The World Of Software Is Full Of Different Jobs, Each With Its Own Charms. However, Game Programming Has Its Own Atmosphere, Because It Is Not A Tedious Job, And You Are Always In Touch With A Dynamic And Motivated Team Of Professionals, Each With Skills.

Game Development, They have their own, and to complete the project, they must interact closely. Every video game that is made requires a programmer or a team of programmers.

In general, programmers write code that gamers use to perform certain tasks in the game.

Typically, a programmer’s daily activities in gaming companies include coding game features, fixing game bugs and bugs, and interacting with designers and professionals.

Developers need to make sure that designers and other team members can use the features and tools they have designed and that the modules they design meet the needs properly.

Accordingly, programmers need to understand the concepts and sprints that designers give them during the session and devise a solution to implement them.

These solutions must optimize, so that system resources are not wasted, and the final product can run on a wide range of devices equipped with different hardware.

Programmers play a key role in game development teams. While screenwriters and graphic design designers are in the media spotlight, the programmers prepare all the underpinnings to deliver the final product to the end consumer without difficulty.

Who is a video game programmer?

A video game programmer is a software developer who has comprehensive information on coding video games and how to turn ideas into video games. A video game developer can take on all the tasks on their own or work for a large company. Developers working alone are known as freelance developers and typically make indie games.

A game developer may specialize in coding for a video game console (such as Nintendo, Xbox, Sony PlayStation 4) or building games for various platforms such as PCs and mobile devices.

Video game developers specialize in making certain styles of games, such as role-playing or sniper games. In contrast, others focus on adapting games to different systems or translating games from one language to another. The important thing to note is that most developers work for game studios, and it is rare for a developer to work alone.

How to become a computer game programmer?

Every user interested in the world of technology has the chance to become an expert computer game programmer. However, if you are looking for a well-known and principled path, you should take a regular and calculated step in this area.

To get an accurate understanding of this field, let’s first look at the known options. People who are interested in gaming are usually divided into two groups.

The first groups are students and young people in the community who like to take this path. The second group is people interested in computer game programming whose field of study is unrelated to computer science or who do not want to study related topics academically. Learn. First, let’s move on to the first group.

First group

Students interested in learning game programming

At the lowest level with the support of the Ministry of Education and the National Computer Games Foundation of the school of game makers at http://irangdi.ircg.ir/  Have. Launched in the Shad Education Network, the school is a joint venture between the National Gaming Institute, the National Computer Games Foundation, and the Ministry of Education.

In this school, important topics of playmaking are presented to students with a focus on the indigenousness of games. The educational content compiled in this institute will be available to the members of this channel through the playmaking channel Farda in Shad Student Network. Just enter the channel of Shad Educational Network and search for the address @bazisazan to access the channel of this school and its educational content.

This is the first step in learning the basics of playmaking, best suited for students under 16 years of age.

If we take a step forward, we have a vocational school for students interested in this field. The field of computer game programming consists of 111 hours of training, including 42 hours of general skills, 4 hours of basic skills, 56 hours of technical skills, and 9 hours of non-technical skills.

In addition to general courses, students in this field have passed five job skills standards. They have important skills such as scratch programming, computer skills (LCDL), computer user skills, office user skills, illustrator skills, and basic motor gameplay skills.

Unity acquires e-Citizen skills, Android user skills, computer game programming skills, e-marketing skills, Poser skills, and Gimmont Manager skills. After graduation, it is also possible to continue their studies in the associate degree at the Comprehensive University of Applied Sciences, Azad, and the Technical and Vocational University in the related field.

Most people, however, prefer to pursue a bachelor’s degree in software engineering or information technology.

The University of Applied Sciences accepts undergraduate students in the three majors of computer game technical associate, computer game art directing professional associate, and computer game design and directing professional associate in the student art group. For more information on this address  Visit https://www.uast.ac.ir/.

Of course, depending on the type of diploma, you have to pass the compensatory courses mentioned in the manual. Students must pass 72 credits in the technical associate degree program in computer game development. The topics in this field are shown in Table 1.

If you have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and are interested in the world of gaming, we suggest you enroll in software engineering or computer science and then move on to gaming.

In the master’s degree, for the first time in 2014, a new trend called the production of computer games was approved.

This trend is part of the computer arts discipline.

Therefore, in the master’s degree, you must enroll in the master’s degree entrance exam for art. At the time of writing, only Tabriz University of Islamic Arts accepts students in computer arts with a tendency to produce computer games.

Computer art education is project-oriented, focusing on the production of computer games, and about 60% of its courses are offered in a practical and workshop manner.

The second group

Enthusiasts in the world of game programming

The second group is people who do not have a degree in computer science or related disciplines but are interested in game programming. These people can learn specialized tips through educational institutions. Of course, you have to keep in mind that game development is a difficult process. Studying at a university can help you learn the basics of programming.

For example, software engineering students learn good information about programming languages ​​such as C #, C ++, Java, data structures, and algorithms during their undergraduate and graduate studies.

However, not all of the basics of the job market are taught in universities, and you have to work harder to gain skills. Here’s how to put one together for use with your gaming experience.

1. Fluency in English 

First of all, think about learning English. If you start learning game programming without focusing on learning English, you will encounter various problems along the way, as most of the resources are in English and, in addition, the associations of experienced programmers are in English.

2. Learning high-level math skills 

One of the interesting definitions of programming is that programming is the design of mathematical equations and formulas to force computers to do certain things. Game developers need a high level of math skills to succeed.

To get started, it’s a good idea to move on to high school math topics in trigonometry, physics, and arithmetic, and then focus on learning linear algebra and basic algorithms. For example, when designers present their patterns and schemes and are about to design a bridge or building in a game, you run into problems if you do not know math basics.

3. Receive a valid certificate

If for any reason it is not possible to go to university, I suggest you go to educational institutions or technical and vocational centers and get a degree related to computer science. Fortunately, some institutions offer game programming training courses, and in the end, give participants a valid certificate.

A report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that software and game developers often have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or computer engineering.

These institutions teach a programming language (CiplusPlus), math topics, object-oriented design, game algorithms, computer graphics, and network basics.

4. Learn programming

Learning one or two programming languages ​​is your main skill. However, instead of just memorizing commands, you should think about learning the structure and syntax of programming.

Choose a programming language like Java, CiplusPlus, C #, or Python and learn it online. There is a fixed rule for learning programming languages, so you should think about learning the basic concepts of variables, loops, functions, inheritance, exception handling, and the like. Then prepare a simple game without graphics.

For example, you can design and implement a text game.

By doing this, you will learn how to code to make games. Next, you need to learn the concepts of data structure and algorithms. One of the reference books in this field is CLRS. Learn the structures and behaviors and learn exactly how to calculate the temporal and spatial complexity of algorithms.

Next, go to the algorithm and solve the problem and solve different problems using different algorithms.https://codeforces.com/ is one of the good sites for reading different problems and solving them.

Cypress and Cyprus are usually the two main options in this area. So if you have no basic knowledge of these languages, look for titles on the Internet such as Intermediate and Advanced in connection with these languages.

In addition, it is best to get general information about the assembly language. After mastering the above languages, you will have the opportunity to go to the game engines. Choose a free engine and build some prototypes using it.

5. Create a portfolio

The most effective way to get the attention of game development studios is to make a few games and prepare a portfolio. According to the senior technical staff of Blitz Games studio, a simple game or, to be more precise, a work sample should include several stages, and a specific ending should be defined for it. The portfolio should encourage the audience to install the software and its requirements.

In addition, you should take pictures of important game scenes so that it is possible to evaluate the games based on them. If portfolios are not available for any reason, you can show your skill level to the game-making teams by referring to the pictures.

All portfolios you submit should come with original code so that studios can assess your level of coding skills. So I suggest putting notes in the main files when coding to determine what each block of commands you write does.

6. Look for situations that fit your skills.

Novice programmers have difficulty getting into the gaming industry because big studios are looking for experienced people. To get started, I suggest you go to smaller game studios first and prepare short, simple games for mobile devices and social networks. One way to gain a foothold in the competitive job market is to network on the blogs, forums, and websites that most game developers visit.

Sometimes it is possible to interact with professional users through sites and forums. You get the opportunity to publish your portfolio or send a resume for the ads on these sites.

Do not miss an internship to increase your chances of finding a good position. Internships provide the opportunity to gain the necessary, albeit brief, experience in less important positions and prepare for work in larger companies.

7. Think about becoming a software developer

Once you have enough experience in coding, you may be interested in developing application software. While some tasks overlap between the two situations, developers still spend most of their time designing and brainstorming games instead of coding.

8. Other ancillary skills

Based on these seven steps, you will have the chance to enter the world of computer games as a programmer. However, if you are looking for great job opportunities, in addition to these skills, you should also consider learning the following skills:

• Git: No programmer can design a great game independently and expect to be well received by users. A team of experts has designed great titles like DOOM, Farcry, and similar examples. So you have to think about learning Gate as a copy control software to upload your code to the Gate repository and see the changes made by other team members. 

• Design Patterns: A repetitive general solution to common software design problems. A design template is not a complete design that can directly convert into source code or machine; Rather, it is an explanation or template for solving a problem in different situations. Patterns are actually the best possible method that a programmer can use when designing a program to solve his problems.

• Artificial Intelligence: Almost all big game titles released in recent years have used artificial intelligence to succeed. Machine learning algorithms make the characters perform more attractive and natural in the game. 

• Databases: Databases are the key to the success of games. Databases should be designed to reduce the loading and storage time of the process and to complete the process of retrieving information from the storage media in a short period of time. 

• Computer Graphics (OpenGL and DirectX): DirectX is a suite of application programming interfaces (APIs) that handle multimedia environments on Microsoft platforms. Its special applications include programming computer games and 3D videos. OpenGL is a multi-platform software programming interface for 2D and 3D rendering. This programming interface is used to interact with the GPU and achieve accelerated rendering by hardware.

last word

At best, a few years ago, we saw a few cool game titles a week on the Steam Store, but now that number has risen to 20 games a day. In the past, gaming was something that few people specialized in, but thanks to advances in technology and the existence of game engines like Unity, any user can make a game.

So to be successful, you need to design a creative game that offers the best quality. Game developers are highly competitive in the job market, so you need to maintain your math and advanced coding skills and always have new portfolios.

In addition, do not forget that as long as you fail in getting basic-level positions, you will never be able to reach higher levels of this job.