Still Want to Make Games?

I started in game development before it was a recognized career path in India. There were no dedicated courses, no clear job pipelines, no indie success stories from this part of the world that you could point to and say "that could be me."

I learned by building. Unity tutorials, GameJam submissions, forums at 2 AM. The skills that came from that process — rapid prototyping, debugging under pressure, designing for engagement — turned out to be transferable to almost everything else I've done.

But I want to be honest about what game development actually involves: it's one of the most competitive creative industries on the planet. For every successful indie game, there are thousands that shipped to no audience. For every studio job, there are dozens of graduates competing.

Does that mean don't pursue it? No. But pursue it with clear eyes.

If you love making games, make games. Build a portfolio. Finish things. Ship small projects. The discipline of finishing teaches you more than any curriculum.

And if you end up doing something adjacent — XR, serious games, interactive media, simulation — you'll find the skills transfer perfectly. The game dev roots run deep.

IGDC 2025 reminded me of all this. Seeing the ecosystem, meeting the builders, watching students connect with studios — it's happening. Slowly, but it's happening.