of a computer game developer’s profession is crunching codes for the creation of a game. Hence, to become a successful computer game developer, you must have in-depth knowledge about software designing, programming, video graphics and animation. Acquiring creative as well as technical skills will help you prosper in the profession as you will have the know-how for creating a game with realistic animation.
  • Time-management: time is of the essence, especially if you are working in a challenging environment like that of computer game development. As a computer game developer, you will be a crucial part of the complex process that game development is. You will need to shuffle between various tasks, starting from coordinating with team members to meeting deadlines. Hence, it is imperative that you have good time-management skills and the ability to prioritise tasks as per the situation.
  • Problem-solving: when you are working on a product that has many components involved, it is natural for unprecedented bugs and technical challenges to come up. In the wake of this, you must have the mettle and patience to deal with whatever the situation throws at you. To enhance your problem-solving abilities, you can have brainstorming sessions with your co-developers and try to approach problems from different angles before you narrow down on the best solution.
  • Communication: communication skills become all the more important when you are working in a team where your job responsibilities are interconnected. It is essential that you have impeccable communication skills so that you can convey your ideas aptly, without any ambiguity.
  • Creativity: since game development is the fruit of creativity and technical knowledge combined, it has the same weight as information technology skills. In a world that is swimming in myriads of games, your idea must be original. This will be the key to your success and while the idea of coming up with a unique game may seem easy, when you get to the task, it can be a tough spot. Hence, keep your creative cells at work all the time. You never know when you might stumble upon a million-dollar idea!

What are the different jobs in game development?

  • Multimedia Animator: the major responsibility of a multimedia animator is using electronic tools such as computer, music or videos in the creation of special effects, animation or visual images. They can use their creativity for computer games, music videos and commercials.
  • Video Game Tester: also called “beta-tester”, a video games tester is responsible for identifying bugs, technical glitches and flaws in the design. To excel at this job, you must have keen observation skills. A major part of the job will be playing the game in order to find out the issues, hence you must be passionate about gaming.
  • Video Game Programmer: one of the most sought-after video gaming jobs, a video game programmer’s responsibilities include creating the concept of a game, developing a storyline, coding and programming.
  • Video Game Designer: as a videogame designer, you will be required to create the environments for a game design using level editor and other tools. Games designers are a major part of the game development scenario, starting from the pre-production phase to completion of the game development.

Position

Average Salary

Multimedia Animator

£23,964

Video Game Designer

£26,616

Video Game Programmer

£31,214

*Average salaries for the UK as advertised on payscale.com

The scope of computer game development has seen a boost in the last few years. With the growing demand, more and more colleges are introducing courses concerned with the field. One of the best colleges to pursue animation courses with is London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA); known for its high-quality education and creative atmosphere, LCCA offers an HNC/D course in Computer Game Animation to help students realise their dream of starting a career in game development. So, if you want to make it big in the gaming world, enrol for the course now!

 

This article was written by Meghdeep Patnaik and edited by Anisa C.