Game development is a creative and rewarding career, but it can also be challenging and stressful. You might have to deal with tight deadlines, complex problems, and high expectations. How can you be more productive in game development without sacrificing your quality, health, or happiness? Here are some ways to boost your efficiency and effectiveness in game development.
Before you start coding, designing, or animating, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how you will get there. Planning your project can help you avoid wasting time, resources, and energy on unnecessary or irrelevant tasks. You can use tools like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, or mind maps to organize your project scope, goals, milestones, and tasks. You can also break down your project into smaller and manageable chunks, and prioritize the most important or urgent ones.
Go simple first and focus on core gameplay. Do not mistake generosity and profusion. You can be generous with a simple and well made gameplay. Avoid content driven games as for them complex and costly to produce. Players has to make the mains interest of the game, not you. Once you know for sure that your core is strong and appealing, develop progressive variations. Understand game producing has a n iterative experimental process. You will have to roll back sometimes. Better have a controlled result than an undescribable stacking of mismatch features.
One thing I've found helpful in planning is to know at any time, the plan might change. The scope we started with in the beginning might not work well as the process goes on. So we should keep in mind that syncing among all teams about the plan/scope changes is essential to complete any task in game development.
One of the mistakes I made when I was a beginner was inadequate planning. Always create a class diagram, or if you're unfamiliar with design patterns, start with a simple flow chart. This aids in understanding your game's flow and minimizes complexities during the game development process later on.
Like Kratos forging weapons in the Mount Olympus fires, forge your project plan. Write down it into manageable tasks, giving priority to the most important ones, as though you were choosing the strongest enemies to take on. Start your coding journey as soon as your plan is as gorgeous as Kratos' beard. A quick tip: Prioritize the key quests first and consider it as creating your own digital adventure!
Start by planning your project with the precision of a cat planning its nap on your keyboard. Remember, the best game plans are like UFO sightings - highly detailed, slightly unbelievable, and often changed at the last minute.
Game development involves a lot of different skills and disciplines, and you need to use the right tools for each one. For example, you might need a game engine, a code editor, a graphics software, a sound editor, and a testing tool. You should choose the tools that suit your needs, preferences, and budget. You should also learn how to use them effectively and efficiently, and update them regularly. You can also look for tools that can automate or simplify some of the tedious or repetitive tasks, such as asset management, version control, or debugging.
My advice is to keep the team on the same version of whatever tool is being used in development, for as long as possible. So often folks would upgrade to a newer version of tool, only to discover that the latest version had a bug that blocked them from making progress. Upgrade to new versions as a group, after an evaluation has been done to ensure the pipeline won't be broken. But, don't be afraid of change. In the past couple of years, my team evaluated different online collaboration tools because we worked in a hybrid or totally remote environment. We discovered many different tools but eventually settled on one, that performed so well, the whole team adopted it and never looked back. Make something cool together! Let's go!
Consider choosing the appropriate tools for the job as creating your own Leviathan Axe in the big adventure of game development—each one is a weapon in the divine armory. Select your testing tool, code editor, graphics program, sound editor, and game engine in the same way that Kratos chooses his weapons for an epic conflict. Adapt them to your requirements, tastes, and financial situation to become an expert in their digital arts. Update your tools frequently to stay sharp as Kratos gains more powerful equipment. Look for tools that can simplify repetitive chores, as though summoning the strength of Spartan Fury to make your path through the development world easier!
Using tools such as Trello, Hack n plan, Miro, up click or even post it notes can help guide your project on the right track. Make sure yourself and your team are confident and trained in using the tools.
Tools in game development are like gadgets in a superhero movie - the flashier, the better. Make sure your tools have enough buttons and dials to make a spaceship dashboard jealous. If you're not confused at least thrice a day, are you even using them right?
Game development is rarely a solo endeavor. You might have to work with other developers, artists, writers, testers, or clients. Collaboration can help you improve your skills, learn new perspectives, and get feedback and support. However, collaboration can also be challenging and time-consuming, especially if you work remotely or with different time zones. You should communicate clearly and frequently with your collaborators, and use tools like chat apps, video calls, or cloud services to share your work and ideas. You should also respect and appreciate the contributions of others, and avoid conflicts or misunderstandings.
Collaborating with others is an important aspect of Game development. However it might be challenging if the team mates are in different timezones and locations. It's best to collaborate in person, and communicate directly to avoid blocks.
Two heads are better than one, especially if one of those heads knows how to fix the bug that's been haunting you since last Tuesday. Collaborating in game development is like being in a band, but instead of smashing guitars, you're smashing code. And occasionally, your dreams.
Game development is an iterative process, where you constantly test and improve your game until it meets your standards and expectations. Testing can help you identify and fix errors, bugs, or glitches in your game, as well as evaluate its performance, usability, and fun factor. You should test your game regularly and thoroughly, and use tools like debuggers, profilers, or analytics to monitor and optimize your game. You should also seek feedback from others, such as testers, players, or reviewers, and use it to improve your game.
Everyone looses a lot of time working on a broken (bug) or non working game (gameplay can't be really felt). Each of you milestones should be treated as a release: something self contained, debugged and fully playable to the point that you can judge gameplay flow, richness and fun. It won't magically all come together in the end "when everything is finally here" it must already have some playable merits early on. This spreads QA and feature extension or cut all along the dev which is way better than all at the end. Start with having a vertical slice that is really one: looks good, plays well & stable. If you can't have that at this stage I have no reason to believe you will achieve it on much heavier and complex finished game.
Play your own game often. Your game should always be in a state where it can run and you should regularly test the progress of the game even if your job isn't quality assurance. If you happen to be an artist, working in the build, test your changes before committing them. This will ensure that when you leave for the day, you haven't accidentally broken the game and force your engineers to track down the problem while you're not at work. Don't make the mistake of relying on other people to tell you if the game experience is enjoyable. You should be able to evaluate that yourself. If you do this, you will be more well informed during weekly stand ups and in meetings and become a valuable contributor to your team. Let's go!
Sometimes testing isn't just the task of QA team, even game artists or game designers should play test the game after each release, to see if their parts are implemented well or not. Insights from various roles are important to deliver a good final result.
Test your game like your mom tests your patience. Break it, then fix it, then break it again. It's the circle of life in game development. Each iteration should feel like trying to solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded... in a tornado.
You are not superior to your users. If you're not enjoying a game you built, chances are your users are not either. Playtest. Playtest. Playtest.
Game development can be a time-consuming and demanding activity, and you might have to deal with deadlines, delays, or changes. Time management can help you complete your project on time and on budget, as well as balance your work and personal life. You should set realistic and specific goals for your project, and track your progress and achievements. You should also schedule your work hours and breaks, and avoid distractions or interruptions. You should also learn how to say no to unnecessary or unrealistic requests, and delegate or outsource some of the tasks if possible.
An art director once told me, "Put in a solid 8 hour day, and you'll be fine." He was right. Game development is a marathon, not a sprint. If you're constantly chasing down tasks and don't give yourself some time to put in thoughtful work, you will often come up short and have to re-visit your tasks. I've always felt that a good night's rest is the best and most effective way to feel good about work and will help you make better decisions along the way. Have the courage to manage upwards. If you realize that the amount of work ahead of you is too much to complete on time. The best course of action is to let your leaders know as soon as you can. Often they will help mitigate the situation by trimming work or finding help.
Time management is key. Divide your day into tiny, productive chunks, like a pizza that's all topping and no base. Remember, procrastination is like a gravity well - easy to fall into, hard to escape from, and usually accompanied by cat videos.
Use a task tracker. Plan your week. Gamify your time management with an app like Forest. Time boxing is great to preventing burnout in the day, and planning your week is a great way to prevent a weekly burnout.
Game development can be a rewarding and enjoyable activity, but it can also be stressful and exhausting. You might have to deal with pressure, frustration, or burnout. Self-care can help you maintain your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, as well as enhance your creativity and productivity. You should take care of your health, by eating well, sleeping enough, and exercising regularly. You should also take care of your happiness, by pursuing your hobbies, interests, or passions, and spending time with your friends, family, or pets. You should also take care of your growth, by learning new skills, exploring new ideas, or challenging yourself.
Your physical condition, lifestyle, and habits are impacting your mental state strongly: In general 3 key basic points: 1. Well-qualified sleep from 10-11 p.m. for 7-8 hours. 2. Regular physical exercises which are allowed personally for you. 3. Balanced food without trans fats. All of this will help you to feel better, get more energy, to be more productive in your work and life. It makes sense to consult with a doctor to get recommendations about vitamins personally for you, and other adjustments to improve the quality of your life. Make regular medical check-ups depending on your age and other conditions.
You know the drill: eat your veggies, get enough sleep, and occasionally see the sun. Your body is like a finely tuned engine, and Doritos are not premium fuel. Plus, your gaming chair isn't a life-support system, despite what it may feel like.
In addition to general health advice - sleep, veggies, exercise, I've found these actionable for me in game dev. - Set boundaries: Your desk is for working only, no snacks or food should be eaten here. - Walk: Walking meetings. Walking for breaks. Walking for solving complex problems. Bonus, you get steps. - Stretch: Follow the active stretching from RingFit adventure, available on Youtube. At the end of it all, remember this is job like any other. Do not sacrifice your health over it. There are no 1-ups in the real world.
In the grand quest for productivity, never forget the ultimate cheat code: having fun. After all, if you're not enjoying creating games, you might as well be programming something mundane, like a toaster. Remember, a day without laughter is a day wasted, and a game without joy is just a fancy spreadsheet.