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What area of coding or software development should I get into for video game development?
I want to get into more areas that involves game development.
Im not a good graphic artist .
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John’s Answer
Game dev here. Ross has the right idea, there are a ton of valuable software development skills that overlap with more "traditional" software development. Really they are not that different, with the exception that game development often works in a slight different problem space where real time performance and presentation are more important factors in a final product.
In terms of areas of software development, this varies some depending on the type of game and what platforms its being targeted towards. Web based tends to still have some amount of full-stack focus (tech like Javascript, HTML5, cloud services, etc..). Native mobile development focuses more on Java (Android) or C/C++ and Swift (iOS). PC and console based is a little more flexible, but at that point you are generally looking at established engines, two of the most popular being Unity (C#) and Unreal Engine (C++). Generally speaking, picking any object oriented language and learning the fundamentals is more important than learning the specifics of a language, especially early on, and there are some great beginner coding languages like Snap and Scratch that can help teach these basics.
There are also programmers whose job is to support the team by developing tools and automation processes to speed up development. Usually in the industry we refer to this as "dev-ops". This area tends to focus less on the actual code or substance of the game, and more on the ecosystem of the games development (reducing build times, increasing iteration speeds, removing process pain points, etc..). Typically this work leans more heavily into scripting languages such as Python, and make and batch files scripting.
It will take a lot of practice to get good at programming, but you'll have a lot of fun challenges along the way!
In terms of areas of software development, this varies some depending on the type of game and what platforms its being targeted towards. Web based tends to still have some amount of full-stack focus (tech like Javascript, HTML5, cloud services, etc..). Native mobile development focuses more on Java (Android) or C/C++ and Swift (iOS). PC and console based is a little more flexible, but at that point you are generally looking at established engines, two of the most popular being Unity (C#) and Unreal Engine (C++). Generally speaking, picking any object oriented language and learning the fundamentals is more important than learning the specifics of a language, especially early on, and there are some great beginner coding languages like Snap and Scratch that can help teach these basics.
There are also programmers whose job is to support the team by developing tools and automation processes to speed up development. Usually in the industry we refer to this as "dev-ops". This area tends to focus less on the actual code or substance of the game, and more on the ecosystem of the games development (reducing build times, increasing iteration speeds, removing process pain points, etc..). Typically this work leans more heavily into scripting languages such as Python, and make and batch files scripting.
It will take a lot of practice to get good at programming, but you'll have a lot of fun challenges along the way!
Updated
Ross’s Answer
FD: I'm not a software developer or a video game developer.
Having that said I love playing video games!
So, I feel like I can offer something from that perspective.
Being a video game developer is only one avenue available to someone interested in learning about software development. It's an exciting career to think about, especially if you like playing video games like I do! What I think is even more exciting is that all of the skills you would need to learn to be a good video game developer also apply to software development and other careers in general. (Not just graphic design.)
So the good news is that if you learn those skills you will have lots of options for your career! The even better news is that as a young person you have lots of time to think about what you enjoy learning and can try lots of different things so you can figure out what you really like!
It's helpful to think about all of the different parts of the video game development lifecycle and the different parts of the game that you might not think about being as important as the game itself. There are lots of things the game developers need to be able to work on the game to begin with. Like computer networking, infrastructure like servers and a software development platform. There are all of the things that can help the game to be successful like a marketing team, the website, forums, support for the game and a whole range of different roles that help the game developers make great games!
If you're really driven to pursue a career as a video game developer you will need to learn a lot about software development and other computer related skills. So while it is great to have a goal in mind for your career, like video game developer, if you focus on the skills that you need to be in the video game development industry you will be developing valuable skills for a lot of other different roles in technology as well. (Oh ya, the graphic design part of it is just another piece of the game, right?)
Even if you are not a graphic artist you might be able to play another role like being a system administrator, software/web developer or someone else that works on a different part of the game. Keep in mind there is a lot that goes into making a great video game just like anything else, like a movie, a restaurant, or another type of business.
If you're not "good" at those things now, even graphic design, you will have to work hard to learn more about them and practice! Everyone that is "good" at anything has to practice and if you practice and work hard you can be good at them too.
I hope this helps and good luck!
Having that said I love playing video games!
So, I feel like I can offer something from that perspective.
Being a video game developer is only one avenue available to someone interested in learning about software development. It's an exciting career to think about, especially if you like playing video games like I do! What I think is even more exciting is that all of the skills you would need to learn to be a good video game developer also apply to software development and other careers in general. (Not just graphic design.)
So the good news is that if you learn those skills you will have lots of options for your career! The even better news is that as a young person you have lots of time to think about what you enjoy learning and can try lots of different things so you can figure out what you really like!
It's helpful to think about all of the different parts of the video game development lifecycle and the different parts of the game that you might not think about being as important as the game itself. There are lots of things the game developers need to be able to work on the game to begin with. Like computer networking, infrastructure like servers and a software development platform. There are all of the things that can help the game to be successful like a marketing team, the website, forums, support for the game and a whole range of different roles that help the game developers make great games!
If you're really driven to pursue a career as a video game developer you will need to learn a lot about software development and other computer related skills. So while it is great to have a goal in mind for your career, like video game developer, if you focus on the skills that you need to be in the video game development industry you will be developing valuable skills for a lot of other different roles in technology as well. (Oh ya, the graphic design part of it is just another piece of the game, right?)
Even if you are not a graphic artist you might be able to play another role like being a system administrator, software/web developer or someone else that works on a different part of the game. Keep in mind there is a lot that goes into making a great video game just like anything else, like a movie, a restaurant, or another type of business.
If you're not "good" at those things now, even graphic design, you will have to work hard to learn more about them and practice! Everyone that is "good" at anything has to practice and if you practice and work hard you can be good at them too.
I hope this helps and good luck!