Web Developer to Game Developer?

DeadPixel

Good morning all (its morning by me)

I have a question if i may, I am currently studying web development and my question is, is this a good stepping stone to get into game development?

The reasons im asking is because i live games and i love game development, but do not have the time or money to go to a school to learn just game development.

I am currently studying web development threw Udemy which i think is also a nice safety net to have if i cannot get into game development. (Due to me working as a web developer for a small company)

The subjects im learning are HTML, CSS, MySQL, JavaScript, Java, Phython, and a bit of Objective C. Are any of these viable to make games with or with a bit of further learning will it be easier to get into game dev?

i am looking more at making mobile games (android & ios) and indie games.

Any info would be much appreciated

Thanks

Elyaradine

I think there's plenty of crossover, and I think a lot of the thinking is similar, particularly in terms of creating interfaces that are intuitive and logical, and in some cases how to nudge/manipulate the user to do what you want them to do.

I'd just be wary of doing courses that only teach you the languages exclusively. That's only one piece of the puzzle, especially if you're looking to work in smaller teams. I think a pretty cool way to learn (while building a portfolio of work) would be to build a (tiny) game in those languages/technologies each time you finish a course in them.

SkinnyBoy

Get the following book...

http://www.google.co.za/url?q=https://retrosnob.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/foundation-game-design-with-html5-and-javascript-v413hav-1.pdf&sa=U&ei=UtkcVbrnEcexaYjxgsAC&ved=0CBEQFjAC&usg=AFQjCNGn6fgrthtGfK8sy9SCV2UWex5-Cw

It is the best book so far I've read on Html5 game programming or any other type of programming. First four chapters cover web development, and the rest of the book will teach you game programming like a child who is learning a new language. And the author is also nice, since he always respond my emails. This book will save you lot of time trying to build unnecessary algorithms on your own.

My 14 year old brother has read the book in two week and he is already working on his own project. I suggest that when you saved some cash, to purchase the paperback book since this book is the best reference on any 2d game and the best ever written on game programming. I think I'll buy another copy of this book as this gift to my mom so that she can get into the world of coding.

FanieG

@SkinnyBoy thanks for the reference to the book. I only have one concern, is the PDF download you linked legal? Does it not infringe on copyright? If not you are doing the "nice author" a grave injustice by stealing and then sharing your "loot" with others.

dislekcia

You don't "get in to" game development. You just start making games. If you take whatever you're learning and try to make games with your knew knowledge, you'll quickly start learning in an entirely different way. Eventually, the things you're making will start being a sort of portfolio for what you can do, at that point you'll be an attractive hire for people who are doing that sort of thing in the local games industry - plus you'll also have more experience to help you start your own thing, if you're that way inclined.

But nobody gives you permission to do this games thing. You just start and keep doing it, which you can do no matter your background :) (it helps if you're okay with lots and lots of trying)

rustybroomhandle

DeadPixel said:

The subjects im learning are HTML, CSS, MySQL, JavaScript, Java, Phython, and a bit of Objective C. Are any of these viable to make games with or with a bit of further learning will it be easier to get into game dev?

Any/all of the above are useful as they cover the basics of development. The Unity engine comes with a built-in scripting language called Unityscript that's based off JavaScript, so you are already partway there.

As for getting into it, as has been said above and will no doubt be said again: Just do it. How do you become a game developer? You make a game. Learn what you need to as you go along.

DeadPixel

Thanks all for your comments :) i understand what @Rustybroomhandle and @dislekcia said about getting into game dev, so now im going to start making a game :P

EvanGreenwood

I agree with what everyone else said. Thought I'd add a bit.

I studied web development after high school. The course I went to had a lot of focus on Flash and presentation software (big companies used to put business presentations on CD's and hand them out believe it or not).

I ended up building websites, mostly Flash ones, mostly front-end development. I wouldn't say it was a good path to getting into games, but a lot of the user experience stuff, and all the animation coding, did teach me skills I use today.

Like others have said, getting into making games is about practicing making games. The quickest path is to just start making games furiously.

Though having other skills that you bring to the table can accelerate the time it takes you to start making enjoyable games, and possibly allows you to bring a unique edge to your game development (I'd say this last advantage is especially true of artists from art disciplines, less true of programmers). Though obviously the time spent learning those other skills is going to take much longer than the time it saves you.

If you can't dedicate years to just trying (and probably failing) at making games, then having a safety net in a tangential field makes sense. Sadly, if you're doing anything mentally challenging in your day job its going to be VERY hard to make games after hours. You have to have exceptional determination or mental stamina to pull that off.

If you're interested in the coding side, I'd suggest traditional software development. There are opportunities for good coders in things like simulation software, and from that it'd be a *relatively* easy path to making games.

Honestly, if I were to do it again, I'd just start making games right out of highschool. I wish I had those extra years of experience behind me now.

TheFuntastic

Web development is exactly how I got into making games. It's also much easier to find a paying job in web development. But I would like to add a nuance to that - not all web development is equal. Back end programming (data bases, registrations systems etc) is quite different from programming the client side (html, css etc). They all have skills that are translatable, but if your specific focus is games then you really want to be what I suppose would be called a "creative programmer". (In my day it was just flash developer or interactive developer).

This means you'll be getting to work on highly transferrable skills, such as animation + interactivity, using technology you can also use to make games (Html 5, Canvas + Javascript). In fact most of my work while I was still working for an agency ended up being games. That was a pretty great way to learn my craft and still get paid for it. Though that being said, I've seen many games job posts asking for SQL and other backend skills. So there really are no rules.

But like Black ships said, if you're working hard at web dev job, you're not going to have any time left over for your own games. That was certainly true in my case. In your post there is also a focus on is the technology useful? I wouldn't worry too much about that question. Technology changes and you'll have to learn new technology anyway. What's far more important is how you apply that technology. And you learn that by doing - making games is undoubtedly the most efficient way to do that ;)