Talk:Video game developer

Semi-protected edit request on 17 June 2021

William Joseph Geraghty (talk) 16:27, 17 June 2021 (UTC)

Who doesn't love playing video games? It's easy to get lost in fantasy worlds or get caught up in an epic quest. The games we love to play take months or even years to create. Behind the scenes, a team of skilled people work together to design, write, program, and test the games. If you want to be a part of this team, consider a career as a video game developer.

Video game developers design fun and interactive video games. A lot of pieces have to come together to make a game. For instance, there's the story, graphics, game mechanics, music, and AI. Developers' tasks depend on which of these areas they focus on.

Game designers plan every detail of the way a game is to be played. They decide on core features like structure, mechanics, and rules. They create design documents for how a player progresses through the game. These diagrams are like blueprints of the game. Designers also come up with the levels, missions, and challenges that players must complete. For example, if a player needs to solve a puzzle before moving on, a designer creates it.

Some designers come up with the whole concept for a game. They dream up the story, setting, and characters. In these cases, they may oversee the writers and artists who bring their ideas to life. They also have to pitch their concepts to clients or their employers.

Writers help create a compelling story for the game. They write the on-screen text, dialogue, and voiceovers. They also create character profiles and write any event scenes. Sometimes they write the script based on a plot they get from the designer.

Artists and animators come up with the look of a game. Artists create storyboards and concept art for the game. They also design characters and backgrounds. The work they do can help to establish the mood of the game. For example, dark colors and shadows can add to the gritty feel of a crime game. Artists may also create 3D models of characters using special software. This allows animators and programmers to bring the character to life.

Some artists focus on only one area of the game. For instance, some just design the environments in the game. Others may work on textures, making sure skin, hair, and fur look as real as possible.

Animators inject life into the characters by animating these models. They also design moving special effects, like ocean waves or laser beams. They are experts at making sure all the movements in the game are believable.

Of course, programmers are at the heart of the game development. They write the code that makes the game playable. They create the engine that the game runs on. They also make sure the on-screen action corresponds to players' input. The game needs to respond to the touch from a keyboard, mouse, or controller. When a player pushes the jump button, the right character better jump!

Programmers also deal with the game's AI (artificial intelligence). They program the logic and rules that tell the computer how to respond to the action inside the game. For example, when a player attacks an enemy, the computer responds with a counterattack. Programmers figure out all the possible outcomes of an interaction. They then program the computer to "play" the game with the player.

Programmers also handle the game physics. They make sure things move and fall the way they do in real life-or the way they should in the game's world.

Musicians or sound designers take care of the music. They also make sound effects, like fighting noises and scary voices. Their role is often unnoticed, but it is very important. Without sound effects, the game will not seem realistic.

Play testers play prototypes and unfinished games. They try to identify any bugs or problems with a game before it's released to the public. Producers or project managers oversee the entire process. They make sure the game is finished on time and on budget.

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 16:38, 17 June 2021 (UTC)

indie developer section has obsolete info?

the section says:

"other indie game developers create game software for a number of video-game publishers on several gaming platforms.[citation needed] In recent years this model has been in decline; larger publishers, such as Electronic Arts and Activision, increasingly turn to internal studios (usually former independent developers acquired for their development needs)"

The bold part seems highly suspect to me and the source for the last sentence is from 2004. Steam was first released in 2003 and xbox live arcade was only announced in 2004, so digital distribution was still in its infancy at the time, and AFAIK the affordable/free accessibility of quality game engines, assets, and other dev tools was just starting out (unity's first release was 2005), so the indie boom was a good ways off at the time. I'm pretty sure this claim is therefore crazy obsolete, esp given the insane glut of indie games and devs that eventually led to the 'indiepocalypse'.

(am not a regular contributor so i prob won't be back to continue conv. just thought i'd point this out in case one of you noble wiki editors agrees and feels like doing an update - else just delete this if i've somehow missed this trend and this is inaccurate). 192.131.249.109 (talk) 23:24, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Should not be listed as a software developer as it creates confusion

A video game developer isn't one who writes code despite beliefs of this outside of the industry. A game developer is anyone who works to build a game. A game that could be physical and thus require zero programming at all. A video game developer is a subset of game developer specifically dealing with those who build games with electronics. This whole article seems to be focused on comparing it to software developers and programmers. As software developer points to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_development#Workforce which then states "Other job titles for people with similar meanings include programmer, software analyst, or software engineer." which seems to suggest the whole blurb before it is only applying to software development companies. So either we should section off this page from software developer or include "producers, project managers, artists, or designers" in that similar meaning list. Either the term software developer on an individual level means "programmer" or means "anyone who builds software" but leaving it ambiguous means that the term video game developer is left ambiguous where the industry standard for the term is to include everyone on the team. If you go into a game's credits, you are a game developer. Let's have Wikipedia reflect the industry standard. MJBrune (talk) 22:02, 7 December 2023 (UTC)

On Wikipedia we follow what the source says - so we cannot change the article based on your opinion of what the term means, we have to follow the sources we cite. And since we don't use Wikipedia as a source for itself, it does not matter what other Wikipedia articles state. So - find us a source (which meets WP:RS) that gives the definition you propose, and we can perhaps cite it. - MrOllie (talk) 22:19, 7 December 2023 (UTC)

I don't know a great way to point this out because something like the "Game Developers Conference" doesn't just have engineering or programming talks. https://gdconf.com/ and https://jobs.gamedeveloper.com/ includes jobs for anyone who works in the games industry. I assume this isn't really enough as they aren't direct sources on the definition of who is a game developer.

That said I don't feel like the current sources https://www.google.com/books/edition/Game_Development_and_Production/m5exIODbtqkC?hl=en&gbpv=1 and "Creating Games in maps for happy wills Mechanics, Content, and Technology. Wellesley, Massachusetts: A K Peters. p. 25." actually reflect what is being said on the page. They are just saying the process of making games is still that of software development, where software development as a process is different than the term software developer. The only articles I can dig up to support this cite back to this Wikipedia article creating a circular dependency of citation. MJBrune (talk) 23:29, 7 December 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Science Writing

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 30 January 2024 and 10 May 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): DerGeister (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Skylerkv.

— Assignment last updated by Skylerkv (talk) 14:44, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

Quality of life

Is there an updated number for what a game developer can I make on average because 2007 is more than a decade ago by now. Muffinman216 (talk) 03:31, 12 December 2024 (UTC)