5 Tips to Get Into Game Development

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Video games are a hobby for over 2 billion people all over the world. There are many different types of games, systems, and niches and everyone has their favorite. While many people are okay with simply playing video games, others have an interest in creating them.

Getting into game development is something many people are interested in, but many may not know where to start. If that describes you, you have come to the right spot. This article is going to look at a few different and helpful tips to get you into game development as a hobby, or potentially even a career.

Identify What Part of Game Development Interests You

While we often talk about game development as if it is one thing, it is actually made up of a ton of moving parts. A whole lot of work in a lot of different areas go into developing and releasing a game. As a result, when getting into game development, it is important to identify which part of the process interests you the most and work towards it.

For example, some people might gravitate towards animation or design, some might like creating the script or music, and others will be interested in actually coding or programming the game. All of these are important aspects of game development and contribute to a great final product.

Try Out Different Software and Tools

When you are just getting started in game development, there are many different pieces of software you can utilize to help develop your game. These include options like Unity, Unreal Engine, Construct 2, Game Maker, Twine and several others. Instead of just choosing one and going with it no matter what, be sure to experiment with a number of them.

Many are available either completely free of charge or cheap, and all you need to use many of them is a simple internet connection. Once you have spent some time fiddling around with them, you will see which works the best for you. Also, the tools and software will vary depending on the type of game you are making, and which platform it is for.

Get Involved and Experienced in the Industry

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Once you have tinkered around and created a few games or feel you have the skill to, it is time to get some real experience in the space. There are internships you can take, freelance game development you can do or even simply create your own website or social media page. Also, consider entering game jams or other events to hone your skills and meet people in the industry.

This experience not only challenges you and teaches you new things, but can look great on a resume or in a portfolio. Of course, be careful who you work with. You should be treated fairly and compensated fairly for work you do. Some people or companies might try and take advantage of people new to the industry, so always be weary of that.

Ensure the Games You Create are Stable

If you want to make it far in the game development world, you need to make sure your games are high quality. Now, this doesn’t only mean they are fun to play and innovative, it also means they need to be stable. Stability within a game is important, as game crashes or incredible lag are very annoying to deal with.

As a result, be sure every game you create is stable. This could be anything from making sure each level is correct and bug-free, to ensuring you improve slow loading pages on your browser game. If a browser game, or any game for that matter, is slow to load, it is going to stop some players from giving it a fair shot. The player experience of any game is of the utmost importance, so be sure you make the game run as well as you can.

Never Stop Learning

In the game development industry, you are simply never done learning and need to continue educating yourself over the years. While this isn’t technically a tip to get into the game development space, it is definitely something you need to keep in mind from day one.

There are always new platforms, software and languages coming out, so you need to stay on top of your game. Developing a game today is quite different from even just a few decades ago, and this sort of thing will continue to occur as new platforms and software come out. If you stop learning new things, you are going to get left in the bust by people who are keeping up with new trends.

Hopefully this article has been able to help you learn some tips to get you into the game development space.