1. So I'm at a crossroad here because I don't mind the coding and I don't mind the artistic part of things. Does one or the other have front row seats?
2. Or do engines exist where you can create some neat simple games for smartphones
3. and perhaps I should concentrate on the coding later?
4. My ultimate goal is to be able to have my own gaming company.

1. It depends. If you want a job in games, you should pick one. But if you want to do-it-yourself, then doing both could be valuable.
2. Yes, but the Breaking In FAQs won't contain that info -- you should ask in the For Beginners forum instead. (You're asking a technical question, not a switching careers question)
3. Do it however you want. In this life, you need to follow your passions. Read FAQ 40 (Breaking In FAQ 40 - the FAQs are above).
4. OK, but in between, you want to get a game job? If so, you should read this forum's FAQs.
0. Your subject line said you want to switch careers. That's FAQ 41. FAQs link is above.

I think that Tom gave you the best suggestion.
I simply wanted to add that in order to reuse your skill, since you studied mechanic, maybe you could reuse CAD skills in 3d Modeling, so you could be more advanced in that section.

Anyway if you find more fun at coding. Do like Tom said in point 3

Do it however you want. In this life, you need to follow your passions. Read FAQ 40 (Breaking In FAQ 40 - the FAQs are above).[/quote]

Some say to never kill your hobby by making a job out of it

And how many people who say that have a job they enjoy?

but I know I'll be even more happier doing what I really enjoy.

I hope you don't mind me picking out just this line.

This is something that comes along on forums and elsewhere quite a lot. I might generalize a bit while I rant on this subject.
It's also covered in many FAQs, but I feel it's worth mentioning it.

I may be off with a bad assumption here, but from what I've gathered you've only just began dipping your toes into various distinct fields within game development.
Basically, you barely just got a taste of what a job in the industry actually consists of.
Game development is quite different from gaming (I know this sounds obvious, bear with me ).
It's a great thing you're exploring your opportunities here, but until you've done so you can't really tell yet if it's something you'd enjoy.

Many have gone onto this path, only to be left disappointed. Often on the assumption it would be something they'd enjoy.
They set the expectations so high for themselves they were left with no choice but to be disappointed.
Jobs within game development (especially game design) have been greatly over glorified by many and almost considered a holy grail among jobs.
Unfortunately, it's just a job. It's not a bad job, nor a boring job, but a job non the less.

It's also a stressful job. Many studios will expect you to work overtime during crunchtime.
And it's a thankless job where you either hide in anonymity or grow a thick skin.
It's not all glory, many players will hate your guts for things you didn't even do. The internet is full of 'experts' who can't wait to tell you how bad you are at your job.
And finally, it's a difficult job. You're never done learning, it's a race to keep up with the market and technology changes.

Now, don't let any of that scare you. I personally wouldn't trade it for any other job.
But don't raise your expectations too high. Consider it something you might enjoy, but just as well might hate.
Enjoying games and enjoying game development are quite far apart.

And for some final thought: it will change how you perceive and enjoy games.
Some find it easy to switch off and just enjoy a game like they used to.
Others completely changed their taste in games and appreciate completely different things than they used to.

Then you probably have the right frame of mind for the field.

Azgur's post is valid but maybe presented too harshly. From my point of view, I have never worked a day in my life (except that one day at Morgan Stanley (yes, one day), ugh).

I started the same way. Getting excited at seeing my creations coming to life and having people interact with them. My first game was an mIRC battle script that worked basically like Pokemon, allowing people to enter moves privately via PM and watch the resulting attack in the main channel. So low-end, but so fun to make and to watch people play it.

Knowing whether or not you are suitable for the industry boils down to that. Is it more fun to see others playing your game than it is to actually play a game? At least they should be of similar levels.

I enjoy programming more than playing. To me that does not mean my passion for playing has gone down, it just means [s]all games today are crap[/s] I enjoy making games just that much more.
Playing games feels like a waste of time compared to how it feels to make games. Making games means working towards a rewarding end product, not just killing time.


Some people end up in a horrible trap working long hours, being under-appreciated, etc., as mentioned before.
But you also need to know that some of us get the exact opposite. Game programming has taken me around the world (I worked in America, Thailand, France, and now Japan, with business trips to many other countries), paid for everything I could want, finally taken me to my dream city (Tokyo), and all the while I have lived a fairly care-free life, sometimes feeling over-appreciated. I feel the only day I have ever worked in my life was that one day in Morgan Stanley, and I put a quick end to that.


Obviously, some luck is involved here. Don't expect to have game programming give you the easy life traveling the world.
But at the same time don't be so afraid of pursuing it. If it is your passion, I doubt it will feel like work.


L. Spiro

L. Spiro, you haven't felt like you truly worked at all? Wow, you must have had some really good references even back when you were looking for your very first job Most people get their first job in their high school or junior high years, and at that age they can't really be too picky about their jobs and just grab the first dull entry-level retail job that comes along.

I'm almost as the same boat as the OP, I enjoy programming more than playing the games. Just as appealing to me is able to talk shop with the co-workers on stuff I really like.

Most people get their first job in their high school or junior high years

To clarify, I believe Chris is Just saying that most people get A job (not necessarily a GAME job) before graduating high school. Only the rare individual gets a game job at that age.