Is Game Development Your Career Calling? How To Know If Game Development Is For You

Mega Cat Studios
3 min readApr 8, 2024

Game development can be a fulfilling career, but it should not be taken lightly. While some people enjoy the unique challenges it offers, it’s not a calling that everyone will be able to appreciate.

But how do you know if game development is right for you?

You Like Applying Creative Solutions to Weird Problems

Game development isn’t straightforward. Sometimes, you’ll run into problems that seem impossible to solve. Maybe some code doesn’t work, or some triggers in your levels don’t function properly. Maybe all that effort you put into making a new level just doesn’t work with the textures you have on hand.

Courtesy of Christian Velitchkov

That’s where your innate creativity comes in! While some of these problems require brute forcing, knowing when to work hard and when to work smart is key to being a great game developer! Not every problem is actually a problem, and some bugs may turn out to be the solution to a totally different issue.

You Love Video Games and Everything About Them

Being passionate about your work is important, but this goes double for game development! When your job revolves around creating the best games, loving video games almost becomes necessary! After all, if you can’t appreciate a good video game, how will you design a game that others are supposed to love?

You Like Exercising Your Creativity and Using Your Knowledge

Creativity is key to being a good game developer. It’s not enough to just be smart; you also need to apply your knowledge in a way that makes your customers happy. Coding is difficult, but coding good games and having good game design is even tougher. Never underestimate how much effort it takes to be entertaining.

You Like Interacting with Your Peers and Coworkers

The easiest way to learn how to make a good game is to learn from your betters! The experiences of older game developers should not be taken for granted. Their knowledge of game design and audience expectations is an invaluable resource, and they know firsthand what their fans want.

Courtesy of Austin Distel

This goes double for coworkers! While taking your coworkers for granted may be easy, game development is a team effort and the ship sails or sinks with all hands on deck. Any budding game developers will appreciate a helping hand!

You Enjoy Spending Time with Fans!

It’s not enough to just like your fans, you also need to enjoy spending time with them! A good game developer is willing to put in the work at the office but also needs to be willing to spend some time with the fans. Only by interacting with their audience can a good game developer keep themselves grounded, and knowing exactly what the fans want is invaluable for creating a hit video game.

Game development can be tough, but if any of these traits ring a bell, drop by our LinkedIn page and get started on your game development career today!

About the Author

Alexander Cuaycong is a writer with a passion for history and video game. When he’s not busy buried in dusty books, he’s out there trying to make his fantasy worlds come true. For him, gaming isn’t a hobby so much as a calling, and it’s one he’s been doing his best to follow. Whether it’s reviewing games, or writing about their history, he’s on a mission to spread that love with others.

Originally published at https://megacatstudios.com on April 8, 2024.

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Mega Cat Studios

Mega Cat Studios is a creative first company based out of Pittsburgh, PA. We love creating games. From retro cartridges to PC & VR, come play with us.