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A Job Within a Job: 'Game Dev Tycoon'

Blurring the Lines Between Working and Gaming

By Mark DodgePublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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I would be lying if I said my dream job isn’t to be working with or on games. It’s probably pretty obvious– I play them as often as I can and write about them in the spaces between. However, many of the technical roles when working on a game require vasts amounts of mathematical & design skill, as well as a penchant for coding; something of which I am hilariously lacking. Something that I have really noticed recently, however, is that games aren’t offering enough to consumers anymore; we are actively seeking new engagement and unique rewarding experiences from our games and a worrying amount aren’t stepping up to the challenge.

There is an exception to this. You may have come across games in the past that allow you to run businesses, build farms, or manage commodities. These kinds of casual simulation games have become very popular in the last couple of years, but it has gone even further. You can now play a game where you have a job. Not just a job, but a job as a video game developer. This phenomenon has saturated the mobile games market in particular, but there is one title that stands out far above the rest of the crowd; I’m talking, of course, about Game Dev Tycoon.

It’s far too easy to dismiss a simulation game out of hand these days. What hasn’t helped is the incoming swarm of the "lootbox" generation of gaming – try and find a game that doesn’t contain some kind of micro-transaction; it’s near-impossible. So how do you make a game that can be called a diamond in the rough? Greenheart Games, creators of Game Dev Tycoon, have the secret recipe. Not only have they made a highly enjoyable, light-hearted game, they have managed to do it without a single micro-transaction in sight.

Your character begins their adventure in a garage, with a sum of money in their possession. The aim of the game is simple: develop and release games! Think Inception but with games instead of dreams. It’s difficult to fully describe Game Dev Tycoon; without a doubt, it is a game that you have to experience first hand. It’s utterly ingenious. In a nutshell, you have to decide where you want to invest your time and skills in various elements of game development; from graphics to sound, level design to AI, everything you think might go into a real-life game is covered.

Game Dev Tycoon is most certainly an indie game, but it doesn’t feel like it. In reality, I’ve put more hours into it than some of the more popular AAA games currently on the market. There are so many variables as you play that no developed game feels (or indeed performs) the same as the last. Don’t be fooled though– gameplay is surprisingly fast-paced and you can quickly find yourself bankrupt if you don’t develop well-performing games.

Not much can be said for the graphics or sound of Game Dev Tycoon, which is actually one of it’s defining qualities. It’s a testament to the fact that you don’t need flashy soundtracks and groundbreaking graphics to make a fun, engaging, and repeat-playable game. Take my word for it– you’ll be so engrossed in perfecting your games that you won’t have time to pick fault with the music.

You might be thinking, “Hey, it sounds fun and all but surely it gets boring quickly, making endless amounts of games? What else is there to do?” Well, I’ll tell you. Once you make enough money, your garage dwelling days are over, and soon enough you’ll be managing a whole team of developers, who all need to be paid. On top of that, you’ll eventually get the chance to develop your own game engines, game consoles, and even invest in a sizeable research and development department. To top it all off, you’ll have regular pop-ups on screen informing you of the latest console release, all with hilariously (and presumably copyright avoiding) altered names – Sony doesn’t exist in this game, but Vonny does, and they love making the “Playsystem” console.

Game Dev Tycoon is a roller-coaster ride that takes you on a journey from a humble garage office beginning to a fully fledged game development business enterprise, providing a completely different experience on each play-through. Playable as a quick coffee break game or a full in-depth time eater, anyone and everyone can find time to play.

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About the Creator

Mark Dodge

Mark is 28 and lives in the south of England. He has been writing video game reviews for around 12 years. He currently runs a video game news, reviews & previews blog called GameCentral UK.

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