According to the 2020 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, approximately 5.6% of developers worldwide are game developers. This number is growing year by year — to no surprise. The gaming industry is one of the most valued digital and entertainment markets to invest in. In 2020, the global gaming market was valued at over 160 billion dollars — and reports suggest that this number may pretty much double by 2026.
The gaming industry is also one of the most desired ones to work in by developers. This is caused by the fact that many IT experts got interested in technology and coding because of their early love for video games. Even nowadays, according to the aforementioned Stack Overflow survey, 15% of developers tend to play games when they get stuck at work. While playing, many developers often imagine their own perfect game and later try to turn this vision into reality.
Interestingly, game developers are also one of the groups in IT most actively looking for a job. With so many talents ready to join your game development team, how can you make sure you hire game developers who can truly deliver the results you need?
Read on our guide to learn about all the ins and outs of hiring game developers.
What types of games are there?
The first thing to consider when you want to hire game developers is what type of game do you actually plan to develop? This is especially important to setting up the expectations and the technical requirements for your candidates.
The most important categories to consider are:
- AAA games
Most often developed for PCs and consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo). They tend to have a high budget and are published by the biggest players in the industry, such as Electronic Arts or Ubisoft. Due to the high budget of AAA games, companies working on them can hire game developers with years of experience in the industry who have already worked in huge teams where each dev has a different role to play.
- Indie games
This term evolved during the last two decades. At first, indie games were smaller experiences, often developed by single developers or tiny studios of friends. While such projects still happen today, the term indie started to be associated with virtually any game that doesn’t meet the AAA standard. Even the industry giants, like Electronic Arts, sometimes help publish a game that could be called an indie.
- Mobile games
An industry that sky-rocketed since the birth of the iPhone and App Store. While mobile games sometimes take the approach of classic indie games or even AAA games and are sold for a one-time fee, the more popular system nowadays is the F2P (free-to-play) model — the initial game download is free but the product is filled with optional microtransactions.
- Web games
While the web games industry is not as important now as prior to the mobile games era, there is still a lot of potential in it. Modern web games can be accessed using virtually any browser, including those on mobile devices, and utilize the F2P model.
- VR games
The recent rise in popularity of virtual reality goggles is slowly changing the gaming landscape. With the launch of the low-budget, easily available Oculus Quest goggles, the industry left the early adopters era and started to become an interest of more and more game developers. The rumored launch of Apple VR goggles will surely power up the industry even more.
What game developers do you need?
Your budget and the size of your game are both important factors to consider when you hire game developers.
Smaller mobile games or indie games are often work of micro teams where there are only two or three programmers. On the other hand, bigger projects require a set of game developers of varied specialties. AAA companies often post job offers for roles focusing on one aspect of the game — e.g. the combat system, the AI of enemies, or the online features.
The bigger the game, the more elements it consists of — and the more talented developers the studio needs in order to get the project completed in an efficient manner.
The technical skills to consider when you hire game developers
It’s virtually impossible to create a unified list of hard skills required for a game developer. The needed skill set will simply vary too much depending on the type of game you are developing as well as its scale.
There are, however, some areas of hard skills that you should definitely write down before you start the hiring process. We list the most important ones below.
Programming Languages: Game developers should have a strong understanding of programming languages like C++, C#, and Java. C++ is particularly vital in the game industry because it allows for more direct control of hardware and graphical processes. C# is widely used in the Unity game engine, one of the most popular platforms for game development.
Game Engines: Familiarity with game engines is essential. These platforms, like Unity, Unreal Engine, or Godot, provide the foundational elements for game development and allow developers to focus more on the unique elements of their game. Each engine has its own strengths, so the right fit depends on your game's specific needs.
Computer Graphics: Knowledge of computer graphics is important for any game programmer, as it influences the visual aspect of the game. This includes understanding rendering equations, GPU programming, and familiarity with tools like DirectX or OpenGL.
Physics: A basic understanding of physics helps developers create more realistic movements and reactions in games, particularly in action, sports, or racing games that closely mimic real-world conditions.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is often used in gaming to control non-player character behavior. A game programmer with knowledge of AI will be able to create more engaging and challenging gameplay.
Mathematics: Strong skills in math, especially in fields like geometry and algebra, are important for game programming, as they're often used in graphics programming, physics simulations, and algorithms.
Networking: If your game involves multiplayer features, knowledge of networking is crucial. This can include understanding concepts like network architecture, protocols, and socket programming.
Problem-Solving: Game development often involves complex problem-solving and debugging. Developers need to be able to think critically and creatively to overcome challenges and deliver a smooth gaming experience.
Collaboration: Although this is not a technical skill, it's important to note that game development is usually a team effort. Therefore, strong collaboration and communication skills are vital.
Don’t underestimate the soft skills!
Creating a game is a creative process for everyone involved, including the more technical part of the team. To make sure everyone cooperates well and delivers amazing, innovative solutions, consider the following soft skills when you hire game developers…
- Expert time management
To swiftly fit new tasks into the daily work plan.
- Attention to detail
To deliver as smooth, issue-free experience as possible.
- Desire to learn new things
To enjoy exploring new ideas in the game development world and translate them into a final product.
Finding game developers that truly fit your business
There is a vast selection of game developers on the market and not every single one of them will be a good fit for your company. How to make sure you hire game developers that will get the job done truly efficiently? Look into the two following categories of the company fit.
- Product fit
There are game developers experienced in platforming games and those with years spent on building RPGs. There are experts in shooters and those who would rather spend time on developing visual novels.
Whatever type of game you are developing, try to find and hire game developers who have already built a similar product. They will already have a handful of solutions to help you speed up the development process.
- Company culture fit
The gaming industry might feel like one with a rather unified work culture — but it’s actually far from true. It’s different to work in an AAA studio with hundreds of other people and for an indie dev with only a small office (or even no office at all!).
Make sure to carefully review the values that are important for your company and your preferred management style. Do you aim for diversity? How do you approach the problem of crunch (work after hours to deliver the final product on time)? What is your position on remote work?
Compare your answers with the preferences of your candidates and hire game developers who truly fit your company culture.
Who else will you need — how to hire game architects and other gaming experts?
Game developers, even the best ones, are usually not enough to build a fantastic gaming experience. You will also need to hire game designers, level designers (game architects), and other experts responsible for everything from the sound of the game to how it looks.
Whatever type of gaming industry veteran you are currently looking for, we can help you find them fast. At Ideamotive, we run the industry-leading network of IT experts from all disciplines. We can help you find and hire game developers, game designers, and other similar experts who truly fit your project and your business as a whole.
