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Why should you hire game developers?
The global gaming sector is one of the most rapidly growing industry segments in the world. It comes as no surprise then that many companies are trying to tap into this market.
More and more people are choosing mobile, desktop, and console-based games for entertainment vs. traditional ‘outdoor’ games. However, they demand high-quality games. Game engines can help startup companies to create a game. However, developing and launching a highly exciting game can be complex. You need smart and committed people to develop such games.
While competent game designers and developers increase your chances of success, below-average developers can derail a game development project. You need to take the right hiring decisions.
You might think that hiring freelance developers will be enough. However, you expose your project to considerable risks by hiring freelancers. Hiring full-time software engineers from a reliable software development company like DevTeam.Space is the best option. More on that later.
Before selecting a hiring approach, you need to understand the skill requirements. These are as follows:
Primary skills needed for game development
Primarily, the required skills of game developers are as follows:
- Good understanding of game development and design;
- Thorough familiarity with popular game engines like Unreal Engine, Unity Engine, etc.;
- Proficiency with game design tools;
- Front-end and back-end web development skills;
- Good knowledge of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS;
- Familiarity with JavaScript-based front-end web frameworks like Angular and React;
- Node.js skills;
- Knowledge of technology stacks like MEAN (MongoDB-Express.js-Angular-Node.js) and MERN (MongoDB-Express.js-React-Node.js);
- Good knowledge of one of the key programming languages used for back-end web development, e.g., Python, Java, and Golang;
- Android development skills including Kotlin or Java;
- iOS development skills including Swift;
- Knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases;
- A thorough understanding of MySQL-vs-MongoDB differences;
- Understanding of MongoDB-vs-PostgreSQL differences;
- Familiarity with web and mobile app UI design guidelines;
- Knowledge of tools like Android Studio, Xcode, Espresso, and XCTest;
- Familiarity with Git, the popular version-control tool.
Note: If you need developers with skills in technologies like augmented reality (AR), then specify it in your job ad.
Other software development skills needed by the best game developers
Game developers need the following additional skills:
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1. Application security skills
Video games often involve considerable financial transactions, therefore, application security is key. You need developers that know the following:
- How to implement modern security solutions like digital signatures and multi-factor authentication (MFA);
- Best practices for incorporating security solutions like antivirus and firewalls;
- How to incorporate encryption for data-at-rest and data-in-transit;
- Guidelines to identify and mitigate the top application security vulnerabilities;
- How to promptly resolve security and compliance testing issues.
2. API development skills needed by game developers
Game developers need sound API development skills. They should know the following:
- How to choose between GraphQL and REST APIs;
- Processes and steps to develop RESTful APIs;
- Familiarity with API development and documentation tools like Postman and Swagger;
- API security techniques like authentication, quotas, throttling, and encryption;
- API testing;
- How to host APIs using a cloud computing platform;
- Best practices for designing API endpoints;
- How to design rules for API requests and responses.
3. Cloud computing knowledge needed for game development
Game development involves web development, furthermore, programmers also develop for mobile platforms. Developers need cloud computing skills in such projects. They should know the following:
- How different cloud platforms like IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service), PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), and MBaaS (Mobile-Backend-as-a-Service) work;
- Differences between important cloud computing delivery models like public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud;
- Strengths of top cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure;
- How to use cloud services like analytics;
- Strengths of the top PaaS platforms;
- Tips to choose the right MBaaS platform;
- How to use the DevOps tools on the cloud platform of your choice.
4. Knowledge of the gaming industry
Game developers need a thorough understanding of the gaming industry. They should know the following:
- The strengths of different game engines;
- Best practices for designing games for mobile devices, desktops, gaming consoles, etc.;
- Key design parameters and factors for the consideration of mobile game developers when creating Android and iOS games;
- Game development strategies used by top companies in this sector;
- Best practices for designing game assets, game mechanics, and other content;
- How to use modern technologies like augmented reality effectively for game development.
5. Code review skills needed by the best game developers
Game development projects require quality management just as in any other custom software development project. You need verification and validation activities, therefore, code review and testing are important. Systematic code review helps you detect bugs early. You need developers that have code review experience. They need good knowledge of code review strategies.
6. Software engineering and software development methodologies skills
You need to carefully plan and execute any game development projects. At different junctures, you need to make important decisions. E.g., you need to run pre-production checks to facilitate a smooth production deployment. Developers need a good understanding of software engineering and software development for this.
They should understand testing, DevOps, etc. Programmers should be familiar with agile methodology, which is often used in game development projects.
7. Software architecture skills needed by professional game developers
You need developers that can create highly exciting and appealing games. You also need to focus on aspects like performance, scalability, maintainability, testability, etc. Balancing these can be complex. In this context, software architecture becomes important. Game developers need a good understanding of software architecture and architectural decisions. They should understand the important architectural patterns well.
8. Competencies needed by experienced game developers
Game developers need the following competencies:
- Problem-solving skills: Programmers need to work closely with multiple stakeholders to solve problems during a game development project.
- Empathy: Developers should understand the requirements from the perspective of end-users, therefore, empathy is crucial.
- Commitment: Complexities of game development projects can create uncertainties. You still need to meet the project scope, budget, quality, and schedule objectives. You need committed developers.
- Passion for excellence: You need to offer a high-quality user experience, therefore, you need developers that value excellence.
- Communication skills: Game developers must communicate effectively with varied stakeholders, therefore, communication skills are important.
- Teamwork: Programmers need to work closely with designers, testers, DevOps engineers, etc. effectively as a team.
How to find the best game developers?
You now know the skills that a game development team or individual developer needs. Start the hiring process now by taking the following steps:
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- Choose the right platform for hiring game developers
The game industry is lucrative, however, it’s also competitive. The gaming sector landscape continues to evolve rapidly. There are many game genres. Game creators that develop games with great visual effects, interactive experiences, and game mechanics can attract and retain users.
You can’t create a top-notch game with just a great idea though. You need to create a cross-platform game to attract a wide range of users. The game must use modern technologies effectively to offer a great user experience. Such a project can be complex. You need the best talent to develop such games, whereas, sub-par developers will derail the project. You need to make the right hiring decisions.
Many online freelance networks exist. You might think of hiring freelancers using any one of them. You might get freelance developers at a low hourly rate too. However, we don’t recommend this approach.
You might find it hard to execute a complex game development project with freelancers. Freelancers might not spend enough time on your project as they are juggling multiple projects at once. This can affect the timely delivery of code.
Freelancers might leave your project mid-way. If this happens, you will need to hire replacement developers. Online freelance networks don’t provide any project management support.
Finding dedicated game developers is the best option. Hire highly-skilled full-time developers from a trustworthy software development company like DevTeam.Space.
Our developers have relevant expertise and experience. We follow a stringent vetting process, therefore, you get only high-quality developers.
We offer project management support via a dedicated account manager. We train them in our AI-powered agile process. No matter what your game development project requirements are, we have the developers with the skills, experience, and industry knowledge to fit.
- Interview game developers
Now that you have chosen a hiring platform and posted your job ad, the next step is to interview candidates. Ask for help from friends or colleagues if you don’t have game development expertise. You can also consult our interview questions, e.g., software engineer interview questions.
Ask questions that cover all relevant skill areas. Avoid asking only theoretical questions since you need to evaluate the hands-on experience of developers.
Ask candidates to describe their experience with recent projects. Check how they solved project problems. Explain your project requirements and ask candidates how they would approach those. You should expect specific suggestions and not jargon.
- Onboard game developers
You have now found your new developers. Onboard them effectively so that they can become productive quickly. To start with, new developers need all the details of your project. Explain the project details, e.g., strategic objectives, business requirements, etc.
Share the relevant project documents with the new developers. You will need to share the Functional requirements, technical solutions, Non-functional requirements (NFR), design documents, etc.
New developers need access to the technical environment of the project. Provide them with access to the code repository and other relevant tools.
Introduce the new developers to your existing team. Describe their roles and responsibilities. Set up a communication process with the new developers. Describe the project plan and schedule, furthermore, talk about the important milestones. Explain the work approval process and establish accountability.
Interviewing tips for hiring video game developers
Review the following interviewing tips for hiring game developers:
1. Look for a good team leader if you hire remote game developers
Remote game developers have helped many companies create high-quality games, and, if you are not already, you can take advantage of remote teams too. You need a competent team leader with experience in managing remote workers. Such a team leader will help you manage the remote team’s work effectively.
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2. Plan different work streams for separate skill areas
You might want to launch a game for different platforms like desktop, mobile, and gaming consoles. You require developers with platform-specific skillsets in this case. Don’t expect one developer to know everything. Plan for different work streams and hire separate developers to cover all skill requirements.
3. Hire a complete game development team from DevTeam.Space instead of hiring individual developers from different platforms
You might need several developers. Hiring individual developers from different platforms will result in them working in silos. Hire a cohesive development team from a software development team like DevTeam.Space is your best option to avoid this.
Sample interview questions for finding talented game developers
Ask questions that help you to assess the hands-on skills of candidates, e.g.:
1. Describe what you learned by reviewing the leading video games.
Answer:
You can expect developers to talk about the popular games they reviewed and the unique aspects they saw. They might talk about the in-game assets, game mechanics, graphics, etc.
2. Describe your experience of developing a cross-platform game.
Answer:
Candidates might talk about their experience in developing games for mobile devices, desktops, and gaming consoles. They might talk about the adjustments they had to make due to different screen sizes, etc. Developers might also talk about the different technology stacks used.
3. Talk about your experience of solving problems in a game development project.
Answer:
Developers might talk about the unique challenges they faced. These might involve aspects such as game app requirements, game mechanics design, scalability, testing, APIs, etc. You should expect them to specifically mention their resolution steps.
