Whether you want to seek a career in working with one of the big development teams out there or you want to cut your teeth in the indie scene, you have to build the skills that are crucial to making a video game. Here, we’re going to look at some of the skills that are vital for almost anyone seeking a career in video game development, and how you can build them.

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Programming

Simply put, video games are a type of software and all software is driven by code. Programming is the ability to write and use that code to create software of all kinds and a little coding is recommended for anyone wanting to go into any career in games. Though it can be tough to learn, and different languages are used for different engines and software, there are plenty of online coding courses that you can get started with, from free YouTube lessons to the more driven and focused paid lesson plans.

Game engines

Engines are effectively the software that is used to determine the operating rules of the game world. Engines are built out of code, and games are built using engines. However, the majority of developers do not start by building an engine from scratch (though it is sometimes necessary.) They may instead learn an engine to find a framework they can start with. Take the time to learn which engine is best for the time of games you want to make by comparing Unity vs Unreal and other options. Then, learn what language you need for them and how those engines operate to start game development.

Animation and graphic design

Most large development teams do have dedicated roles focused on little more than creating the best possible models and graphic elements, and animating them to bring them to life. However, in most cases, beginning game developers are going to be entirely in charge of the visual aspects of their own games. Learning to use rigging and animating software like 3dmax or Maya is essential to create the visual side of interactive media that is crucial from the player’s perspective. You can choose to specialize in this or not later down the line.

Game and level design

You also have to think about how the different assets you have developed all come together to actually create a game. Game design is just about the creative side of the process as well as the practical. What are the goals of the game, the challenges the player faces, and the mechanics that they use to address those challenges? Coming up with these, as well as the method that the player controls elements to manipulate those mechanics, is at the core of every single video game, from Pong to The Witcher 3.

There are a lot of positions in games that use skills not mentioned here, from creative writing to composing music. However, for the nuts and bolts of game development, these are the skills you need to consider.