It seems to me that game programming is viewed as distinct from software engineering. As though being a game programmer allows you to “pound out code” until it works and stop. Game programmers learn to program “on the street.” Why worry about good design, or even learn about it? Just make an awesome game, dude! You can get a game programming job with all your “street” skills. But this can be a trap for many aspiring game developers.
What worries me is that potentially talented people get sucked up by the industry right out of college, or even before, and never see light of day again. They are stuck fixing disperate pieces of game logic with no education in design (formal or otherwise). Game companies seem to prefer throwing money at people who have enough experience to push another proven money maker out the door. People can be lost for years in this process only to come out with nothing but the skill to hack code onto an existing codebase in order to ship a product. A company’s willingness to give you money doesn’t imply you are a good programmer. Money is just an easy way to brute force problems.
In my opinion, being a great game programmer means being a great software engineer. It takes a great deal of experience and willingness to learn. A lot of that experience has to be self-motivated and external to school and work. Unless you get a job that pays you to read instead of programming. It’s the kind of experience you won’t get when you are told to rewrite player spawn logic for an existing engine.
My personal plan to becoming a good game programmer is this: Make sure your first full-time programming job is NOT in the game industry. Read books about programming, design and software engineering. Personally, I’ve found that the education I paid for was sorely inadequate in this regard. If you really want a job in the industry, make sure it’s a very good opportunity where you can continue learning. If the company culture encourages continued learning, even better.
Game programming is HARD. It’s taken me years just to begin to see that I am capable make real game technology. As long as you keep learning how to become a better programmer you only become more capable of making a great game.
How inspirational.