I was reading through the UDK forums today and stumbled upon yet another post of “Its too hard, I give up.” So I wrote this reply. It pretty much sums up my opinion on people wanting to jump straight into the games industry with no idea what they are getting into.
It really surprises me the sorts of individuals the game industry attracts. Let’s be honest here, just because you really like playing games, and have a few ideas for your own games, doesn’t mean you should be a game developer.
On the other hand if you have some spare time, and an interest in 3d modelling, programming/scripting and a genuine interest in designing interesting gameplay mechanics… Then the path down the long and rocky road can begin.
In saying that I’m not saying you have to master modeling, animation, texturing, map design, lighting and programming… That would be impossible, but almost every modeler, animator, programmer etc has a basic understanding of all game development principles… At least in any triple A studio that develops their own IP, and most especially in successful indie studios.
Now, if you find yourself struggling with this, perhaps you have a strong interest but aren’t good at self-teaching, or maybe you like to be taught at first by a person and then go off on your own and experiment. Perhaps you cant read big chunks of text at a time and have trouble following tutorials… Then I highly recommend doing a formal degree at an institution, you can’t expect to just learn Everything you need to know just with a bit of elbow grease. Sure it can be done, but chances are the people that do are naturally smarter than you.
Design / Programming / Art Courses and Degrees focused on the games industry are a dime a dozen these days. And while it almost certainly wont land you a job in the games industry straight away, it will definitely help you on your path if you plan to take up indie development.