Video Game Development Skills

Here are 6 essential skills (and they are not all IT-related).

• Strong IT skills (programming, video graphics and hardware) 

To succeed in the world of video game design, you need to anchor your knowledge in software design and programming.

Beyond coding, you need to have a flair for design. As graphics and animation play a huge role in video games, game designers need to be familiar with character design, scenery design, and user interface design. Possessing the artistic and technical chops in these areas will help you to create a game that is vivid and life-life with realistic animation, helping it to stand out in the competitive marketplace.

• Problem-solving aptitude

Overcoming challenges and resolving technical glitches are part and parcel of a games developer’s everyday life. You need to have grit and patience when it comes to approaching problems, or debugging code. An ability to see things from different perspectives and fresh angles can also help in this regard.

• Time management skills

Video games these days are complex products with multiple moving parts. Often, they require multiple teams of artistic and technical professionals responsible for pulling different pieces together. To thrive in such an environment, you will need to be able to work well under pressure, learn to collaborate with others, and keep to project deadlines.

• Creativity and culture

To come up with original game ideas and dream up incredible virtual worlds, you need the spark of creativity. As this article describes, “Your creativity is what will make your games unique; it is your ‘competitive advantage’ in a market saturated with sameness.”

At the same time, you need to have an intimate understanding of cultural tastes and preferences. Although played with computers or other folks behind screens, a game is at its core, a human activity and a cultural product. This article by The Atlantic elaborates, “Game designers, who must capture and retain players’ attention and interest quickly, need to understand human psychology and culture.”

• Communication skills

Communication belongs to the domain of soft skills, an area often overlooked by programmers and technical folks. To succeed as a games designer, however, you will need to communicate your vision and ideas to other project team members like visual artists, producers, music and sound effects specialists, and marketers.  

• Stay abreast of industry developments

As a game designer, you need to genuinely love games, and play them often. Beyond being a gamer, you need to also keep yourself updated on what is happening with competitors and the gaming world in general.

The best ideas often come from existing elements of other games. The more you absorb and play and tear apart, the more you will know what makes a game click with its audience. This helps you to refine and improve your own game ideas and designs