Video game development?

[Chicken Smitzel]

As a gamer and occasional novice modder, I have always wondered what it's like to be a full fledged developer.
Especially in light of Hytale which are essentially a group of people from minecraft who made minigames on custom servers and are now making their own game.

Anyone had experience with game development?
What's it like as a career and what does the day to day life of a developer consist of?

 

[Lynk Former]

I often wonder about this as well since I tend to write down ideas for the kind of games I'd like to see or "make in the future" but they're just ideas. Sometimes I even draw little images and even make sprites but they never really go anywhere aside from amusing myself on the idea.

Over the years, from people I've gotten to know, from articles I've read, etc, I have gotten a better idea of what it is to be an actual video games developer and it isn't as great as it seems on the surface for the most part... that is, if you align yourself with any of the big companies such as EA.

A lot of the time, the best idea seems to be in looking to become an independent game developer and while that's great, as a single person or a small group, it's difficult to get all the skills required to make a game happen.

So where do people begin and where do you go from there to actually make something happen? Personally, for me, my biggest hurdle is time... I've got so much other stuff going on that I don't have time to focus on making a game, at least, not for the extended periods that is required.

But maybe we have people here who have advise, even in a general "project management" sense that could offer something of value for those who want to know more.

 

[Kyuu]

Hnnngh.

Indie game making may seem harder because of lack of funds and time, but it's actually easier on your dreams, aspirations, other emotional stuff- and sanity.

Professional game development includes making a crapton of documentation which, if you've ever finished a capstone project in IT or similar fields then you can probably relate, just drains the life out of souls. The process involves familiarity with scriptwriting, storyboarding, pitching (as in sales pitch or storyboard pitch), level design, programming (using whichever engine your company chooses), audio cues and timing. Even if that is not the task assigned to you (for example, you're a level designer), you still need to know the other processes to some degree.

I have a colleague who is working on a 3D RPG for his masteral studies. Aside from the game engine which he had to change a few times due to "better" engines coming out, he also has to document everything as required by the program he's taking. Documentation isn't just little notes about your story and such; it's technical terminology and explanations.

 

[Lynk Former]

I think, another thing about game development that people tend not to talk about is how it was done back in the old days when hardware limitations were the things that sparked creativity in the medium.

For example, I found this video today on YouTube that highlights just the kind of things you need to do to optimise a game back in those days and create something unique and cool.