Intro to Game Development

BY ISABEL POWELL

At one time or another, we have all become obsessed with a game. Maybe you ran around town searching for Pokemon in the PokemonGo phase or have reached absurdly high levels in Candy Crush or Wordscapes. Maybe you stayed up all night playing Fortnite or were undefeated at Mario Kart. No matter which piqued your interest, most people have experienced the thrill and excitement of a near-addictive game. Games bring people together in a fun, creative, and often chaotic or loud way They teach us to think strategically, cooperate with (and often betray) those around us, and allow us to enter a new world

Now, where do these games come from? Who thought of Minecraft or Angry Birds, and how did they transform one seemingly absurd idea into an actual product? To understand the complicated and fascinating world of game design, meet two experts: Drs. JC Lau and Kelli Dunlap.

JC Lau, Ph.D., is a game producer responsible for ensuring that the high-quality games she works on launch on time. Lau has been integral to the success and development of games such as Destiny 2, BattleTech, and Lamplighters League. She is, impressively, president of the Board of

Directors for the Global Game Jam, a nonprofit whose mission is to empower all individuals worldwide to learn, experiment, and create together through the medium of games in a safe and welcoming environment.

Kelli Dunlap, Psy D , is a clinical psychologist and game enthusiast who combines her interests as Community Director at Take This, a mental health advocacy organization that focuses on the game industry, and in her private practice, Pixel Perfect Psychotherapy

As a game designer herself, Dunlap understands the delicate intricacies (and countless frustrations) of game development. Games and game development fill every aspect of Dunlap’s life; she even met her husband at American University by asking to borrow his Xbox to play Halo, and now she integrates games into her private practice. She is even developing her own game in her spare time! The game development process is incredibly complicated for her: “I’ve gone through childbirth twice, and making a game is harder ”

Dunlap recognizes the unique power of games to connect people, overcome challenges, and build resilience Games bring people together through multiplayer games or shared experiences and teach real-life skills through a relatively risk-free simulation. Dunlap uses the power of games to help clients learn about their mental health and develop essential management skills. “Games let us talk about something as amorphous and vague as ‘anxiety’ and help us externalize ‘anxiety’ as a thing,” she says This external ‘thing,’ rather than an abstract idea, can be easier to tackle and manage All in all, games are more than just fun and excitement; they help facilitate interpersonal connections and teach real-world skills

So, what makes games so difficult to develop? From the initial glimpse of an idea to shipping it, game designers have to consider art, style, sound, coding, and a million other things. Successful game production requires countless individuals with diverse skill sets and areas of expertise. Game producers like Lau need to be supportive, good communicators, organized, and have a broader perspective on the project as a whole. Artists and sound engineers are creative and detail-oriented, while programmers are analytical and highly focused. The unique members of a game design team enrich the collaborative efforts and game stories through their different backgrounds and experiences

Beyond these technical challenges, the game development field is vulnerable to broader social challenges Like many other STEM fields, white men have historically dominated game design; young game developers like Lau and Dunlap are working to change this. In 2019, Lau attended the Game Developers Conference and was refused her speaker badge because she didn’t “look like a speaker” as a woman of color. She channeled her frustration into something powerful and productive: an online campaign called #WhatAGameDevLooksLike, where game developers, especially from marginalized backgrounds, shared a picture of themselves to demonstrate how diverse the industry really is.

Despite these challenges, game developers still see the value in painstakingly producing a game After all, just imagine the laughter and fun a single game can create!

Here are a couple of pieces of advice to get started in game development:

First, if you have an idea for a game, start making it! Like many other fields, it is difficult to understand the exact skills needed and identify all the intricacies of game design until you are knee-deep in it. Starting to develop a game, even if it is only a rough or simplified version, is the best way to gain initial knowledge and experience.

You can also start as a game tester, which will help integrate you into the game development field, connect you to relevant people, and help you gain essential skills. In the meantime, start narrowing down your specific interests in game development based on your skills. Are you an animator or artist? Are you a software developer? Are you a marketing manager or creative director? No one can do everything; identify the areas where you can best contribute and start growing those skills!

While playing a game, we rarely stop to appreciate all of the minute decisions, individual contributions, and distinct people who went into building something so creative and fun. Next time a content warning pops up, think of Dunlap dedicating effort to protecting players; each time a woman of color attains a leadership position in game development, remember Lau’s pioneering work and commitment to increasing representation in the field These insights from Lau and Dunlap provide just a brief glimpse into the blood, sweat, and tears members of the game design team invest in their work

The world of game development can seem daunting and overwhelming at first, but don’t let that deter you! Start brainstorming your first game idea and begin making the world a more fun and creative place.