“So, you wanna make a video game?” By: Zachary

Transcript:“So, you wanna make a video game?” By: Zachary:
“So, you wanna make a video game?” By: Zachary Levin What makes a good video game? Differs from genre to genre The Basics Core Gameplay Concept Title Screen and Menus Options, Controls, Instructions Art and Sound Coding/Programming Gameplay & Design Overarching experience of the game “What does the player need to do in order to progress?” “Is it clear what the player’s main goal is?” “How difficult is my game/can my game be beaten in less than 5 tries?” “Does the player receive some sort of feedback indicating progression?” Why I Chose This Career Simply put - I love video games! Played video games since I was 2. Why it’s interesting to me I get to create what I enjoy doing! Can be a fun experience Lots of different game genres offer lots of variety in what you can create Can start as a hobby/side thing and evolve into a full-time career. Is this field growing over time? YES! Salary Expectations (Game Designer) Scales up with bigger companies Extreme crunch and unpaid overtime is possible in game industry Salary Expectations (Programmer) Higher and better salaries than game designers, also flexible with what you can do. Crunch issues can apply here as well. What disciplines are involved in creating a video game? Self-sufficiency Asking lots of questions! Learning from your mistakes Keeping a journal/log of progress Ask for help from others! Find the Discord server for the software you are using for easy access for help. Don’t procrastinate. It can slowly kill your motivation to make a game. Even if you don’t want to work on your game for 1 day, spend just a little time on it, so you say active on it. Find other game developers to work with. The majority of video games are developed with teams of people. Examples of Video Game Development Careers * = Important! Design* Art* Programming* Sound Design Composer Writer QA (Quality Assurance) Testing Project manager (supervisor) Liz England’s “The Door Problem” - perfect article for explaining what each role does on a game development team. Not every game will need every role filled, but design, art, and programming roles are essential. That doesn’t mean other roles aren’t important. Different games utilize different roles more than others. A Day in My Shoes (Game Designer POV) If working by myself: Consult GDD (Game Design Document) Playtest my current work Get to work Update GDD