Can a Good C++ Programmer join the Gaming Industry?

Is it Worth It ?

Can a Good C++ Programmer join the Gaming Industry?
Depends on who you ask. All the game programmers I've ever worked with wouldn't trade their jobs for any other, but obviously there's a reason they stuck around in the game industry in the first place.





You can definitely get a job programming games as a good C++ programmer. Most studios will give preference to someone with a Computer Science degree, but it isn't strictly necessary if you have the skills required. It's a much more interesting job than other software engineering, and the work tends to change very often.





That said, programming games isn't really any more creative than programming other types of software. Programmers don't get to decide how the gameplay works, what skills the player character has, the storyline for the game, etc. That is all created by the game designers, and written up in design docs which the programmers then use to implement the game in a way that matches the designers' vision as much as possible. But you'll get to work in a creative and fun environment, and if you're lucky in the end you'll make something that millions of people enjoy.





Game programmers tend to get paid less than they could in normal software development, because games are a "glamour industry". There's a game industry salary survey from 2006 here: http://gamecareerguide.com/features/266/... that lists Programmers on page 2. Average starting salary is $53,000 per year, and average salary across all titles and experience levels is $82,000. If you live in an expensive state like California you'll get paid a bit more.





If you think you would like to try to get into professional game programming, check out the job postings at Gamasutra.com, or check out the map here: http://gamedevmap.com/ and see if there are any game studios near you that are looking to hire programmers.





In the end, you are the only one who can decide if game programming is worth it.
Reply:Is it worth it? From your perspective or your employer's perspective?





I have worked in the game industry. I can tell you: it's not worth it. It's not super-cool - you have a lot of overtime, a lot of stress and very low wages. And: it's not that creative. You're told how your program should behave, and you have to write the code. You're not making decisions about game play etc.





It's really not as cool as everybody thinks.
Reply:yes...


why not...





Go into OpenGL programming


I dont know but have heard about it that it is an interesting thing to do.
Reply:A game is also a software which is filled with lots and lots of creativity . A good c programmer can join gaming industry if he/she is very creative and think differently
Reply:Yeah but pretty much any well established game maker like electronic arts/activision/etc...is going to require a computer science degree. Get prepared for vector calculus my friend.

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