So You Want to Build a Video Game: A Guide to Get You Started, Pt 1

Many of us are passionate about making video games, but for those just getting started there can be a steep learning curve. The purpose of this series is to provide advice to those who have yet to dive into their first project and try to keep them passionate about completing it.

Landing a job in the world of professional game development can be a very difficult endeavor. Some might say that the current economic downturn has made this goal even more challenging. With many experienced people out of work, competition for the small amount of positions available has increased, which makes it hard for inexperienced candidates to compete. Additionally, some applicants forget that working in the industry is still about making and selling a product. While we praise new technology and innovative ideas, it is important to remember that it is a product driven industry and it is not all fun and games.

So do you have an idea for the next great video game? Is a diverse population of consumers going to be thrilled and entertained by your product? Are they going to rave about it online and be captivated for years to come? Do you only need to write the code, create the art, produce the score, and generate the funds to pay for marketing? Yeah, me too. Yet there is a common solution to these problems: hard work.

Building a topnotch independent product is about assembling the right skills and sticking with it long enough to complete the project. If you are just starting out, one of the biggest hurdles you will face is having the fortitude to stick with a complex idea long enough to see it properly executed. This series of articles will hopefully impart to a novice developer a few jewels of wisdom that I have discovered over several years of working on my personal indie projects. I hope to make things a little easier for those of you just starting out.

Jewel 1: No matter what position you desire in the gaming industry you will need to properly display your skills, articulate your experiences, and have some kind of portfolio.

If you are already a busy full-time person (student, job, family, etc…) then building your portfolio can be one of the hardest things to do, but your ability to demonstrate your skills and articulate them to your future employers is paramount.  Your portfolio should be full of your best completed work – not a collection of unfinished projects. I have spoken to several sources (both professional and independent) and they all agree that unfinished projects do not count. Sorry.  Additionally, it is important to be able to describe your meaningful contributions to group projects. That is to say, if you add a group project to your credits, you need to be able to explain in detail what you contributed (and it better be substantial).

Many of my professional acquaintances have developed their own websites, which showcase their skills in a very powerful way. These online portfolios display finished projects like detailed 3D rendered models of game assets as well as concept art. Often they walk you through the process of taking something from concept to final product in a visual synopsis. Some of the best portfolios of programmers I have seen contain lists of games they have worked on, screen shots of the final products, technical synopses, and the all-important download links.

In my humble opinion, an in-game video and some code snippets from interesting parts of your games would not be bad to include as well. Running a professional blog is a good format for this sort of content and can be seen as a way that you are contributing to the community. We all love stumbling on someone’s blog that explains how they got through a difficult problem that we ourselves are struggling with. Although these efforts may not always be looked at by potential employers, it may help build your web presence.

Modern technologies like WordPress make creating professional websites, blogs, and portfolios easy once you have the content. Utilizing these technologies also shows your ability to expand your skill set while taking advantage of available tools. Establishing a web presence can also help raise people’s interest in you and your projects. You should be sure to include you contact information and even a preview of your resume as part of your online marketing efforts. All of this effort, while being educational, will provide you with talking points during networking activities with potential employers and collaborators alike. You should expect to put ample time into your online portfolio; unfortunately, time is the one resource you always need more of.

I don’t mean to make it sound like there is no fun to be had. It feels really wonderful to see bits and pieces of your ideas come together on the screen. It can be an even better experience if you share it with others in a small team environment. The key takeaway here is to approach each project as a chance to showcase your skills as a potential portfolio piece. The first goal of any project you start should be to complete it. If you find that you are still passionate after you have completed a few personal projects, contributed to a few others, and developed an online portfolio then you have very likely selected the right career path. Remember there are lots of opportunities out there, great people to work with, and a lot of fun to be had while putting in the hard work. You next biggest challenge may well be selecting the opportunity that is the best fit for you.

Next Time: So you have a great idea for a video game, what do you do with it? A brief discussion of game design and fleshing out your idea so you can get working.

About the Author: Matthew Mauriello is currently a graduate student studying human-computer interaction and social computing at the University of Maryland while also working in career services. He has been involved in independent game development since 2005, while working as a programmer in various industries. He is also a member of the International Game Developers Association (DC Chapter) and the Association for Computing Machinery. This article is exclusively the opinions of the author and any questions or comments can be directed to mattm401@umd.edu, you can also follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mattm401.