What is a game developer?

The Dev

Being a game developer can mean many different things depending on no who you are and what team (if any) that you're working with.

The role takes on a lot more when you act as a solo developer.

Gamedev Hats

Typical involvement includes many different hats:

Game Designer
Artist
Sound Engineer
Game Programmer
Level Designer
Tester
Producer
Marketer
Animator
Special Effects Artist
Special Effects Programmer
Accountant

This isn't an exhaustive list - and in larger teams many of these areas of expertise will be further specialised. Game Designers might have individuals focusing on core story, narratives and quest lines.

Going Solo

If you've decided to go solo, don't think you have to be perfect wearing every hat of the occupation. You might decide to outsource the music tracks or purchase assets for common items (Think boxes, grass).

Generally the best idea here is to lean into what you're good at. Pick a starting point and go for it.

Join a community, hold yourself accountable for progress (Even if it's 5 pixels a day, 2 lines of code) and buckle up for a bumpy ride.

TimeLine

How long? That's a loaded question. Just beginning? You'll need to take into account time to learn the tooling and methods to get to your targets.

Even if you can get a game done in 48 hours, is it polished? Are the player movements smooth, the puzzle difficulty appropriate for the level? Game Jams regularly prove it can be done, but it also highlights the roughness of it all. Polish can easily expand your timeline by a significant magnitude.

So the answer is - Always longer than you think. And then add some more.