The mobile gaming industry has been a multibillion-dollar industry and the numbers keep increasing, with the total annual revenue in 2021 is crossing the $90 billion mark, as per Newzoo. With record-breaking eight mobile games surpass $1 billion in global player spending during 2021, as per SensorTower. It is very likely that the mobile market will see the total number of games grossing more than $1 billion reach the double digits in 2022.
Data suggests that the US and Europe lead with more indie game developers majorly because of the expansion of esports mobile gaming on the USA market and other developing markets like India, Philippines, etc. Apart from big studios, the numbers also attracted the interest of many new developers. And the internet is flooded with questions about how to start a career and become successful as a mobile game developer. In this article, we will try to understand a few important steps one should take to becoming a successful mobile game developer.
Must have qualities of a top mobile game developer
1. Basic training and coding skills
To become a successful mobile game developer, you would preferably need to have basic training in software development or mobile app development. Behind every flashy and well-animated video game is a set of codes making the experience seamless for its users. So, in this case, your basics should be crystal clear with the understanding of a stable software design and the entire process. Having the knowledge of crucial programming languages such as C++, SQL, Python, HTML5, JavaScript, etc.
2. Develop your storytelling skills
A video game’s narrative is important because it helps the player feel more involved and more immersed in the game. It gives everything in the game meaning and helps the player understand what they need to do. The advantage of video games is that unlike with other types of narrative, the player is part of the story.
To come up with original game ideas, you need the spark of creativity in your storytelling approach. Along with it, you also need to have a clear understanding of the cultural tastes and preferences of your target audience.
3. Building a trusted team
Building a trusted and dedicated team is probably the most important factor in determining the success of the mobile game you’re building. As it’s difficult to manage everything from coding, designing, art, sound engineering, business development, and project management by a single person. So having a dedicated and trustworthy team will not only help in building a great individual mobile game but also result in the company becoming successful as a mobile game developer.
Game development requires a lot of operational and developmental sprints before it is completed. And the team only succeeds when everyone carries out assigned responsibilities, with a sense of accountability. This is an important characteristic of a top-notch game development team and a good working project of any kind.
4. Aim for complementing skill sets among your team
The concept of the team comes from the idea of one member of the team contributing his/her expertise, which covers for another member’s limitations and vice versa. So, in the field of game development where various skill sets are required, it becomes very important to balance these skill sets as much as possible.
5. Choose your target audience wisely
Once you finalize the team members with varied skill sets, it’s crucial to decide on the targeted audience. The target audience is the demographic group that is most sensitive to being interested in the particular mobile game based on their interests and habits. Knowing the target audience also helps in executing a successful marketing campaign for your game as it will help you to reach everyone at once.
6. Build the perfect portfolio
Your game development experience and portfolio of games from across the genres are crucial factors in determining if you would become a successful mobile game developer or not. There are many game developers with varied genres while there are various devs with different mobile games in the same genre.
Building a portfolio not only helps target different audiences but also helps in attracting the attention of large game studios. There are various examples of many big game devs who started from creating simple mobile games at first and then worked their way up to more complex ones resulting in more active players and therefore, more revenue.
What are your thoughts on the most basic and necessary qualities that a top mobile game developer should possess and learn? Let us know in the comments section below.
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