๐ฎ What Does a Games Developer Actually Do?
Welcome to the first post in our new Digital Careers & STEM spotlight series! Throughout the school year, weโll be exploring the incredible, fast-moving world of technology and the brilliant careers waiting for you when you grow up.
Whether you are a student wondering how your favorite apps are made, or a teacher looking for real-world STEM inspiration for the classroom, this series is for you.
To kick things off, we are diving into an industry almost everyone knows and loves: Video Games!
๐ฎ The Role: Video Games Developer
When you play a game like Minecraft, Roblox, or EA Sports FC, it feels like magic. But behind that magic is a team of brilliant STEM professionals called Games Developers.
Game developers are the architects and builders of the digital world. They:
- Write the code that tells characters how to move.
- Design the physics of how a ball bounces.
- Solve complex problems to make sure the game runs smoothly without crashing.
๐ง How Does This Link to What You Learn in School?
- Computing & ICT: Every time you practice block coding (like Scratch) or text-based coding (like Python) in school, you are learning the exact fundamental logic games developers use every day.
- Maths: Games rely heavily on coordinates, angles, and geometry to place objects and move characters around a screen.
- Art & Design: Creating the look of a game, from the main character to the background scenery, requires incredible digital art skills.
๐ Primary School Spotlight: Try it Yourself!
You don’t have to wait until you are an adult to start making games. You can practice critical thinking and sequencing right now.
- The Challenge: Try creating a simple “Catch” game in Scratch where a character has to catch falling objects to score points.
- Top Tip: Think about the algorithm (the step-by-step instructions) your game needs. What happens if the object touches the character?
๐ Secondary School Spotlight: Next Steps
If you’re in secondary school and thinking about your future GCSEs, BTECs, or career paths, games development is a massive industry in the UKโwith huge hubs in places like London, Dundee, and Leamington Spa!
- Key Skills to Build: Logic, teamwork, and resilience (because code will break, and finding the bugs is half the job!).
- What to Look Into: Check out free engines like Unity or Unreal Engine, which have fantastic free tutorials for beginners.
๐ Teachers’ Corner
Want to bring this into your lesson this week? Use this post as a 5-minute morning starter discussion.
Classroom Discussion Prompt: “If you could design any video game to help people learn a school subject, what would it be and how would it work?”