Day in the life of
Game Developer – Alexander Clark
As an independent game developer, you end up tackling lots of different assignments day by day. Some days are in-depth coding sprints, working on the backend development and code for the next feature. Other days can be more focused on creativity building – crafting the unique worlds and characters that make up your games.
Most of the time is taken up by the polishing, bug fixes, and refinement that comes with releasing a quality title. It’s easy to crunch out and create new content, but much harder to ensure that everything runs smoothly once integrated.
Pros
One of the great things about being a game developer is that I get to work both sides of my brain… there are the challenging technical pieces, as well as the freeform creativity. It is harder in other industries to get the same range of assignments.
Cons
One of the hardest things about being in game development is that often it is ‘winner takes all’. Typically the only games making substantial money are the best-selling hits. It is really hard for titles that don’t get massive visibility to get a significant return on investment. That can make the industry brutal and sometimes cutthroat.
