Is Java relevant in the game industry?

Question

Hi everyone, I'm a web developer/apps programmer who wants to break in the game industry.

I used to code in C/C++/C# for desktop apps (mainly database-oriented enterprise apps) but nowadays I mainly do PHP/Ajax for websites.

Recently, I try learning java and found it to be a very nice language to work with. I wrote a few simple games of my own.

I would like to know that should I continue to make a portfolio in Java (web) games or should I do something else to better demonstrate my skills to the employer? Is there a market for Java game programmer?

(My first question, sorry if it sounds confusing)

Answer 1

in mobile there is a lot of market share to eat.

Answer 2

For the game industry I think it would be important to learn a graphics API. I personally know OpenGL: http://www.opengl.org/ and would recommend it.

OpenGL bindings are available to C/C++, python, and Java. I would bet that most game industries are coding in C/C++, but I am no expert.

C++ bindings - http://www.nigels.com/glt/

python bindings - http://pyopengl.sourceforge.net/

Java bindings - https://jogl.dev.java.net/

Also python has a module pygame that is specifically for game development, check out: http://www.pygame.org/news.html, it's not the most advanced graphics engine, but I have seen some pretty good games be developed in it.

Answer 3

It's not a huge "everyone knows your name" market, but it is there, sure, and you can make some good money doing it. Certainly the mobile market is huge for Java, but it can also lead you into online "mom" games -- applets that let you play cards or chess or boggle online kind of thing.

There's also a few innovators out there -- Puzzle Pirates, for example, is a java based MMORPG with a puzzle "mom" feel to it, and it's pretty popular. I'd recommend checking out Three Rings: here (look at the Game Gardens for more info on their code)

However, if you're interested in more "serious" games you'll of course need more than java -- your C skills should help you there, I would think.

I'm not in the game industry atm, but I've worked with games in Java in the past, and I think it can be done well, as long as you're not doing something really hardware intensive that needs to be at all fast. :)

Answer 4

To impress a potential employer, demonstrate that you have a deep knowledge of whatever language you choose as well as game-related algorithms. For an example of the latter, make a game where you have to implement a complex path-finding algorithm. Perhaps characters are moving in real-time but so are obstacles.

Remember that in real game development your job is in things like algorithms and speedy engines -- art and music and even storyboarding are done by others. Here's more from a friend of mine who's been in the industry since 1994.

The programming language doesn't matter nearly as much as your thoughtfulness, insight, and energy.

P.S. Publishing any sort of game (even without fancy graphics) and having a few users will be impressive because it shows you can complete projects.

Answer 5

One of the best games for me is Clearview RC, so on a sample of 1, I'd say yes. Mr SVK Systems probably makes a tidy sum out of it.

Answer 6

Having a portfolio of games you can demonstrate is definitely a good thing. It doesn't matter so much whether those games are Java or C++, so long as they demonstrate your ideas and abilities. However I think you should set your expectations that if you make it into in the industry, you probably won't be using Java.

Casual web-based games have moved away from Java to Flash, because a considerably higher percentage of casual web surfers have Flash installed than have a JRE.

Console and PC games do not use Java to any extent. They are primarily C++ right now.

High end smartphones (Symbian, Windows Mobile, iPhone, etc) have native SDKs, and if they support Java at all tend to discourage its use. Blackberry is Java based, but there are relatively few games for the Blackberry. I'd have to speculate there is not much demand for games on that device.

The one place where Java is commonly used for games is in low end mobile phones. This has not been a terribly successful category, only a few companies have made money. There are two problems with this space, so far as I can tell:
* write-once-run-anywhere never worked out. The QA and testing load to support a reasonable selection of devices is demanding, and never-ending since new phones come out all the time.
* To distribute your game you need a business relationship with the wireless carrier, and they demand a 50% (or more) cut.

One last thing: the games industry is famous for programmer burnout. You should search Google for stories about developers at Electronic Arts. Games nowadays are extraordinarily large projects which must meet a particular deadline to have a chance at making their sales targets, and they ratchet up the hours as needed to meet that deadline. Developer burnout is handled via the never-ending supply of young developers enamored with developing games for a living, i.e. replace burned out engineers with fresh ones.

Make sure you know what you're getting into.

Answer 7

The MMORG Runescape is written in Java, along with Jagex's companion project FunOrb. Both seem to be quite successful.

Answer 8

I know at least one company that makes a living selling Java games for Windows/MAC and Linux. There are a couple more metioned on the Projects page of the LWJGL but I'm not too sure about how well they're doing. All in all it seems there's a limited market, but it does exist.