What is it like working as a video game programmer? It is considered by many as a game-playing children a dream job. Is it really as good as it sounds? It is certainly an interesting life. However, as with anything else on this planet can be found on both positive and negative sides, worked as a video game programmer.
In the past 7 years I worked as a video game programmer in the development of three studios: Activision / Treyarch, Visual Concepts and disco pixels. I've publishedTitles for the Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo consoles. This article is a summary of some of the benefits and pitfalls that I have experienced through my work in these companies.
Perk # 1 - Make Games!
This one is pretty obvious, but the biggest perk of working at a video game studio is that you will be MAKING games. They help build the next great game that potentially millions of people can play and enjoy. It is a great satisfaction finds that arises from the knowledge that youcontributed to something great.
Perk # 2 - Play Games!
In addition to test and improve your current game every day, you can also make games from other companies. There are few jobs out there where sitting and playing a newly released console title is considered research. Enterprises in any case, you should at the beginning of the technology and the properties are the new games, and the only way to do this is by many games. Among the companies I've worked, I've never seensomeone to play video games during the day will receive a reprimand.
Perk # 3 - Independence
A major aspect of working as a video game programmer is the independence you are given. It is rare that you will have a manager breathing you do your neck or double checking everything you do. Into a studio, you must already have good programming skills set, allowing you because a lot of freedom for many decisions to make. They can be assigned a general taskis completed, but how that actually should be done and how long it would take, often up to you.
Assuming that you can do your work, the companies with whom I worked seemed to be generally very willing to work with me on my terms. When I was tired or bored or lazy I could still play a game or somewhere to relax without anyone complaining. Happy workers and provide better moral games.
Perk # 4 - Fun Office Environment
Everyone who works at a video gameStudio has one thing in common: they love games. If she did not love games, they would have never been adjusted to make them. For this reason, the office setting often leads has fun or quirky things everywhere are looking for. Many people bring strange new objects to show, or play with during the day.
Most video game studios have maintained to keep lying about a lot of games and toys to its employees. A few things I encounter in various studios: Arcades with free coin-op games, foosballTables, Table Tennis, razor scooters, board games, action figures, puzzles, daytime basketball games and giant stuffed animals.
Ie from the office, you're still going to work, but there is no reason why it can not also be fun.
Perk # 5 - Free Soda + Snacks
This benefit may not be important to everyone, but it's nice to know that you will not go hungry working at a video game studio. I have never seen a video game company that has not offered free soda and snacksavailable as part of the benefits of cooperation. I assume that piled up on caffeine and sugar helps boost productivity. During the long day at the office, companies will usually offer free dinner as a thank you for the stay late. A company I worked for served fully catered meals from assorted restaurants staff every night for many weeks.
Pitfall # 1 - long hours
Making games is a lot of work. The time needed to grow to make the latest game seems to beexponentially. Development teams continue to get bigger every year, but somehow the amount of work per person does not seem to get, not smaller. The games are very complicated. The type of games, they may have to be fun, which is not always so easy, just pencil in a schedule. Many of the experiments is needed, especially with new game concepts.
Before a milestone and especially a few months, will be published before a match, the work day is very intense. The work hasa way to quickly accumulate. New features and old bugs suck all your time. Working long nights or weekends is not unusual. Revitalize Fortunately, employees generally a treatment of the games they make, and their passion to help them through these occasional long shifts.
The stress can be overwhelming, too. In a company I was waiting for a giant stack of bug reports to me on my chair when I came into the office. I would work all day, scrambling to fix the error so quicklyas possible are working at full speed, day and night. Would I go home for a few hours sleep, but when I go back to work, there would be a new, even larger stack of bug reports waiting for me.
Typically after a project has been shipped, it will over a period of downtime where the employees can relax a chance to stand up and recover. The workload will be significantly reduced suddenly. One company gave bonus vacation time comes for a project, and set another employee "on call" for about a month,In which they only come to the office if there is any kind of problem. It's nice to know that your long work hours can not pass unnoticed.
Pitfall # 2-choice, what with work
We are working for their own video games in your free time is a lot of fun. You can choose exactly what game and tasks that you want to work solely on the fun and games. All that boring sure, because they are ignored, the only audience that you are. Unfortunately, this is not the case for large video-gameStudios. There are many tasks to be completed, some not so glamorous. Fixing console manufacturer standards violations or building data tools is not very exciting, but it must be performed by a person in order to ship the final product.
These tasks are usually for people who have just begun, given in the video game industry, perhaps as a rite of passage, but probably only because no one wants to do it.
Besides the possibility of working at lessglamorous tasks are assigned, you can create a project that you are not interested in full Normally, the company will let you work projects that interest you, but that is not always possible. A special project may fall behind schedule, and it needs a few more employees to fix some bugs or add features. Or you are in the project is already enough workers are interested.
I think that the passion of the employees, who in a video game studio, is to ensure the success of crucial importance thatGame. If you do not have what you are currently working very pleased it will be seen in the game that you create. To avoid misunderstandings, or letdown, before work is decide on a specific company, it is important to find out what game you will be working on in addition to the tasks to be assigned.
Pitfall # 3-Pay not as good (maybe?)
I have heard from some people that the pay working as a programmer for a video game is not as good as the pay, to more conventionalCompanies. Business database programmers, for example, could earn more money. This could be true. However, choosing your profession is not just about pay for. They spend a large part of your life in your profession. Money is not everything. Choosing something that you enjoy is also important.
I thought the pay at companies I've worked for was very reasonable. There is also a large potential upside from royalty checks from a game that sells well, the times areto be significant. They are definitely not living like a beggar when you get a job at a video game programmer companies.
Conclusion
I hope that this article had been helpful towards learning a bit about the work as a video game programmer. Like anything in life there are pros and cons of this profession. If what you read sounds good to you, I hope you find that dream job making the next big best-selling game.
