The secret life of a games programmer: I’ve lived my dream and it came up short

[Onkel Neal]

The secret life of a games programmer: I’ve lived my dream and it came up short

At the age of 11, I wrote my own version of Space Invaders. Someone I met on the internet who I knew only as “Mit” (it was a more trusting time) gave me the code. I muddled my way through the logic of enemies sliding back and forth, collisions and player controls, and after a few weeks was completely hooked. I loved playing computer games, and now I could make my own: I knew that I definitely wanted to become a games programmer.

Very interesting article, sheds new light on the challenges of creating good games.

[Chad]

While not a professional game developer, I am a programmer and feel his pain of having ideas hit you in the darkest of night, and he described me perfectly at my desk during the day as the guy with 'headphones on and frowning at the computer screen'.

I have gotten out of the time crunch for the most part becoming a consultant. No long overtime hours without being compensated, no production support if issues come up and they need to get in touch with someone, and definitely no waterfall approach to the SDLC.

The hot new thing is AGILE, or shorter durations of development with presence of the business owner interacting nearly every day. This allows quick feedback to change your direction if needed without spending months working on something to show them before it goes to production to find out it was all wrong.

[Chad]

This is an editorial based on a programmer's position, I wonder if different team members feel the same way? Artists, designers, producers etc? Are indie developers under some of the same pressure and in that case is the pressure artificially created or from an outside source?

This could also apply to modders now that I think about it

[Eichhörnchen]

As a professional artist, what you guys do has always fascinated me; I remember passing some derelict buildings once that looked just like something out of one of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, and wondering just how you go about rendering that kind of thing into 3-D for a game?

I've been meaning to look some of this stuff up and learn more online; I often think that if I was starting out doing what I do now, I'd be knocking on the door of Bethesda or someone like that, looking for a career.

[Platapus]

As my father used to tell me: "That's why it is called work and they pay you to do it. If it were always fun, it would be called a hobby and you would be paying them".

I am a lucky guy. I am in an industry I always wanted to work in and, evidently, am very good at. Does that mean that I enjoy every day at work? Nope. There are some assignments I am handed that I hate, and often there are months and months where I don't have a single "enjoyable" assignment. That's why they pay me my small but inflated salary.

But overall, I am very happy in my work... just not at any specific time.

I remember my time in the military when I was in EOD. My job was to blow stuff up with high explosives. How cool is that?? Pretty cool....the first 10-20 times you do it then it becomes work with all the paperwork and setup/clean up. It took me about a week to lose all enjoyment out of blowing stuff up.. it became work. Which in retrospect was a good thing. You don't want people handling high explosives who really like using high explosives.

For a very short time in my callow youth I was involved in the porn industry. Behind the camera, not in front of it (phew!). Taking photographs of these outrageously beautiful women doing outrageously sexy things. How cool is that??? Pretty cool for the first few shoots... then it became work with the deadlines and temperamental performers... and the pressure of making what was outrageously sexy actually look even more outrageously sexy on film.

I think pretty much any job is like this. Fun from the outside, but once inside you find out why it is called work.

If you do what you love, you won't work a day in your life

Marc Anthony.

No Marc, you will still work. You may enjoy the work if you are lucky, but it will still be work and sometimes it won't be fun. That's why people pay you to do it.

I have had many excellent jobs in my life however I can't say that I enjoyed any of them all the time.
If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. Marc Anthony
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/qu...hon418819.html

[Eichhörnchen]

That's all true enough; I've had plenty of jobs given me I haven't really wanted to do and days when I was bored out of my skull, but I think generally you'll have an easier time at work if you're doing something you have a natural aptitude for.

I recently got away from the dictates of customers in the trade and am now painting only what I want to paint, although of course it's still going to have to be what others want to buy. Perhaps this won't last, but I'm already enjoying my 'work' far more now than at any time in the past 30+ years.