Hello everyone, first post on this platform :)
Many developers I work and interact with in the games industry classify themselves as ‘Game Developers.’ But aren’t all Game Developers actually Software Developers? The distinction often seems blurred, but fundamentally, game development is a specialized branch of software development.
I was a software engineer long before I even realized I could ‘get into’ game development. My career started in cyber-security, moved into commerce, and then into mobile app development, all before I ever fired up Unity for the first time. This diverse background provided me with a strong foundation in various software development practices.
Interestingly, this pathway appears to be less common. Many people seem to enter programming as a means to pursue their passion for game development from the start. They often approach it from a game design or game creation perspective, with programming as a necessary tool rather than the core focus.
In my experience, having a solid software engineering background is mandatory for working effectively in large teams. Skills such as CI/CD, Source Control, and design patterns are crucial for creating and maintaining complex projects such as mobile games with daily / weekly CRM content.
However, I’ve noticed that these skills are rarely obtained by those who come from a game designer or game maker background. This can lead to challenges when your project eventually scales…
So, how many of you started your journey as a Developer first and foremost? Do you feel the same way?

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Game Developers

The post explores whether game developers can be considered software developers, given that game development is a specialized branch of software development. The author shares their journey from a background in cyber-security, commerce, and mobile app development, to game development. They emphasize the importance of a solid software engineering background for effective collaboration in large teams, noting skills like CI/CD, Source Control, and design patterns as essential. The post raises the question of how many developers transitioned from software development to game development and shares experiences with this pathway.

How many of you were, or still are, Software Developers?

I am a game dev, and currently working on a big game, it’s going to take a few years to complete though

Super interesting discussion point! I’m not a game developer, but I’m keen to hear what others think

I just started my Journey in learning software development. Although I don’t have any tutor I only watch online tutorials and I also joined the free code camp.

I decided on a career change like 12 years ago now I have a Batchelors in applied computing aka web and mobile app developement. I now work as a backend PHP developer for a company. I am enjoying coding immensely and am seriously not missing what I did before. I used to be an Architectural technologist i helped draw up big uilding projects from hospitals to otehr types of buildings.

I started web dev. Now, DevOps and wanting to get into game dev to learn deeper programming techniques. Because I heard game dev has the most complicated problems and highest demand in performance.