Following my videogame development dream

Martin Bell is a BSc Computer Games Development student at the University of the West of Scotland. He’s written this blog post explaining how is his course is making his dreams a reality.

ABOVE: Martin Bell

I’ve played videogames all my life. In fact, one of my first memories involves me waking up and rushing into the living room to play some classic PlayStation with my family. The wonders of videogames have played a vital and important part in my life since then.

To my younger self, the idea of making videogames for a living seemed like the coolest job in the world. Honestly, what could be more exciting?

As I grew older, that thought lingered – but I never pursued it. Not initially, at least. When I went to university originally, I studied something different, with the intention of becoming a Modern Studies teacher. Don’t get me wrong, the degree was great and the staff were brilliant…but deep down, I knew this wasn’t what I wanted to do.

"I thought to myself that even if I attempted it and failed, at least I could live the rest of my life knowing that I had given it my all"

Martin Bell

To be honest, I’d given up on my dream before I’d even tried to pursue it. The idea of trying to into the games industry was daunting, and seemed impossible. But here I am at the age of 26, with one degree behind me trying to do just that - and I’m so, so glad that I did.

I thought to myself that even if I attempted it and failed, at least I could live the rest of my life knowing that I had given it my all, and would’ve been comfortable in the fact that I had tried my best. It was daunting, it was nerve-wracking, but ultimately, I went for it with the mentality of seeing how the first year went…one year on, I can safely say it was a fantastic decision.

Playing and Making – Two Different Things

Growing up playing games, it never really occurred to me how similar videogames were to magic tricks. All the hard work, processes, calculations, and functions, that go on behind the screen that we don’t see give us incredible experiences through years of hard work by game developers.

One of the first things that made me realise I had made the correct choice was that when I started to learn the magic behind the screen, it started to transition from something magical to something creative. How exactly does your game menus work? How exactly does game AI work? How does programming even begin to work?

I believe that unravelling the mysteries of how an industry operates allows it to become a lot more welcoming and comfortable for people, as they start to see and comprehend their place in the system and how exactly they can contribute to a grander design, coming together with others as part of a team to build something wonderful.

I started to learn how to program, how all the different fields such as music, art, and game design work together to form completed projects, the technical aspects of hardware and fundamentals of design… and all of a sudden, it didn’t seem so daunting when I was actively doing it.

When you start to take these steps to break into an industry, however small those steps may be, you are walking in the right direction!

"You aren’t alone. Everyone starts somewhere, and although industries may be difficult to get into, you will have support among your peers, and you will support them through it just as much."

Martin Bell

You Aren’t Alone

Without a doubt, the biggest factor that comforted me when I started to study Game Development (with no prior experience, might I add) was being surrounded by those who has similar interests and mindests to my own. People who I had something in common with. Even though the pandemic led to a different form of learning, I still found a sense of belonging and, dare I say it, clarification that I wasn’t the only one who was taking these steps for the betterment of their future.

Beforehand, I thought that I was going to walk into a course where everyone was so much smarter than I was. I fully believed that I was going to be a failure compared to them, and that everyone else would have such a head-start.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

When I joined the course, one of the first things I recognised was that we were all in the same situation, and while we might all have had differing levels of experience and education on the topic, we all felt the same anxieties, frustrations, and worries about the future and our success in the course. It felt good to realise that these other students had had the exact same worries I had before I joined, and that realisation that I wasn’t alone has helped me get through first year successfully.

You aren’t alone. Everyone starts somewhere, and although industries may be difficult to get into, you will have support among your peers, and you will support them through it just as much.

My message is this – pursue your passion. Don’t let a fear of failure get in your way – after all, you do indeed miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.