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Game Developer Career Guide
Game Developer Career Ratings
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Overview
Game developers work as part of the teams that are responsible for the creation and production of games (makes sense based on the name, right?). These games can be personal computers games, games for games consoles, social games that are played online, arcade games, and games played on tablets, mobile phones and other handheld devices.
Game developers tend to focus on a particular area of programming, such as network, engine, graphic, toolchain and artificial intelligence. Although the typical responsibilities will vary based on what specialization chosen and who you work for, as a game developer you can expect to: design, develop and deliver systems and high quality code, perform code reviews, quality test coding to check for bugs, work closely with designers, artists and other staff involved in the design process and perform effectively under pressure to meet deadlines and ensure the game is completed on time.
The educational commitments needed to become a game developer depends on the specific job and employer. Many employers do tend to seek game developers with bachelors a bachelor?s degree in computer science or another related field. However, a bachelor?s degree is helpful, but not essential to become a game developer. There are a wide range of online courses available that can teach you the fundamentals of code and programming and give you game development related certificates.
Although a career in game development is quite accessible as the qualifications needed are pretty flexible, it can be a highly stressful and high pressured career when working to strict deadlines. It is no secret that game development is a creative and very popular field, which means that there is no shortage of aspiring game developers, meaning that there will be some fierce competition for jobs.
However, many game developers love their job because it has a serious fun factor ? you get to spend all day, every day, designing and playing games, and you get paid for it! The technology industry as a whole is growing, which means that there will always be a demand for skilled game developers, so once you’ve landed a job you should find high job security. Finally, when working as a game developer you will work in teams with other creative and like-minded people, creating a supportive work environment.
To be a successful game developer, you will need to be creative and have a passion for video games. You should also show an ability to work as part of a team, an analytical frame of problem-solving skills. If this sounds like you, and you want to work in a fast paced and exciting industry, then you might be suited to a career as a game developer!
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