Debunking Game Dev Myths

What do you mean it’s not all fun and games?

Good Morning!

This week we‘re investigating a few common myths about working in the games industry and debunking them. Then we catch up with folks at our studio to take a look behind the scenes at game dev work from home setups.

Making games IS all fun and games, right?

We asked our studio to share the myths they’ve heard about working in the industry and want to take some time today to debug…er debunk…a few of them.

Myth: You have to know how to program to work in game development

If you want to make a game by yourself, you may need to learn some basic coding skills. However, if you want a job in game development, programming is just one of many pieces that come together to make a video game. Big budget games often have large teams of many different, yet vital roles contributing to all aspects of the game. You need designers to articulate where objects are placed in the level and balance player and enemy skills to make sure the game is fun and has good pacing. You need artists to ideate and sculpt a cohesive world, regardless of if it’s in 2D pixel art or realistic 3D graphics. Producers will be critical for deciding what to prioritize, how to keep the game in scope, and help eliminate roadblocks so that the whole team works together fluidly. A few more critical roles include skills in music and sound design, animation, user interface design, pipeline management, writing, quality assurance (QA), visual effects, and more.

These are just a few of the roles that are specifically within game development. Just like other media industries, game companies also need people specialized in a vast array of skills: marketing, law, business development, IT support, operations, recruiting, and more. Even if you decide you don’t want to work directly on a game, there are tons of opportunities to provide support and get involved in the game industry. Plus, just you might get conscripted to assist with some mocap shoots. You never know! ; ).

We have more myths to debunk in the full blog post! Check it out and comment with a few other games industry myths that you would like to see debunked.

One aspect of game dev that actually is fun is coming up with strange creatures or recreating mythological animals in awesome new ways. We want to hear what your favorite cryptid, urban legend, or mythical creatures is, so take the poll below or reply to the newsletter with your fav!

Taking a Sneak Peek into Game Dev Workspaces

When most of your team is remote, you may only ever get to see a small slice of their work life on Zoom calls. So what goes on behind the scenes during a game dev’s work day? How is their workspace setup to prepare for a busy day ahead? Are they surrounded by impressive lighting? Do they give in to the demands of fuzzy supervisors? Find out on our TikTok channel!