When you look at your favorite video game, you are looking at the work of a team of people. They include at least one game designer, some programmers, a team of animators and other technicians and testers. Then there's the guy who thought who the whole thing up. This leader is called the game developer.
A game developer is basically the first step into video game management. He or she is more or less the one who has to ride this team until the final product is available through the Internet or to your favorite game store. It not only involves a solid general knowledge of what everyone on his or her team does, particularly programming, but also its share of marketing, management and communications savvy. If you need more information about
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A developer's responsibility is not only to supervise his production team. A developer must always be on the lookout for an idea that can be turned into a game, whether it's an original one or from a hot comic book, TV show or sport. From there, they must come up with the basic game theory then supervise the entire process through the platforms the game will be distributed through and even packaging.
The ones that software publishers truly treasure are the ones who come up with a totally original game concept. That's because the publisher doesn't have to share any licensing fees with the original property. In fact, the savvy software company turns around and starts brokering their trademark and copyright to film and TV studios, toy manufacturers and whatever else they can collect a licensing fee from.
Once upon a time computers were so simple that the development could all be done by one or very few people. That was back in the days of Pong, Brick Out and maybe Alien Invaders. These days, a contemporary computer game may include advanced physics, artificial intelligence, 3D graphics, digitized sound, an original musical score, complex strategy and may use several input devices and may be playable against other people via the Internet or over a LAN. Each aspect of the game can consume several programmers, each working on a particular aspect of the game.
Most jobs for game programmers specify a bachelor's degree (in mathematics, physics, computer science, "or equivalent experience"). Many online colleges offer courses and degrees in game programming. Any such degrees should offer a well-rounded education that includes all the fundamentals of software engineering and some side courses in business management. From there, it's up to the developer to work his way up the chain of command. There is an abundance of information about
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So even though there's a very serious side to gaming, this doesn't mean it can't be a source of some serious fun. A good developer earns about $100,000 a year. The employment contract also comes with things like insurance, retirement programs and profit sharing as part of the total deal. That last part is creating a number of young millionaires.
