Hello and welcome. This week we think about the roles within game development, and the skills needed to take them on. As a warm-up activity, consider the following:
Figure 1: Skills Audit (2023)
Which of the seven game development skills in this module do you think you already have?
Like many of my peers, I consider myself a jack-of-all-trades indie developer. Although having said that, I do believe I thrive in some areas as opposed to others (see figure 1) - this is most likely down to personal preference/enjoyment and how long I've been practising the skill in question.
For instance, I believe that Programming (specifically, coding in C#) is my strongest skill in game development, followed by Game Design and Sound Design, respectively. This is because I have spent most of my time programming, although I enjoy learning about Game Design and Sound Design - I just don't do it as often as I code. Fortunately, my undergraduate introduced me to the seven themes of game development, so I have been practising the skills ever since.
Which of the seven skills are you most excited to learn? I'm most excited to learn and practise Level Design, Narrative Design, and Art Direction. Although I think it's good to be well-rounded, I am yet to produce a portfolio piece that focuses on these specific areas of game development.
Furthermore, my motivation to tackle Level Design comes from wanting to replicate the linear missions found in Halo: Combat Evolved (2001), as the environment is incredibly unique and has a special place in my heart. Moreover, my interest in Narrative Design and Art Direction has recently been triggered by sinking countless hours in Elden Ring (2022).
How do you know how good you are at each discipline?
The short answer is, I don't know! I've been developing games for six years with no industry experience, so I find it difficult to measure how good I am in a specific area (especially when game development keeps evolving and there are new things to learn every day). In my mind, level 1 is beginner, and level 10 is the industry standard. Like others have said, I wouldn't be surprised if I have overestimated or underestimated myself in a particular area.
Introduction to Game Design
In the lecture 'Introduction to Game Design', Dominique Starr breaks down the role of the game designer within a development team. Starr's presentation is incredibly insightful. However, I feel it is targeted at beginners rather than experienced developers.
Working with Game Engines
In this lecture, Iain Lobb examines one of the first major choices on any game project – choosing the right game engine. Lobb outlines Unity and Unreal as the main frontrunners of this decision whilst providing other more complex (or even niche) game engines, such as Lumberyard, GameMaker and Godot.
Approaches to Game Art
Figure 2: A Short Hike (2019)
Next, Iain Lobb compares different styles and techniques for creating indie game artwork as he presents the lecture 'Approaches to Game Art'. Lobb offers good advice to beginners looking to draw pixel art, such as if you are not comfortable with high-resolution art, then it is better to start small in scale (for example, 16x16) and work your way up!
Simple Art Styles
Figure 3: 5 GREAT Game Art Styles for BAD Artists
In the video '5 GREAT Game Art Styles for BAD Artists', Lost Relic Games outlines five techniques you can practice (aimed at beginners) to produce high-quality art (see figure 3). My main takeaway from the video is that you don't have to be the best artist in order to make a great game! A must watch!
Challenge Activity - Skills Audit (Unity)
Date: 1st February 2023
Use the template provided below to audit your current technical skills, and establish which new ones you need to learn (or find ways to work around). This is your chance to think realistically about how much is feasible to learn in the next 12 or so weeks, identify which skills you most want to focus on, and practise your ‘heutagogical’ skills – your ability to research and learn independently. This is a key strategy as a developer in the indie games industry, where there is often little formal training, and developers are expected to acquire new skills autonomously.
Below is a list of game features it is likely you will need to be able to implement, in order to complete your project. For each statement, either write:
CONFIDENT - if the statement applies to you.
Or if it doesn’t,
NOT YET - and paste a link to a resource you could use to research this topic eg a relevant tutorial video, blog post or software manual.
1. I can take mouse, keyboard, touch screen or gamepad inputs and use them to control objects in a game engine of my choice.
CONFIDENT
Resource link:
2. I can set up physics components (such as colliders and rigid bodies) in my game engine and trigger an event to happen when two game objects collide.
CONFIDENT
3. I can use code to spawn new objects while the game is running (eg create bullets).
CONFIDENT
4. I can set up an animation in my chosen game engine and control it with code and/or with a state machine.
CONFIDENT
Resource link:
5. I can use level design tools to block-out a level in my chosen game engine.
CONFIDENT
6. I can use my game engine’s pathfinding system (if it has one) to create enemies and NPCs that chase or follow the player.
CONFIDENT
7. I can code basic game logic (eg comparing two numbers) to create win and lose conditions.
CONFIDENT
8. I can configure particle systems to create different visual effects (eg fire, snow).
CONFIDENT
Resource link:
9. I can use appropriate software to create appealing character sprites or models.
CONFIDENT
10. I can use appropriate software to create atmospheric environment sprites or models.
CONFIDENT
Resource link: https://www.gamedev.tv/courses/category/Blender
11. I can create character animations, such as walking and jumping, and bring them into my game engine.
NOT YET
12. I can use appropriate software to design clear user-interfaces.
CONFIDENT
13. I can find/record/edit, sound effects and music.
CONFIDENT
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