Six things you may not know about game development (from a former game developer)

A lot of people see testing as a good way to break into game development, and it really is. One misconception, however, is that game testing is synonymous with normal game playing. This... definitely isn't the case. A player plays a game to enjoy the experience--a tester plays a game to find out if the experience is enjoyable. While the usual objective in gaming sessions is to progress or win, the objective when testing games is to check for crashes, progress blockers, and visual or typographical errors.

Normal gaming sessions deal with playing games as its designers have intended; and this is a part of testing as well. A key differentiator in this regard is that in addition to checking if a game behaves accordingly, testing also deals with breaking the game and seeing if a game becomes buggy once the player decides to go against the game’s design.

You know you have that dream game you’d do anything to work on; the next AAA blockbuster or the next iteration of your favorite series. But what happens if you have to work on a type of game you don’t really like? It can be a genre that doesn’t interest you, a device you don’t want to use for gaming, or a business model you’re not a fan of. The sad part? It's bound to happen sooner or later.

It can be frustrating and your motivation may drop, especially if you choose to work development because you’re passionate about games you enjoy playing. Imagine being a fan of Uncharted or Metal Gear Solid and having to work on My Babiez Adventure Day; or being a Bejeweled diehard and then having to test Medal of Honor. Ideally, a mismatch of interests and motivations wouldn’t exist but like in other industries, not everything in game development is an ideal scenario (more on this in the next entry).

I've worked with different kinds of people (of different nationalities) during my tenure in the game industry. I've had co-workers who were very mannerly and professional; and I've also worked with people who had little to no semblance of professionalism. I subscribe to the idea that professionalism, for the most part, is conducting yourself in the workplace and interacting with coworkers in a respectful and considerate manner. In the game industry, where a loose and informal working environment is usually fostered, professionalism ranges from having articulate discussions to wondering how your co-worker manages to converse outside the office and not get beat up by strangers.

And while the level of professionalism varies in other industries as well, the loose and informal nature of the development environment (non-traditional office attire, more relaxed and playful) makes the degree of professionalism even more varied. For some of you, this might be a godsend (you can grow a beard and wear Dr. Who t-shirts most days), but for others, this could be a deal breaker.

A producer needs to have relevant knowledge or experience in both technical and creative aspects of game development; and has to have management skills. I say that a good game producer can be hard to come by not because there aren’t a lot of good producers, but because the role varies so from company to company, from project to project, or from situation to situation; and not all producers can adapt or excel in all possible scenarios.

It’s a jack of all trades, master of none kind of job that puts people through many different situations (build submissions, art reviews, playtesting, planning and scheduling, budgeting, etc.). Producers who were previously game designers, testers, artists, or programmers may have excellent knowledge and experience in their craft but may not possess the necessary know-how in development aspects outside of their expertise. It can be amazing or terrible, and you won't even know right away.

Sure, you love playing games, but do you think you’ll also enjoy taking part in creating them? This is a key question to ask oneself when considering working in the game industry; as there’s a very important distinction between the consumption and creation of video games. While you may relish playing through games and appreciating the many elements that comprise it (art, game mechanics, music, story, etc.), you must also be a natural creator/builder and someone who is passionate about the creation process (coding, making art, writing design/story, etc.) to appreciate working in game development.

You might describe yourself as a gamer but do you see yourself as a game designer, or an artist, or a programmer, or a producer? These are some of the specialized roles that function together as a video game is developed. Just because you like sausage doesn't mean you want to see how it's made.