How much of a gamer are you? Have you ever played a game that was so good that you actually wondered about how it’s made? Game Development is no walk in the park, but it is a very satisfying occupational route for eager gamers like you and me. It goes without saying that you must know your way around computers, but there is so much more that goes into the mix to build up and maintain a game at the level of Overwatch 2. 

If you’re thinking about pursuing a career in Game Development, you need to take your first few steps smartly. If you plan to work on games like OW2, this can’t be even more true. Be it with regards to salaries, technical skills and the best programming languages to learn, you need at least a rough idea of it all.

On the other hand, many developers at the beginning of their career worked in Overwatch 2 boosting services, and at the same time studied game development, which gave them a huge advantage in the interview.

     Game Developers are essentially Software developers who use their profound programming skills to create new Game software, while updating existing ones. This occupation is ideal for people who are creative thinkers and problem solvers, making for a very engaging and rewarding job. So below are some guidelines and tips for you to become the kind of Developer who can work on major titles like OW…

     First things first, you need to learn Graphics Programming while paying particular attention to 3D rendering. These play a pivotal role in visually stunning games like OW2 and serve to reel in a massive audience. There are Libraries that can help you achieve this, the best examples being Direct3D and OpenGL. These get implemented in Programming Language like C++.

     Next up, you need to secure a library that is capable of handling the features of the Operating System, coding the UI, handling the Keyboard, Mouse or Controller inputs, handling the Audio files and handling Image files. DirectX, SDL or SFML can be useful here. Bear in mind that anything with Microsoft DirectX only applies to Windows platforms. 

     Follow this up with the creation of the invaluable Game Assets for the particular game in question. Blender, Autodesk Maya or Autodesk 3ds Max can assist you here. 

     Next up is the composition of the Sound and Music associated with the game. DAWs and VST plugins like Reaper, Native Instruments and iZotope can get the job done. 

     Additionally, you also need to learn Network Programming, because games like OW work online and support their massive playerbase via their networks. Socket programming is a good example. If you can learn to build up your own UDP server in order to connect the players to have their matches, that pretty much settles it. Don’t forget the online Chat Systems, Friend Systems and so on to make the experience worthwhile for everyone. 

     If you want a more hassle free router, you can also consider learning and using a Game Engine like Unreal Engine or Unity to simply create the assets for yourself. It will take upto a minimum of 3 months to learn a Game Engine of this caliber in order to produce any game of value. 

     A friendly suggestion for all aspiring Game Developers is to learn the C Computer programming language. From there, you can begin to learn how to build Games on the good ol’ Command Line itself. Start from the basics, design a simple game like Tic-Tac-Toe first. Then move onto studying a Graphics Engine and try your hand at constructing some 2D Games. After all, games like OW2 are massive and require a plethora of Game Developers to work on it as a coordinated team. 

     Try to spare at least 4 hours a day to further this passion of yours. Just getting the basics mentioned above might take you 6–8 months, but the end results are all so rewarding. Building your own Engine isn’t impossible either and along the way. You’ll discover which part of the process you’re the best at or the most passionate about eventually and you can go onto specialize after that. 

Consider this book to help you on your journey:

Beginning C++ Through Game Programming (8601416801070): Dawson, Michael

Finally, some short and sweet tips to follow:

  1. Learn a programming language (Java, Python, C/C++, Scala).
  2. Determine your final goals (exactly which game and which department).
  3. Pursue a widely accepted Degree or follow Courses.
  4. Begin practicing in your developer niche.
  5. Make an attractive portfolio of all your software development work.
  6. Develop your technical skills.
  7. Develop your non-technical skills.
  8. Certify your skills from the right places.
  9. Apply for the position with confidence!

     That wraps up some simple guidelines for you to get started on your journey to become a Game Developer, with the aim of oneday working on massive titles like Overwatch 2. There are so many more layers to this and you may feel disheartened at times. Even so, the satisfaction that comes with building up a world famous game is immense. We as gamers know just how incredible and life changing one masterpiece of a game can be, so we wish you all the best!