What Is a Game Developer and How to Become One

By ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team

As a game developer, you write the code for video game software. Your code, combined with the work of other developers, brings video games to life on computers and gaming consoles. Your responsibilities are to design core game features and to collaborate with a team of other developers, graphic designers, and artists. Your job duties include game testing, debugging, and production in all aspects of gaming—player character creation, non-player characters, backgrounds, and gameplay. Being a gamer yourself gives you a solid understanding of the importance of game mechanics and storytelling.

To become a video game developer, you need to be more than just an avid video game player. First, develop your high-level math skills. You need a solid understanding of trigonometry, physics, calculus, linear algebra, and algorithms. Get a bachelor’s degree in computer science, programming, or computer engineering, and take classes in object-oriented programming and design, game algorithms, computer graphics, and a variety of programming languages. Jobs in the game industry are incredibly competitive, so starting out with an internship is an excellent way to get an entry-level position with a game development company.

As an aspiring game developer, you need to major in computer programming, computer engineering, or computer science. Some universities offer degree programs specific to video game programming, but it’s still relatively uncommon as a stand-alone program. Majoring in a computer science field will give you training and skills in mathematical thinking, several programming languages, and basic software development concepts. Upon graduation, you’ll have the qualifications to work as a first-party developer for a console manufacturer like Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft, or as a second-party developer for a video game company like Bethesda, Bungie, or Blizzard.

As a game developer, you’ll use a variety of software and computer programming languages for different purposes. Software like Unity has features for game artists and game developers. Other popular software choices include Unreal, Photoshop, Maya, 3D Studio Max, and Sketchup 3D. Most video games are written in multiple programming languages that work together to produce the finished product. You can familiarize yourself with C++, C#, Objective-C, and Java. In a career as a game developer, you’ll always be learning new coding languages and new software as technology advances.

Job Summary

Our company is looking for a creative and collaborative Game Developer to join our team. In this role, you will collaborate with our game design team throughout the development cycle, utilizing the Agile approach to ensure our projects stay on schedule. You will also perform QA testing to ensure there are no issues with the user interface design or other components of the game before it goes to market. Our ideal candidate is an avid video game player with experience using Unity or Unreal game engines for software development.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Use game engines to build video games
• Write and debug software code
• Perform QA testing
• Collaborate with other developers and designers

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer engineering or computer science
• Experience using game engine environments for software development
• Experience with Agile software development
• Familiarity with programming languages, such as C#, C++, and Objective-C
• Familiarity with web development languages, including JavaScript and HTML
• Creative problem-solving skills