Irrlicht Engine

think twice...

http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articl ... cle866.asp

another one of those things which are wicked cool as a hobby but make a lousy job...

yeah, think it twice...

Also notice that the article was posted over 3 years ago and may have been written years before that. He does speak the truth though, getting a job in gaming does not mean you're gonna have fun playing games all day. It is a lot of hard work and long hours, but then if you like programming and you like making games, those long hours ARE fun and rewarding... right? Thats why I'm in it and I haven't ever needed to think about twice.

there are some game programming jobs that have nothing to do with games. For instance, if you're a part of the resource management team, you could easily convince yourself you're an operating system programmer, for as much as you'll be starting at fragmentation charts and bandwidth meters.

The thing about game programming is that it is hardcore. I love games, and I love making them, but I also love programming. Even if I'm not the one doing crazy AI, or beyond-wow physics, I know I'll be doing something cutting edge in programming if I get into the industry.

Beats IT work, let me tell you.

Well, I always liked programming, and I ran a small research lab in my university where I used to work at the PC for hours every day at the same project(s) for years. And I wasn't payed for it, I made it as a kind of unpaid apprenticeship (in exchange I had some free travels to visit informatics and enginering fairs and universities now and then).
Well, if (hopefully) my future is in programming, and if I could have the choice, I'd prefer to be a game programmer than, for example, a DB programmer for the local postal office.

I like game programming, always loved it, but I do it as a hobby. My real job is OS system programming for an ERP company, which pays considerably better than what I know friends of mine earn in (german) game studios.

Yes, programming games is fun, because it involves all the cool things other programmers in their narrow areas can only dream about: Graphics, KI, Physics simulation, scripting and compiler building, audio programming...

But I rather do this at my own pace, with no PHBs breathing up my neck; no competition with guys half my age which have no family to spend their time on; no deadline pressures etc. Kind of what also makes Open Source programming so much fun.

tstuefe wrote:I like game programming, always loved it, but I do it as a hobby. My real job is OS system programming for an ERP company, which pays considerably better than what I know friends of mine earn in (german) game studios.

I find OS programming cool too. My next exam will be operating systems. I aim for a 30 out of 30.

tstuefe wrote:Yes, programming games is fun, because it involves all the cool things other programmers in their narrow areas can only dream about: Graphics, KI, Physics simulation, scripting and compiler building, audio programming...

I agree.

tstuefe wrote:But I rather do this at my own pace, with no PHBs breathing up my neck; no competition with guys half my age which have no family to spend their time on; no deadline pressures etc. Kind of what also makes Open Source programming so much fun.

And I agree again

But I rather do this at my own pace, with no PHBs breathing up my neck; no competition with guys half my age which have no family to spend their time on; no deadline pressures etc. Kind of what also makes Open Source programming so much fun.

Absolutely agree...And I'm an artist. I suppose is related with the way this industry usually works.

I can't do art as I like with all the crappy things and pressure...