6 Skills You Need to Thrive as a Game Developer

Video games are one of the fastest-growing industries, with the revenue expected to cross $170 billion in 2022. The industry is rapidly growing, with existing development studios expanding their teams and divisions while new studios, both larger and smaller indie ones, are opening up to keep up with the growing audience’s demands that are expected to cross the 3 billion mark.

A career as a game developer can be rewarding with the variety of platforms and genres that the game industry is exploring. Irrespective of the platform and the genre, a prospective game developer or an experienced game developer both need to have these 6 essential skills to thrive and succeed in the industry. There are other specific skill sets that vary based on the exact position one is working in the game development industry.

1. Programming & Technical Knowledge

   The ability to program and knowledge of specific coding languages is crucial for game development. The choice of the programming language is dependent on the platform that the game will be built upon. For example, a mobile game requires knowledge of Java, while PC games are often built using C++.
   
   Programming knowledge is not just for developers working on engineering aspects of the game, but game designers, technical artists, and producers can all benefit from it. It is imperative that as a game developer, even if you are not directly involved with programming, having a working knowledge can help you streamline processes and development along with benefits in other aspects of the game creation cycle.

2. Creativity

   Technical knowledge of UI/UX and programming can help a team or an individual game developer create a technically sound game, but creativity is the other pillar that is required for a game to succeed. As a game developer, you need an active imagination as a successful game requires a core concept, great characters, and an engaging storyline. Furthermore, creativity can in many ways bolster or mitigate gaps present from a technical point of view.
   
   Indie game developers often rely on creativity to create games that are engaging and highly successful without requiring to compete at a technical level with AAA titles. For example, Undertale and Little Nightmares are just two games that showcase the importance of creativity for a game developer. It goes beyond the storylines, characters, and lore, and a creative game developer can create engaging gameplay mechanics and more to keep the audience engaged.

3. Time Management

   Game development, like other development processes, requires a high level of time management as deadlines are crucial for ensuring the game is released on time and is fully functional. Poor time management can lead to unnecessary delays, resulting in loss of interest from the target audience, or in case of release on the announced date can mean the difference between a polished, bug-free title or a release that tanks the developer’s reputation.

4. Communication Skills

   Even smaller indie titles comprise teams involving several people, and a successful release is dependent on effective communication between various cogs in the development cycle. A game developer should be able to effectively convey both the requirements to other teams and the identified challenges. Effective communication skills greatly increase the quality of the end product and can ensure the project stays on track.

5. Problem Solving

   As a game developer working with tried and tested technologies and newer innovations, it is to be expected that there will be glitches. Keen problem-solving skills are necessary to keep the project running smoothly. These skills come in handy post-launch as well, as players will always find exploits, game-breaking bugs, and more, so patches and updates require the developers to be good problem solvers.

6. Passion for Games

   The last essential skill to have is a passion for games. As a game developer, you need to understand the audience that you are targeting. It is similar to why many movie directors are also avid movie watchers. Having a passion for games means understanding the changing dynamics and trends of what the audience is demanding. The passion for games also means that as a developer, you can explore new avenues and have insights into what gamers want.

Conclusion

The above-mentioned skills are necessary for any game developer, and although platform-specific skills may be required, these will form the core of the skill sets that help you thrive as a developer.