The gaming industry controls the flow of billions of dollars. Games are sometimes developed for specific consoles or platforms, and sometimes they are developed and then ported to different consoles.
Game development is a long and complex process that requires different teams working in a pipeline. We are talking about famous games here. A lot of steps are required before the product that reaches consumers. From the character and animation design to the actual AI coding of the different characters and the various gameplay elements, to the rigging of the characters which is adding effects and actions to the game characters, all these and a lot more constitute the process of game development.
There are a number of game engines to use at the backend development of a video game. Your options vary according to sophistication. Popular choices include Unreal Engine and Unity, both are considered among the most widely-used game engines today.
Originally designed for first person shooter games, Unreal Engine has been adapted to many other gaming genres. Games can be created without programming using blueprints that can be modified by dragging and dropping code blocks. For more advanced users, games can be coded using C++.
Unity is a framework that focuses on game design. It can be used to create 2D and 3D scenes. The components of a scene can be controlled using drag and drop. From there, code can be added, usually with the C# language. Unity can be used to create designs for consoles, PCs, and different mobile platforms. You can even design your own characters and scenes in Photoshop and then import the content directly into Unity.
Both Unreal Engine and Unity feature Assets stores that contain creations from the community.
Asset stores are online marketplaces with all the components necessary for designating game environments. You can find characters, animations, artwork, and so much more. Some people make their living as asset designers where they design scenes and objects and then upload them to the store for a price. For example, you can purchase a sea environment that gives you control over the height of the waves and the color of the water.
Programming in C++ and C# isn’t always easy but you can find many resources online for both. The C(x) languages are all object-oriented, and many of the programming concepts are shared between them. You can even get started with an easier object-oriented language like Java before moving on to more complex code with C++ and C#.
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