How to Become a Game Developer: 5 Actionable Steps

Source: Pixabay

Game development as a career option is enormously popular among the millennials and Gen Z. These are the generations that have grown up playing video games, right from their childhood with a deep fascination for immersive games, so much so that becoming a Game Developer became an ambition for many. In today’s day & age, a career in game development is creatively satisfying and monetarily rewarding. And that’s why building a career in game development makes sense.

So what steps should you follow to become a Game Developer? Read on:

1.    Enrolling in a course

There are various part-time or full-time certificate gaming courses to get you started in the game development field. It is important to take into consideration factors such as fees structure, availability of loan facilities, the reputation of the institution, placement facilities, curriculum (software/tools and skills taught in the course), and mode of instruction (online or offline) before choosing the course most suitable to you. Do check out these selected courses before making a decision.

A formal certificate from a reputed institute surely increases your chances of getting hired by the top gaming companies. 

You can also enrol for the below-mentioned Gaming/AR-VR courses at Arena Animation: 
•    Game Art
•    3D Digital Game Art & Design 
•    Unreal Game Development 
•    Game Design 
•    Game Development-Mobile, AR & VR

2.    Skilling yourself

Learning the necessary technical skills involved in the field is the most important factor in ensuring employability for a Game Developer. This includes sharpening your technical skills such as programming in C# and C++, 2D and 3D modelling and a variety of game development software such as:

•    Unity 
•    Autodesk
•    Stencyl
•    GameMaker Studio 2
•    Construct 2
•    GDevelop
•    Twine
•    GameSalad
•    RPG Maker
•    GameFroot

3.   Gaining practical experience

You can start working on projects as soon as you get comfortable with basic game development software. Freelancing or doing internships with gaming companies while you’re learning would not only give you working experience but also help in adding value to your CV. It is important to have an impressive portfolio to increase your chances of getting placed in a top gaming company.

4.    Getting placed

Typically, two kinds of companies hire Game Developers – game studios and game publishers. Moreover, companies can also be classified segment-wise into mobile gaming, computer gaming, internet gaming and console gaming. Placement support given by institutes is always a plus point to help you choose your preferred career path.

5.    Staying updated 

In order to be successful in this industry, game developers need to constantly update themselves on recent industry trends. Being in touch with gamers and gaming communities helps them to gauge the preferences of gamers and use that information to create better games. This feedback loop is important in achieving excellence in any profession, which also applies to the game development field.