How Video Games Inspired Me To Pursue Computer Science

How Video Games Inspired Me To Pursue Computer Science

How I Got Started Making Video Games

My eyes have always been set on making and coding video games. I may not have ended up in that field, but I can tell how my love of video games has shaped where I am today. Growing up whenever I got a new toy I had to take it apart. My mind wondered how it all worked. This was no exception to when I got my first video game at about 3 years old. As the years went on that wonder has still stuck with me, and even now I still try to figure out how each game works when I play it.

Now, I could’ve gone into engineering had I wanted to, but I didn’t like math that much after all. I wanted to build instead. Coding was the most fun for me to build whatever my mind thought of. It wasn’t always this way, it took me many years of practice to learn to code and I am still learning better ways to code each and every day. Now you may be asking yourself dear reader, “How did I get to learn and figure all this stuff out?” The answer is very simple. I just messed around with code and tried to make a game out of it. I put random blocks here and there, placed some signs around with text, looked up how movement works, and so much more. I firmly believe the most fundamental way to learn to code is to simply play around and explore. 

Preparing for My Career: The Non-Linear Route

My career in computer science isn’t the most linear. I originally had many different routes I wanted to take in my educational career. I first wanted to be a businessman like my father, which obviously didn’t work out. I thought of being a teacher, scientist/inventor, and finally a game designer. I always told myself if I didn’t get into college for game design I was going to be a lawyer. Through making video games for my college career I found I still loved making things and even learned some skills needed to debug other peoples code and other valuable skills. Game design taught me how to work as a team, take criticism, learn when the best time to take a break is, and so much more. 

If you have an interest in video games or even just coding in general I highly recommend taking some time to research online and then just go ahead and make some code. If you ever get stuck remember you have the most powerful resource ever invented right at your fingertips, google. And remember, Google Search was made by programmers. Just think, someday in the future you will be able to make programs more successful and powerful than Google, all you do is have to take that first step and make your first program. Hello World.