The 3 Biggest Mistakes Aspiring Game Developers Make (And How to Avoid Them)

The 3 Biggest Mistakes Aspiring Game Developers Make

So many passionate dreamers want to become game developers, work in world-class studios, create amazing titles, and build meaningful careers in the gaming industry. The passion is real. The dream is strong. But unfortunately, the journey often gets delayed - or completely derailed - because of a few huge mistakes most beginners unknowingly make.

Quite a lot of aspiring developers make these same mistakes, losing precious years, wasting lakhs of rupees, and sometimes even giving up on their dreams.

In this blog, let’s talk about the three biggest career-killing mistakes aspiring developers make, why they happen, and what you should do instead. Whether you are exploring game development courses, planning to join a game developer course, or looking for a structured game design course, understanding these mistakes will help you take smarter decisions and build a stronger future in game development.

Mistake #1  -  Wanting to Work Only on the Kind of Games You Personally Play

Most people fall in love with game development because of the games they enjoy playing. Maybe you love massive AAA titles like GTA V, cinematic story-driven games like Uncharted, brutal shooters like Call of Duty, immersive RPGs like Final Fantasy or beautifully crafted console games like Spider-Man.. Naturally, you think:

“I love these games. I want to make games exactly like this.”

And that’s where things start going wrong.

The reality is, especially in countries like India, the gaming industry is highly mobile-focused and diverse. Job opportunities don’t always appear in the exact same genre you personally love. You may want to build FPS games - but instead, you might get an opportunity to work on:

• Puzzle games
• Mobile casual titles
• Racing games
• Casino/card games
• Board / Ludo games
• Strategy games

Many students reject these opportunities just because they don’t personally play those games.

And that is a huge mistake.

When I began my career in Vancouver, my first job was testing a NASCAR racing game. I had never played racing games in my life. But I took the opportunity, learned the genre, understood the audience, and eventually started enjoying it. That experience taught me something powerful that I call “finding the fun.”

Lesson: Don’t Limit Your Career to Your Personal Gaming Taste

Game development is fun, creative, challenging, and deeply fulfilling - no matter what genre you’re working in. Every project teaches you real skills. Every opportunity expands your knowledge. Every experience strengthens your portfolio.

Great game developers are flexible, curious, and open-minded. If you start rejecting opportunities early, your career may never even begin.

Mistake #2  -  Playing Only One Genre and Ignoring the Rest

This mistake is closely linked to the first one, but it has an even bigger impact on your skills, creativity, and overall growth.

So many aspiring developers only play one type of game, such as:

• Only Battle Royale
• Only FPS
• Only RPG
• Only Open-World
• Only Console Titles
  
  

That’s perfectly fine if you are only a gamer. But if you want to create games, you can’t think only like a gamer. You need to think like a designer, creator, problem-solver, and strategist.

If you want to become a:

• Game Designer
• Game Artist
• Game Programmer
• Level Designer
• System Designer
  
  

…then you need to understand how different genres work. You must study gameplay mechanics, audience behaviour, monetisation, progression, difficulty balancing, and user retention across multiple game types.

When you restrict yourself to just one genre, your creativity shrinks. Your design ideas become limited. And worst of all, when you get a job opportunity in a different genre, you feel lost.

Personally, I love FPS games. I love headshots. I love intense combat. But as a developer, I played and studied:

• RPGs
• Casual mobile games
• Strategy games
• Casino and probability-based games
• Narrative-driven adventure titles

And every genre taught me something powerful.

Lesson: Never Look Down on Any Game Genre or Platform

So many beginners proudly say things like:

“Mobile games aren’t real games.”
“Casual games aren’t serious.”
“Casino games aren’t real gaming.”

This attitude silently kills careers.

You never know where your best career opportunity, highest salary, or biggest breakthrough may come from. Stay flexible. Stay curious. Stay open.

If you truly want to grow, expose yourself to different kinds of games. This is what real professionals in the industry do. And this is what every strong game developer course, game development course, or game design course will encourage you to do.

Mistake #3  -  Moving Abroad for a Master’s Just to “Learn Game Development”

Now we come to the most dangerous, most common, and most financially damaging mistake.

Every year, thousands of students take huge loans, spend 40–60 lakh rupees or more, and move abroad, thinking:

“I’ll do a Master’s in Game Development, learn advanced skills, and easily get a AAA job.”

Here’s the tough truth:

Game studios abroad DO NOT hire you because of your degree.

They hire you for your:

• Skills
• Portfolio
• Projects
• Practical experience
• Problem-solving ability

A Master’s degree alone does not guarantee you a job. That’s why many students go abroad and end up:

• Struggling to get jobs
• Running out of visa time
• Returning to India with massive loan burdens
• Feeling stuck and defeated

A degree on paper doesn’t automatically make you a game developer. Real work does.

So What’s the Right Approach?

If your dream is to someday work abroad in AAA studios, it’s absolutely possible. Many have done it successfully. But here’s the smarter approach:

• First work in the Indian gaming industry
• Gain real production experience
• Build real projects
• Strengthen your portfolio
• Learn how studios actually function

Then, if you still want to pursue a Master’s abroad, you’ll have:

• A stronger profile
• Better job opportunities
• A higher chance of clearing interviews
• Real industry confidence

Instead of blindly chasing degrees, invest in learning real skills. A powerful, structured game developer course, practical game development courses, or a focused game design course that helps you build actual games will always be more valuable than just a fancy certificate.

Final Thoughts  -  Build Skills, Build Games, Build Your Future

These three mistakes may seem simple, but they cost students years of precious time and lakhs of rupees. If you understand and avoid them, you’ll already be ahead of most beginners in the gaming industry.

Be flexible with the kind of games you work on
Explore different genres instead of sticking to one
Focus on skills, portfolio, and real experience  -  not just degrees

The gaming industry rewards skills, passion, discipline, and consistency. If you truly want to build a future in game development, learn from people who’ve actually worked in the industry and understand how real game production works.

Whether you’re searching for a game developer course, exploring game development courses, or planning to enrol in a professional game design course, make sure your learning journey actually prepares you for real industry challenges.

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