Are you considering embarking on a career as a game developer? Here's your guide to become a computer game developer.
So, a couple of things that we should look at: what kind of mind do you need to become a game developer and what do you need to study? With that in mind, let's take a look.
Personality
Game development is hard. There is a huge amount of competition in the field, with as much as 70% of programmers having considered going into game development at some point. This means that you'll need to be comfortable dealing with the competitive nature of the field.
Additionally, game developers are often required to work very long hours, sometimes more than 60 hours per week.
Of course, the creative side of game development needs to be discussed as well: you'll have to think outside the box to solve problems, especially if you're going to be dealing with AI, artificial intelligence.
So if you want to become a game developer you'll need to be competitive, hard-working and creative. Game development also requires strong programming and mathematics abilities, so you'll absolutely have to have those down pat.
And that leads quite nicely to the next part of this article: what do you need to study to become a computer game developer?
Study Options
Obviously, in order to get into the field of game development you'll have to study programming. Fortunately, South African universities have some great Computer Science programmes.
The University of Cape Town is the only university to offer a degree in Computer Game Development. This major has to be taken concurrently with Computer Science and only starts in the 2nd semester of 2nd year: that gives you plenty of time to hone your skills.
Stellenbosch University may not offer a degree in Game Development but they do have a very strong Computer Science department and that can provide you with a solid foundation for becoming a developer.
Many other South African universities and colleges also offer Computer Science:
- Unisa
- Rhodes University
- University of Pretoria
- Varsity College
- SAE Institute
- Academy of Digital Arts
So there you have it: how to become a Computer Game Developer. Once you've got your degree, you'll want to start applying for jobs at major game development companies and then you'll be on your way to a bright future.
