May the Force be with you

Programming

The first thing most people think of when it comes to game developers is the programmer. Obviously code is at the heart of all games. Most development teams these days are staffed with dozens of programmers working on everything from code to music and everything between. In fact, no single programmer could write just the code for today's typical commercial game. Specialization is the way of this maturing industry, and you'll want to prepare in advance for your chosen specialty.

What areas of study should a prospective programmer pursue?
All things math! Undergraduate courses can cover general computer science as well as game oriented classes like graphics. Start with a diverse set of course work to discover your interests and strengths and then focus on what you really excel at. Don't forget to sample pure & applied mathematics while you are at it!

What does the future hold for careers in programming?
As game development becomes more complex we are seeing a shift towards specialization. As jobs become more specialized, engineers write less core general purpose technology and spend more time tackling specific problems. What this means for students, is that you should find a specific area of interest and become an expert on the topic. For example a popular choice is graphics but must be more focused on say, procedural geometry. Also to handle the increased complexity there will be a greater focus on tools, and tool development, which people out of college might not be focused on but can get you a foot in the door.

Game Designer

A game must be fun and playable. That is the job of the game designers, level designers, and writers. As a game designer you will help decide the genre and scope of the game. You will write outlines, flowcharts, scripts, interface diagrams, and state tables. You will work to keep all documents current so that the team and the developer know the games status at all times. You will break down the gameplay aspects of your project, compare them to competitors, evaluate innovations, and make the key decisions that will determine if your game succeeds or not. Level Designers build the interactive world for the game and the layout of that world often determines how fun and effective the gameplay is. Level design may include scripting enemy goals, skills, and behavior. Today's AAA titles feature complex stories and deep characterizations and that is where the writer comes in. Writers create the mythology and background of a game story to tell us why things are happening as well as the dialogue and actual game story we experience as we play through the game.

What backgrounds do Designers have?
Game and level designers almost always come from other parts of the development team. Programming and production are the most common areas that produce designers. Writers tend to come from a wide variety of backgrounds from screenplays to general fiction to comic books.

프로그래머는 정말로 math를 얼마나 잘 알고 플그램에서 써먹을수 있는지가 중요하다. 특히 linear algebra 랑 기본적인 물리공식들. optimization도 제대로 알면 짱먹을수 있다(알고리즘 책에 나오는 그런 거 말고 linear programming 같은 거). 이런 사람이면 자연히 specialist가 될 수 있을 테고. 프로그래머로 크고 싶다면 걍 어정쩡한 cs 학부를 전공하느니 math나 ee를 전공하고 프로그래밍을 독학하는 게 처음엔 좀 느려 보이겠지만 더 크게 될 수 있는 길일지도...