A Day in the Life of a Game Programmer
Imagine playing video games for a living…for people with a strong interest in gaming technology, a career in game programming is truly the ideal job. Gaming giants Sony and Microsoft produce games for an avid and constantly demanding base of global consumers. The craving for fresh and exciting content is huge and game programmers with suitable experience and education are, therefore, constantly in demand.
Game programmers work for industry leaders, such as Sony and Microsoft, or for smaller organizations and commercial ventures. Game programmers create games for a wide range of niche interest areas including sports, adventure, action, horror, simulation, and science fiction. A game programmer translates the game design and premise developed by software engineers, artists, and writers into a functioning and workable game.
A coveted position with Microsoft may begin with cycling to work on a bike provided by Microsoft as an environmentally friendly bonus. Most Microsoft work hubs are in desirable living locations with good schools, nice housing, and a strong community feel. The work environment is comfortable with casual clothing allowed. Rigid adherence to the rules of hierarchy within the company is generally disregarded.
While game programmers have crunch periods where they work long hours, most days consist of an 8 hour day. Employers may be flexible about the usual 9 to 5 schedule and permit earlier or later hours.
The game programmer generally works in a small office, dominated by a whiteboard containing the project job list and overall goals. The game programmer uses his whiteboard to brainstorm and write code.
Game programmers often hit problems on the design journey and a large part of their job is problem solving. This can be an immensely frustrating process. Microsoft encourages an informal and supportive work environment and provides lounges, game areas, and even table tennis so programmers can have time out and return to work with fresh thinking.
The game programmer may focus on one particular detail in a game. Sometimes days or weeks are spent in improving a specific action. The game programmer’s comprehensive knowledge of linear algebra and algorithms is constantly utilized to solve problems.
A typical day for a game programmer may begin with a team meeting, followed by some intensive independent work on the computer.
Team meetings are vital and are a regular part of the game programmer’s working day. The lead programmer, who is usually in charge of developing the entire programming aspect of development, manages each member of the team and ensures everyone stays on track. Teams can comprise of up to 30 or 40 game programmers for a single project. Meetings focus on reviewing work completed to date and planning the next phase in the project.
When a video game is developed, there is a team of people who are responsible for various aspects. These groups include software design and development, artists and writers, programmers, and game testers. It is essential that each section communicates effectively, and a game programmer will spend much of his or her day responding to, and adjusting work, based on communications and feedback from all of the key players.
Game programmers are given a high degree of autonomy and spend much of their day alone writing code and problem solving. Game programmers consult with co-workers to brainstorm and discuss possible solutions to problems they encounter.
A game programmer spends the day writing, researching, and communicating. Strong math skills are required regularly throughout the day and teamwork skills are a continual feature of a programmer’s working experience. Most game programmers are passionate about their jobs and enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to work with the games they love.
