I was a potential game developer until I sat down and thought one day. Is it really wise to get into a career that I hear is highly competative, low-paying (unless you make a good market product), and overall extremely risky? And, to top it off, I''m behind in my math. I hear people being in Calculus three, making and finishing Doom clones at like age 13, and I''m in Trig for my second semester of college, and have never honestly finished a hardcore project. To be honest, I''m scared sh**less. Here I was, programming since I was eight, hoping to develope a game some day. I started a project at age 13, it failed. I revived it just about every year until this one, all of which have failed. I have a strong developed story, several chunks of VB code, and 3 CDs full of outstanding music. That''s not enough to make a game out of... It was a simple 2D game, and we couldn''t even remake pong when we tried. So, I kinda lost my faith. Though, I really have no idea what other career I can choose. It feels as if my life is basically over. Am I right? I mean, I''m good at math, but behind on the courses, understand code pretty well, though I didn''t realize how much better C++ was until two years ago, and the four times I''ve tried my project, they gradually fallen apart. Is GameDev a highly competative market that requires the programmers that have been somehow... gifted and able to make game since they were 12 by themselves?! According to some threads and such on these very bored, by now I should be knowing all the tricks behind openGL and vectors/matrixes and only God knows what else. Is this accurite? Can you honestly say I still have a chance at actually making to successful project?

Don''t worry too much about it. It''s difficult to finish _anything_ when you''re treating it has a hobby. Try the following experiement:

Code a tetris clone in 3 months. Set a very firm deadline, at which point you''ll have the thing _complete_. Cut or scale down features to make the deadline as it approaches. Just complete the project.

If you can do this, you can finish anything. If you can''t, fight tooth and nail to get a part time job or an internship programming. Once you learn a bit more about coding disciplinem structure, and design practices, try it again.

The math is really only important for the guts of engine or physics programming. There''s a lot more _game_ programming than that. And if you show any aptitude, you still have plenty of time to learn it.

It sounds to me like you might have decent programming skills for someone in their frosh year of college, but you just don''t have the design or software engineering knowledge to architect a project.

I don’t think it''s ever too late to start doing game development. The ONLY requisite skill that I see being necessary to succeed is a stubborn refusal to quit when you get stuck. With that attitude you can learn just about anything, code just about anything. Given enough time and effort just about anything is achievable. That''s the beautiful thing about programming; you only have to get it right once I got a 2.0 in my Linear Algebra class in college, yet I was able to implement a backpropigatoin neural network from scratch, all the matrix classes etc. These crazy 13 year old kids are no exception, they decide they know what they want to do and invest every effort into researching and learning how to do it.

With regards to salary though, you’re right, it''s a pretty bleak prospect. In my opinion it has to be a labor of love

quote: Original post by Ironside
I don’t think it''s ever too late to start doing game development. The ONLY requisite skill that I see being necessary to succeed is a stubborn refusal to quit when you get stuck.

...

In my opinion it has to be a labor of love

How true!



Graham Rhodes
Senior Scientist
Applied Research Associates, Inc.

1. Most 13 year olds (hell, most anyone) who start a "Doom" clone never finish it. Of course, they *talk* like they did more than type in code from a LeMothe book, but, in reality, that''s most often all that happend. Or they downloaded a 3D engine like Garage Games Torque and made a couple of minor changes to the demo.

2. There are FAR MORE people who use the word "quaternion" in a sentence than (a) have any real clue what quaternions are useful for or (b) even need to know what they''re useful for. The usefulness of even a passing knowledge of higher mathematics is ''way overstated.

3. More important than the language you use for your project is that you actually define what your project is, and stick to it until it''s done. Resist the impulse to just keep adding feature after feature until even a Pong clone has a scope resembling EverQuest and becomes impossible for a small team to complete.

4. This really has nothing to do with the "Business of Game Developer", but I''m feeling generous today...


DavidRM
Samu Games

quote: Original post by DraconicArchmage
I was a potential game developer until I sat down and thought one day. Is it really wise to get into a career that I hear is highly competative, low-paying (unless you make a good market product), and overall extremely risky?

Can you honestly say I still have a chance at actually making to successful project?

Of course you have a chance! It''s up to you to jump on the opportunity to seize it though. Fate won''t determine your ultimate outcome -- you will.

It sounds like you''ve swallowed some limiting beliefs. Find a career that isn''t highly competitive and risky, and you''ll have a "job," not a career.

You''ll always be able to find someone who''s ahead of you in some area. Even Michael Jordan didn''t make it onto his high school basketball team when he first tried out. The best way to overcome fear is to focus on your desire. If you cultivate a burning desire within yourself, you''ll be so focused on your goals that you won''t have time for fear. People only experience fear and doubt when they take their eyes off their goals.

If you fall in love with making games, then all the hard work becomes painless. You''ll do it because you enjoy the process, not just the end result. You''ll realize that competition is a good thing because it helps keep you sharp. I for one am very grateful there''s so much competition -- it guarantees that I keep getting better.

As for risk, that adds spice to the game of life. A person who takes no risks leads a very hollow existence. Taking risks builds courage.

So don''t fear things like competition and risk. Be grateful for them! Imagine how bad all the games would be if there was little competition and we all played it safe when designing new games. Instead of worrying about these things, learn to thrive on them. As Andrew Carnegie once said, "Put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket."

If you''re still having doubts, read this article on Cultivating Burning Desire.

Since you ask whether or not it''s "wise" to go after a career in game development, consider this: Is it better to make such an important life decision from a state of fear or from a state of faith?


Steve Pavlina
Dexterity Software
www.dexterity.com

quote: Original post by DavidRM
4. This really has nothing to do with the "Business of Game Developer", but I''m feeling generous today...

Is this a fair thing to say about DraconicArchmage''s post? Are things like risk, ability and commitment not relevant to the Business of Game Development? To sell a product you need a product to sell, and that''s where these concerns come in.

I know how you feel, DraconicArchmage. As much time as I've spent learning about computers and computer programming, I still don't know enough to complete the kinds of games I'd like to make. On top of that there are external obstacles such as obtaining the necessary development tools, finding people to work on your game, and finding a publisher who is willing to sell your game without screwing you over. All these are valid concerns to indie game developers, and it's hard to commit wholeheartedly to a thing that seems so fraught with obstacles, both internal and external.

I wish I could offer solutions, but I've yet to succeed at completing a major game project.

[edited by - chronos on April 3, 2002 9:58:24 PM]

Thank you everyone, honestly I mean it. Sometimes it''s hard to keep that faith when you''re confronted with so many obstacle in your path. It gets overwhelming, really.

Just to back up what others have said.
I have finished 5 shareware/ retail games and am currently working full time on an xbox title.
Not only do I not know what a quarternion is, I never intend to find out. The bloke sat next me knows all about them so there are no problems. The kind of games I like don''t use that fancy stuff anyway.
And worse than that, I don''t even understand matrices very well either.
So don''t think that you need to know that stuff to make games. And all those commenst about mouthy 13 year olds are SO TRUE!

http://www.positech.co.uk