So you want to be a games programmer? | Hacker News Reader

So you want to be a games programmer?

gamasutra.com

34 pointswallflower16 comments

The title is pretty inaccurate, the article is quite specifically about Graphics programming, not games programming.

Yeah, that kind of threw me off when I saw it. Title should be changed.

I apologize - working late on drop-dead client deliverable until wee hours, messed the title

It makes you wonder how the article reached 31 points..

Build a graphics demo? I say take it a step further and build an actual game. It doesn't have to be original or fun, it just has to work correctly. The idea is to learn the technical aspect of games. Most companies that will hire you already know how the rules of the game are going to go. You just have to implement them.

And if you do end up with an original game, or at a company that lets you help decide the rules, more's the better.

Most companies that will hire you already know how the rules of the game are going to go. You just have to implement them.

You are not going to be hired out of the gate as a "game designer". You will be a "game programmer". The designer is going to tell you want needs to happen and you just make sure it works.

From the title I was really expecting a thesis on long hours, crunch times, and no overtime pay. The title is way too snarky, even besides the games/graphics switcharoo.

I used to want to be a games programmer, and even got my name in the thanks section of a well-received published game programming book. Now I think it looks like an awful career.

Wow that is great! I've always wanted to make a FPS but never really tried. I've made flash games before and got stuck into PHP for 10years+

Now that I wanted to dig into a "real" language and make a videogame (minecraft effect). I've found by myself I should learn directX and install visual studio. And this article just reassure me in my choices.

Is there people here familiar with that type of programming? Is there great resource to learn how to directX and use visual studio in that direction?

I barely know C++ (I've studied C 1year in school and have notions in OOP). What should I do first? (I'm actually reading this : http://www.directxtutorial.com/ for directX 11)

Go to the forums at GameDev.net. There's just OBSCENE amounts of information curated there over the 10+ years of it's existence.

http://gamedev.net/index

If you're not specifically interested in learning the bowels of DirectX, you might be better off starting with C# and the Xna framework from Microsoft. It gives you a much simpler API to work against, and the use of managed code means you can really worry about designing and implementing a game instead of developing the details of rendering, audio, input handling, and asset pipelines.

You still get all of the great DirectX abilities without all the headaches of C++ and the DX API. It's a hell of a lot less verbose to boot.

Edit: with a small fee, you can then also use Xna to develop and release titles for the Xbox 360 without having to rewrite everything in C++ and DX9.

There's surprisingly few pointers here related to actual graphics programming, that is, the math that's involved, physics you need to know, color programming fundamentals (gamma, colorspaces, etc.), hardware support and GPU programming, etc.

Exactly. Can you elaborate? Give some resources. I mean, if you have some :)

Indeed. Meh. It's akin to a "how to become a doctor" article that says "get into a good school, get an internship, learn something about biology, diseases, office management, and tort law, and make a portfolio of dissections you've done; might want to glance at a couple websites too."

In the same space he could have provided a comprehensive checklist of topics to learn.

I've always wanted to be a games programmer. Even wrote a few game engines and one or two completed poc games. The point that I find the most intriguing is that It's one of a precious few fields where a programmer could get widespread exposure for something creative.

Everyone can relate to a game compared to "a clever implementation of x doing y with z".

So wait, I don't just go to one of those community colleges and tighten up the graphics on level 3?

Does being a graphics programmer and a game programmer always go hand in hand? Would there be a role at a game studio for a smart programmer with solid experience (say in web dev) but little graphics knowledge? Perhaps ai or higher level gameplay scripting?

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