Hamburg is not only a hotspot for the development of computer games, but also for numerous vocational schools and universities that offer courses specifically for future professionals in the games industry. For students and career starters, the exchange with experts in the games industry is essential in order to know the requirements in the individual disciplines and to prepare for them. To intensify this exchange, Gamecity Hamburg offers the event format Game Starter.

In our next installment of Game Starter on March 19, we talked about Gameplay Programming. Gameplay Programmers are the wizards who code the mechanics that make a game fun to play. They implement ideas, are responsible for creating and maintaining the rules of the game, fixing bugs and optimizing gameplay.

Three industry experts talked about their own careers, their everyday work life as well as what career starters who are interested in specializing on Gameplay Programming should know about the industry, and answered our viewers' questions.

Our guest experts for Gameplay Programming were:

• Erick Pombo Sonderblohm, Senior Gameplay Programmer at Fishlabs
• David Zulic, Senior Unreal Engine Developer
• Tove Backenroth, Junior Gameplay Programmer at 10 Chambers

Here are our most important takeaways from this event:

1) As a Gameplay Programmer, working with other departments is a big part of the job, be it with the Game Designers or the UI team. Therefore, strong communication skills and empathy are key!

2) A good understanding of math is important, as the job can get quite technical and require an understanding of Vectors and such. But don't be afraid, our experts say anything can be learned with enough dedication.

3) Gameplay Programming is a very hands-on job, so a lot of practical knowledge and expertise is more important than a university degree, but it can never hurt to have one.

4) When applying for a job, a portfolio is necessary. Don't just send some written code though, best to record short videos explaining what you do and show your approach.

5) Pretty much anyone can learn how to code, but not everyone can learn how to not be an asshole ;) The focus should always be on collaboration.