I think the key here is "Control" we like to have control over what we are working/programming. It's kinda like the story I heard about airline pilots(I'm not sure if it's true) but they say most hate flying when they are just a passenger cuz they feel that they don't have any control of the aircraft and their lives if something was to happen.

I like game dev not just b'cuz of making the games, or the control. It's the thought of being in a real tight team. I mean, you're stuck with these guys for two years, you become really close to them... like family (sounds corny... but hey )

Also... it's the thought of being in a room filled with focus and skill... everyone is there not purely for money... but because they love the games, they love the project and the development. It feels like you're part of the "elite" where everyone respects each other for what they do.

Not to mention shipping it. Imagine walking into a gaming store, to see the game you've been coding on the shelf. Then imagine all these guys huddle around that part of the shelf, screaming "check this out... I heard that the guys there came out with this kickass a-life thing for the enemies... that's so whicked... i gotta buy a copy right now!" cool! You've just made some guy happier!

Then imagine you're in line for a burger at mcdonald's or whatever. And you overhear a couple dudes talking frantically about different strategies... it's like the game has taken over their world!

It's stuff like this that really gets me going... it's a dream, but i love it, and i'll always try my best to achieve it.

I once heard at gamescon, from a bunch of developers, "the only reason is just pure passion."

One of the main reasons I like it is you (the programmer) are like god! I mean you decide which person dies, how smart someone is, what the world looks like, is it raining. It is kind of like being an artist only an artist creates a world you can only look at and is hard to interpret. A game-programmer creates entire worlds that they can walk around in, communicate, and even die in. That is one of the main reasons i like it so much and of course the fact that it is addictive as hell!

PS is anyone else here in Hurricane Floyds path? I am and we are expected to get a direct hit here in Wilmington, NC. This would put us at the world record for direct hits (literally)! The past 5 years we have had more hurricanes then 49 of the states have had in 200 years. Well enough with the hustory lesson!

I program games during the day (and, of course, on into the night) professionaly and I count myself very lucky for it.
However, because of this, when I go home I find myself programming more academic ideas on projects which aren't strictly games related.
Do many/any professional games programmers here program their own games at night?

I'd just like to say I only program that which I am passionate about in my spare time. I guess that's the key.
In my professional life, while I love what I do, I tend to get less options about the specifics of my job, mainly because you all pitch in to get the work done and also due to the fact that it _is_ a job and you're paid for a service.

Not that I'd give it up for any other job in the world.....

Ok, this is a little rant just to see what people think...

Why do so many people want to get involved in the game development business? Most say "For the money" and "Because I love making games".

Ok, you want money - do business programming! You'll probably get more money, and you can actually fit a normal life between the working hours.

Oh, so you want to make games? Well, isn't it equally fun to do games in your sparetime? Join a open source project or gathering some friends to do it?

Conclusion... you'll get the money, AND you may choose when you want to work yourself to death with game development or not.

So why do you want to become a pro-game-dev-guy? Is it the I-wanna-be-a-rockstar-syndrome?

(don't kill me now...) :-)

Hmmm , programming for money I havent published(no do I intend to) . Fame hmmmm , I have been making games for the last 10 yrs and noone has ever played any of my games !
Did playing games inspire me ? No . Why do I make games ? Its part of legacy .

First of all, I like programming. I love solving problems and that is 98% of all programming. Why games instead of other stuff? Games are more fulfilling to me, and other non-programmers can appretiate what I wrote. If I wrote a really efficient database, very few non-programmers would be impressed.

I agree with you, except that if you write a really efficient database probably more professional programmers would be impressed than if you wrote an efficient 3d-engine for example.

If you just mean among programmers in the game-business, then I agree.

I actually enjoy both. I have found that the programming knowledge that I have gained from programming games has been indespensible in debugging business applications and vice versa. To me, I can always tell a true programmer from a visual-age-bought-my-skills-in-an-MCSE-book programmer. True programmers understand the data structures behind major business applications. Coding games(and some college) has given me this knowledge. It has proven usefull many times over. How many times have I run into a DBA that has no clue why a b-tree index works the way it does. Oh sure he is certified by Microsoft or Oracle, but the guy isn''t worth a thing. Game programming keeps me technically sharp and in focus.

My reply to the original post is two fold. Business applications do not have to be boring and in many cases they are not. I program games in my spare time because I have a family to feed. Funny thing is what has driven me to put together a business plan to do games full time, is my family. I figure I am going to program games no matter what because that is what I love to do. Why spend 40 - 50 hours a week doing business applications then. I would get to spend more time with my family if I was programming games. To do this requires a plan, and I have one. While I do not plan on getting rich from games, though the thought intrigues me, I do plan on supporting my family doing them.

Last comment, can we drop the idea that there is no money to be made in games? Why is the industry larger than hollywood? There is money in games. It is not Bill-Gates style money but who needs to be an 80 billionaire to consider themselves wealthy. You can be well supported through a living in games. I know my programmers make good money.

Kressilac

I like gameprogramming (3D ;-) because it very very very complex. Because I can create my own universe. Because... You know, You do the same.

Because there are many posts in this thread!!! :-)


-- fowrel