Should You Be a Game Developer?

If you've ever wondered if you should be a game developer, this is the video for you. We'll talk about what it's like being a game developer, why you should (or shouldn't) be a gamedev. I'll talk a bit about Unity3D & Unreal, then lay on the benefits of being a game developer until you can't imagine doing anything else with your life :)

[vargonian]

"Give a man a game and he'll be happy for a day. Teach a man to develop games and he'll never be happy again."

[calemabbott]

"you just talk about video games all day and everyone is into it." - Actually described my version of heaven.

[frankprogrammer]

I have worked professionally in game programming for 12 years and all your advice is spot on. My favorite part is that I am always learning something new for every game. The knowledge keeps building and you constantly find yourself doing things you never imagined you could. It keeps you hungry and excited for the next game.

[mikaxms]

Imagine learning how to be a doctor by trial and error...

[Nashnir]

The answer in my mind is always a yes.

But the main point is do you have reasonable expectations rather than delusions of grandeur.

[MitchCannon]

I've been in non-game development for nearly 2 decades, and I would agree that non-game development is generally easier. There are some exceptions around some very complex things, but generally I feel like that's true.

[monstamash]

Thanks for this. I am currently developing my first mobile game, and some of your tutorials have really helped. A change of career in on my mind, but a big step for a 43 year old. Very motivating talk :)

[crisorchi]

Wow. You actually answered so many of my questions.

1. Going to work excited for the first time doing game development. Nearly all of my jobs have been a drag to endure and I'd only stick it out for the money.

2. I was wondering about remote work as a game development, but you answered that just in time towards the end of the video.

3. Layoffs. I had no idea devs were geney the ones who did not get laid off as often as the other positions.

Lots of good stuff here. I been learning some basic Data Analytics stuff lately but only for increase in pay. I could really care less.

And before that, I tried regular development, but just felt something else was missing.

And I avoided game dev because I've always heard about short term project-based work being the norm and I wanted something more stable.

So here I am looking at game dev. I'm excited.

[Billygoatman]

its a "weird F&*Ing ugly form, who cares?" lol this is totally what people think when I tell them about projects I'm working on for my day job.

[CombatFXZone]

I tried to get in the industry since I was 18 starting as a 3D designer. I got a bachelor in digital 3d design and continued with a masters degree in computer science to round off my profile and maximize my "employability" if you catch my drift. I tried to soak in as much knowledge and diverse skills as possible while simultaneously working on a portfolio. My personality kind of revolved around being a guy who wants to be a developer and part of the industry.

I'm 28 now and worked for a "edutainment" VR Startup kind of doing what I wanted to do, but I never really felt good enough to actually work on titles I enjoyed playing. Looking back on all of this I don't think this career is worth the trouble anymore. If you have any doubts about this path, please don't waste your time in front of a computer for 12hours+ and don't let corporations control your self-esteem. Passion gets you a long way but it can be dangerous for you- companies know how to exploit very very well.

[aarondelgado]

Great video! I have been programming for a long time! People think of getting into programming, but there are two skills many people fail to realize they absolutely need to have - critical thinking and problem solving skills! People give up at programming because of the lack of those two skills.

[TamashiiRyu]

Glad to hear remote work has been on the rise in game dev. That's been my biggest hurdle over the years. Even more so since I've been working remote for the past 3 years now and really enjoy it

[simulation]

I expected this video to be explaining how difficult it is, but I really appreciated the encouragement.

[noktua]

Interesting. I've heard somewhere that people who work in the field of their passion will stop do it as a hobby. I guess it is not true for everyone. Good to hear.

[BrandonLamb]

Just wanted to drop a general comment that I really enjoy your channel and frequently check to see if you've made a new video every other night. For the past few weeks during WFH I've been watching YouTube in bed while doing some coding in Godot while listening to channels like yours. I've learned about ECS, Rust, watched lots of videos on/from indie game devs and just find the topic fascinating. Thanks for doing your channel and please keep it up. Love, random programmer guy on the internet (Seattle, WA). Oh yea, concur with your assessment on "enterprise development" which is my day job versus game development. This game dev crap is WAY harder. I spend my days fetching rows from a database and returning JSON lol. From that to vector math, radians, trig and geometry math, WHAAAT.
In closing, really love hearing any "insider" details about working at game studios, I played Vanguard and actually wished it could have gotten the love it needed so it was cool hearing you worked on that.

[deitz]

Thanks Jason, such an inspiring to see you sharing and making the game.
I'm a newbie in game developer picking up my forgotten dream back in College day, hopefully it will lead somewhere :-)

[exstasis]

Just found you from your video about why you switched to Unity, and now, I think I'm going to go binge watching your channel now. I had written off game development as an industry that's over competitive and filled with jobs that don't value maintainable or reusable code. But maybe I'm wrong.

[svenbtb]

3:48 especially when you're starting out, I think it's important to realize you probably aren't going to be working on your dream game or with your dream company. There's also a chance you'll never get there, but I feel like it's important to find the joy and find the fun in what you DO work in. Like if you play a lot of RPG's in your personal time but you only ever make racing games at your job, that doesn't mean you still can't enjoy it and enjoy figuring out what makes a racing game fun.

[Monkey]

I must say sir. You give me the most hope in my learning. I'm going to school for game design now and am wanting to take those skills and transition them into game dev. I feel I will get a better understanding of how the game should be made or created and this will help me in my full creation of a game in it's entirety.

[SDekker]

Love your content! I've started my career in accounting (about 5 years) now and know that this isn't the profession for me.
Someone tipped me about game designer or game programmer and looked a bit into it. The way you describe your job sounds almost like a dream to me!
Still not sure about what path to chose, but will start with some programming first. Again, keep up the great content :D