Whats it like to be a Game Developer?

I know its an odd question but i would to be as prepared as possible for when i perhaps become a Game Developer, at this point I am extremely interested by this sort of career...
So the main question would be what is it like?
How it feels to be making a game at a game studio, when the game is complete is it like finishing a job or more like completing something you are passionate about?
When you complete a game do you need to find a new studio to work with or do you simply stick with the one you are on?
What about criticism, how should you handle heavy criticism if you release a game that few people like, do you find something else to work on, perhaps change the game or do you simply leave it?
Any other advice would be great,
Thank you in advance :)

Comments

  • edited
    It depends...

    Or in a less short manner.
    Wakintosh said:
    I know its an odd question but i would to be as prepared as possible for when I perhaps become a game developer, at this point I am extremely interested by this sort of career...

    So the main question would be what is it like?
    Ok so disclaimer first. This is personal experience and a sample size of one. So what I say isn't the grand rules of what is out the but a single data point. Some of what I've saying is aggregated from second hand sources and drawing inference from the international scene if I don't have any local knowledge. So YMMV.

    ---

    It depends. There are a lot of roles in the industry. I believe that what you get out of the work varies by what you do. As someone who is part of a two man studio and handles the business, admin, programming, and a bunch of other stuff: Stress, lots of it, I spend a lot of time on weird little things that you don't think about, but need to be done in order to be able to actually sell games. I have fun when I actually get to sit down and program and dig into a problem, but I don't really get to do that often enough.
    Wakintosh said:
    How it feels to be making a game at a game studio, when the game is complete is it like finishing a job or more like completing something you are passionate about?
    It depends, some studios do work for hire, some do out source, and some work on games that are their own. I think the feeling you get when a game ships depends on what kind of 'ownership' you have over the project and your level of participation in the thing.

    If its your project then there is the crunch to get it down, the stress of hoping that the press goes right, and then the worry of getting bug fixes done so people can enjoy the game that they just bought.
    Wakintosh said:
    When you complete a game do you need to find a new studio to work with or do you simply stick with the one you are on?
    It depends. Some studios exist to just make a single game. Some close after because they didn't make enough money. Sometimes the people who worked on it aren't happy with each other any more and want to do something else. In short, your job is most at risk when a game ships. If you are happy with the studio, they are happy with you and your still getting paid then it might be a good place to be.
    Wakintosh said:
    What about criticism, how should you handle heavy criticism if you release a game that few people like, do you find something else to work on, perhaps change the game or do you simply leave it?
    Any other advice would be great,
    Thank you in advance :)
    Some crit is good, some is people just speaking crap because they like to speak. You need to learn to sift through all the data bits and get the good stuff out of it. Some times even a blighted ass can say something that you can use to improve from. One thing that is important to remember that people talk about symptoms. A good designer uses that feedback to identify and fix the root of the problem.

    A related topic is assholes on the internet. That's a lot more complicated to give a kinda concise answer to. Having a thick skin and being able to ignore stuff is useful, but really that's not an ideal or a good solution IMO, just something we have to deal with.
  • We made some videos of the last couple months of developing our game. Obviously situations vary greatly from studio to studio and project to project.

    I think that laying off people after a project is something that happens a lot when the team sizes are larger (like 50 people or more), but is generally only the case when money runs out in smaller teams (like 3 to 15 people). Most game development teams in South Africa range between 2 and 20 people.

    Here's our videos so far (more are on their way).





  • Sooo Basically it's "Doos kak" but somehow its enjoyable because we love it. Making something that you want to play I guess is the key, but that again depends on where you are setup meaning working for someone makes the chances of doing what you want basically 0. Although If you get into a team where you all share the same wave, mind set, idea.... things could be pretty awesome, but ofc shit days/weeks/months/years will pop out and want to kill you.

    Verdict: What's it like to be a game developer? Lekker tos.

  • Like Karuji I'm going to offer you my opinions based on my journey. I've only been working full time as a game developer for 2 years, so not quite a veteran like @Karuji and @EvanGreenwood :)

    Some background. I started out my working career as a civil engineer. Did that for 12 years, at which point I decided (after much thought) to become a videogame designer.

    Videogame design is an art, and it is the most difficult form of art there is. From a business perspective it is riddled with high risks and low rewards. I have failed many more times than I have succeeded, and I expect this to continue throughout my career. There are no guarantees of success, nor definitive guidelines on how to get there.

    However this is not strange, this is what the path of an artist looks like, it's a struggle because it's the road less travelled. I chose game design because I love the medium, not because I love obstacles. I get more satisfaction from one day of solid programming, implementing a feature or finishing up a nice sprite, than I did in my entire career as an engineer. Game design taxes each of my talents and interests to its maximum, every part of me has an outlet through it. It feels so natural that it seems odd to me that I haven't been doing this my entire life.

    Publishing a game is one of the biggest highs I've even experienced, and I can only imagine what it feels like if it manages to sell well on top of that. For a day you are in complete euphoria, a publish-gasm if you will :) These are few and far between though.

    Criticism is a tool, like Photoshop or Unity. You use it to gain insights into your design you would have otherwise missed. It can tell you whether you're on the right track, whether there are some important kinks that need to be ironed out or if you should abandon the design entirely. Like with all tools you get better the more you use it, but the number one beginner mistake is to take it personally, people are criticising your game, not you.

    Choosing your career is a deeply personal question, but you'll only really know whether it's right for you, when you start doing it full time. There is no amount of questions or time spent looking from the outside that will definitively tell you the answer. You have to get into it and give it a go, otherwise you'll never know.

    I've never worked at a bigger studio, so unfortunately I have no insights for you there :)

    Hope my ramblings, in some way, help inform your decision.
  • This is the short version (Not too serious but how we feel sometimes :D).
    The amount of money you want to make - Millions
    The amount of money you make - Nothing

    The amount of time it takes to make your games - 5+ hours a day
    The amount of time you have - 1 hour a day if you are lucky

    Me and a friend do game dev in our part time and I can guarantee you it is definitely fun and worth it but it will take a lot of time and effort to make a game and you should expect little in the beginning until you have a lot of experience.


    Thanked by 2Wakintosh mattbenic
  • Wow, thanks everyone, you have given me some extremely valuable information...
    Thanks Again!
  • @Wakintosh Depending on your skill set and interests, there are a lot of ways to dip your toes into game development without taking the plunge.

    I started out building maps for existing games, like Counter-Strike and Warcraft 3. And mods for others like Liero.

    Some games allow you to change the art and other assets in them, so you can tinker with modifying things and having people play your work. Some games will let you change the logic of the game itself, like Gary's Mod. Some games are a load of fun to build new levels for, like Mario Maker.

    And if you have a few game dev skills you can join in in game jams, where groups of people get together and make small games in the space of 48 hours or 72 hours.

    So you can try out some aspects of game development without committing to it, and have some fun in the process!
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