How to Become a Video Game Programmer

Last Updated: September 21, 2021

Video games are extremely popular amongst adults as well as children. Many of them are so very engrossed and fascinated with the game that they want to learn to program it on their own. Another attraction about learning video game programming is that it can be a lucrative career. If your game is a success you can be a millionaire. In case you too have developed a die-hard passion for this tech game so much so that you want to become a video game programmer yourself, here are some instructions on how you can make your own video game. If you are sincere and hard working, you definitely can learn video game programming. Keep confidence in yourself.

Steps

1
Be informed: Talk to your peers, senior, visit campuses or read online and offline magazines on video game programming such as 'Gamasutra' or 'Gameslice' to get a knack of the field you are considering to enter. Also find out what training and skills are a must if you wish to become a pro in the field.
2
Know where your skills lie: Video game programming has grown enormous in size, it is kind of becoming something like movie-making where different set of professionals are required to make the perfect picture. Video game productions involves level designers to make it more fun, programmers to write the source-code and scripts, 3D modelers to craft the player and artists to design the box and advertising materials. Know where your specialization lies and take a course accordingly.

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3
Get yourself the desired training: If you are serious about learning video game design invest in a training course that offers hands-on training on video game production. These days, you can also enroll yourself for online courses in schools such as UAT Online Game Degree and DeVry University.
4
Get friendly with commercially available game engines: Commercially available game engines like 'Cry Engine', 'Radiant', 'Source' and 'Unreal' Engine come along with the games. These let you create your own characters, levels and maps. You can take help of video tutorials and online documents to learn how to work on these game engines.
5
Learn programming: This is fundamental if you want to pursue video game programming professionally. Knowledge of programming languages such as C++, one of the most popular language used in gaming is a must to understand the intricacies of video game programming. If you are beginning, consider taking a course in 'DarkBASIC', this language is highly recommended for the programming beginners. You can also consider taking a course in Microsoft Visual Basic that teaches you to learn programming for Windows operating systems.
6
Adapt problem-solving attitude: Video game programming requires good degree of patience and perseverance. You’ll encounter several problems; you should develop an attitude to solve these problems in a calm and composed manner.
7
Practice as much as you can: Video game programming cannot be learnt in a jiffy. Do practice as much as possible to get into the programming mode. Start with basic level games and then move on when you achieve perfection in that level. Take help of books, online tutorials to develop your skill and achieve mastery in programming.
8
Learn to make your own video game in summer camps: These days, several summer camps are organized that teach you video game design and video game programming. So you can also get some summer learning on video game programming as well.
9
Contact the right people. Try to look for local programmers in your area. If you do not know any local programmers, try to contact these programmers that are able to help:
10
If this doesn't work, try searching Google for programming freelancers.

Community Q&A

Question

I'm 14 and I'm learning unity C# by Udemy. Is this is good start or not?

Nate H

Community Answer

Yes, it's a great start. However, you may want to look into real life classes. Ask your parents or guardian about it.
Question

How many years does it take to become a video game designer?

Giorgio Matessi

Community Answer

Depending of how high in rank you want to go (ex. flash games to working at Ubisoft), it will take 2-6 years of university and a few years after that to become a designer.
Question

Can you suggest some websites I can use to learn how to program?

Community Answer

Scratch is a good site that teaches kids ages 10 and up the basics of coding and video game design, with many courses. If you're looking for something a bit less childish, try Khan Academy, which has courses on coding with JavaScript, and website building with HTML. Try searching for coding websites that may teach a more advance language, such as C#. But remember to start with basic programming if you're just starting out.

Warnings

Be sure of what you are doing and ask yourself whether you want to do it or not.

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Helpful 95 Not Helpful 10
Don't be in a hurry, learn gradually.

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Being a video game programmer is a lot more about coding and making something work by the designers' command rather than actually seeing the game crafted in your image. in other words, you don't exactly "make" games. It's teamwork from everyone in the company that "makes" the game. So if you're not determined to face a computer screen for hours a day with lines of code that you either create or debug for most of your career, then you may need to choose another path.

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If you rush in any areas of a programmer, this may affect your learning greatly. Take slow and take in what you learn.

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