Thread: Future Career in Game Programming

Don't rule out other career options along the way.

Pretty much everyone goes through the "I want to program games" phase.

If you want to program games, then you're better off with learning C++. 99% of all professional games is written in C++ and not C.

DirectX is probably going to be used in the game industry. So I'd say it's your first priority.
OpenGL is not a bad idea to learn either, but don't expect it to be as widely used as DirectX.

I'd be surprised if there were many programmers who got to "create" the game any more. It's probably more tool development (write a terrain editor, write a scripting program, or something like that), than it is just sitting down to hack out a game. I'm sure there are a few, but probably not really in the big companies.


Quzah.

Originally Posted by cuo741

Does the gaming industry look for one more than the other if so which ones?

DirectX is the "big" one. Learning OpenGL isn't a bad idea, either.

what do you mean? arent the programmers like the core of a game, they write the code so the game will work isnt that right? or am i wrong

Yeah, they write the code but it's a lot more abstract than you might think. Stuff like modifying an engine or writing a routine to load levels. Very little, if any, of the actual game design is coded into the program anymore. It's all done separately from the programming itself, with scripting and xml and stuff that the designers can handle. It's just infinitely more efficient to make a general purpose game-runner and worry about the details later.
That's not to say you won't be doing neat stuff. But it's not game design, and unless you're in a small company, specialization is going to keep you in one niche of the process.

I happen to be working as a game programmer now (for intern). I would say it's pretty interesting. Love the work environment, too. It would be my first choice if I decide to go into software later.

Yeah, I think that's what gets a lot of people interested in working with games. You look at the fields of software, and you see the leaders, and even though they're not quite as rich, people like John Carmack and Gabe Newell just have a certain quality about them that no one else in the other fields of programming do.

Or maybe it's just because the cool kids buy their products. I really don't know.

Originally Posted by cuo741

I've thought about my possible choices, web development,graphic designer,etc,etc but, i dont think i would be happy doing those things because umm lets say i have a creative mind that was meant for games,and also i always wanted to make my own games rather than playing games

I have a creative mind too, I just don't use it to program games.

I'd also like to be rich, have seven wives, a child that doesn't whine, and a fresh keg of beer every night. I don't get those things. I'm extremely happy doing what I do, though. I never planned to end up where I am, I just ended up here.

From what I've seen, most commercial scale game developers are overworked, underpaid, and treated like dirt. You'll get to use your creative talent while someone else makes all the profit and holds a hatchet over your neck. No thanks.