A Survey of Estonian Video Game Industry Needs

Abstract

Designing a video game design and development curriculum in higher education is a challenging task. Information about the needs of the respective industry certainly helps. In this paper, we have surveyed Estonian video game development companies to determine their current needs when it comes to knowledge areas, software tools, languages, abilities, and contextual fluencies. The survey is based on a similar survey conducted a decade ago and this paper compares the current results with those found earlier. Compared to the prior survey, we have found significant differences in the rated importance of knowledge in optimization, version control technologies, the C, C++, and C# programming languages, and the time management ability for video game development companies looking to hire university graduates. We have also extended the previous survey to include a contemporary selection of game design and development tools. Based on that, we have determined a strong need for graduates with skills specifically in Unity and Unreal Engine game engines, Photoshop raster image editing software, and Git version control software. While most of our results are largely consistent with the previous research, our added survey items like visual languages and game engines bring the results to the modern context. This allows curriculum designers and managers to see the differences regarding the landscape of industry needs for their graduates and thus make more informed decisions in their work.