Why Playing Video Games Doesn’t Make You a Game Designer
Video game design involves a lot more than coding and character art. Those are big parts of it, sure, but I’ve noticed something interesting: just because you play video games doesn’t mean you’ll be good at designing them. You’d think that years of gaming would qualify you to work on them, but that simply isn’t the case.
That’s because game design requires you to change the way you think on a fundamental level. Instead of “How can I win?” you have to start asking a thousand different questions. From considering every angle a player will see, to the physics, to the algorithms supporting it all—and everything in between—it’s a whole new world.
And I think that’s an important distinction to understand. As a middle school teacher, I get the feeling that many parents are wary of having their kid take my class—and who can blame them? As a parent myself, even of an infant, I’ve spent a great deal of time considering how much and how often to allow my child around video games.
But as I said, video game design isn’t the same as playing video games. In fact, it can be an incredibly valuable skill to learn. Honestly, it’s been really cool to learn myself. I come from a background in English, not STEM, so while I’ve dabbled in this world before, teaching it is giving me some valuable lessons.
I don’t know if I’ll stick to teaching STEM. I often find myself wishing I could get this same daily depth from the subject I’ve already spent years studying. Maybe one day I’ll make the switch—but for now, I’m glad to be teaching such a fascinating subject.
