Last updated on Feb 27, 2024

You’re a game developer with freelance skills. How do you make yourself stand out?

As a game developer, you have a passion for creating immersive and engaging experiences for players. But as a freelancer, you also face a lot of competition and challenges in finding and landing projects that match your skills and interests. How can you showcase your talents and attract clients who value your work? Here are some tips to help you stand out as a game developer with freelance skills.

1 Build a portfolio

One of the most important ways to demonstrate your game development skills is to have a portfolio of your previous and current projects. A portfolio is more than just a collection of screenshots and videos; it should also tell a story about your role, your process, and your achievements in each project. You should highlight the features, challenges, and solutions that you implemented, as well as the feedback and results that you received. A portfolio should also showcase your versatility and creativity, by including different genres, platforms, and technologies that you have worked with.

Add your perspective

Isa Leri

I've helped large brands grow their Email Marketing campaigns leveraging Salesforce for a decade! ☁️ Certified SAFe® RTE, PSM II®, AgilePM®
Well you'll wanna build a strong portfolio in the specific style of game or art that you enjoy the most, while keeping your portfolio reflecting your "personal brand". But if that doesn't work you could always try feet pics.
Like
Report contribution

2 Update your resume

Another way to showcase your game development skills is to have a resume that reflects your experience and achievements. A resume is not just a list of your education and work history; it should also emphasize your skills, accomplishments, and value proposition as a game developer. You should use keywords, metrics, and testimonials that are relevant to the game industry and the projects that you are applying for. You should also tailor your resume to each client and project, by highlighting the skills and experience that match their needs and goals.

Add your perspective

Shaun Greene

Digital Builder
Tailor the verbiage of your resume to reflect the posting. Different companies use different terms to reflect the same type of work. You need to show you can adjust your communication style to what they expect and demonstrate your ability to be understood.
Like
Report contribution

3 Network with peers

A third way to showcase your game development skills is to network with other game developers and industry professionals. Networking is not just about exchanging contacts and business cards; it is also about building relationships, sharing knowledge, and finding opportunities. You should join online and offline communities, forums, and events that are related to game development, and actively participate in discussions, collaborations, and feedback sessions. You should also showcase your work, ask for advice, and offer help to others, as well as follow up and stay in touch with your contacts.

Add your perspective

4 Learn new skills

A fourth way to showcase your game development skills is to learn new skills and keep up with the latest trends and technologies in the game industry. Learning new skills is not just about adding more tools and languages to your arsenal; it is also about improving your problem-solving, creativity, and adaptability as a game developer. You should seek out online and offline courses, tutorials, books, podcasts, and blogs that can teach you new skills and techniques, as well as challenge you to apply them to your own projects. You should also experiment with new genres, platforms, and technologies, and share your findings and insights with others.

Add your perspective

5 Promote yourself

A fifth way to showcase your game development skills is to promote yourself and your work to potential clients and audiences. Promoting yourself is not just about sending cold emails and pitches; it is also about creating a personal brand, a reputation, and a fan base as a game developer. You should create and maintain a website, a blog, a social media presence, and a newsletter that can showcase your portfolio, your resume, your skills, and your personality. You should also engage with your followers, clients, and influencers, and share your stories, insights, and opinions about game development.

Add your perspective

Michail Katkoff

Deconstructor of Fun I Founder I Executive I Angel Investor
These days you can build a foundation of a professional network without traveling to expensive conferences. This network will help you to promote your services. The key to achieving this is consistency. Choose appropriate medium where you’re most likely to reach your customers. Mark your calendar so that you’re creating valuable content at a consistent pace. This depends on the type of a content you share and the medium you share it on. Finally, commit for a period of time to see if the chosen strategy is working or not. If you’re not seeing any traction in time, modify the type of content you produce and/or the medium you use to share it.
Like
Report contribution

6 Deliver quality work

A sixth way to showcase your game development skills is to deliver quality work to your clients and audiences. Delivering quality work is not just about meeting deadlines and specifications; it is also about exceeding expectations, adding value, and creating impact as a game developer. You should communicate clearly and regularly with your clients, and understand their vision, needs, and feedback. You should also test, debug, and polish your work, and ensure that it is functional, user-friendly, and enjoyable. You should also ask for reviews, referrals, and testimonials, and use them to improve your work and reputation.

Add your perspective

Munna Aziz Rahaman

C++ Gameplay Programmer (Unreal Engine)
Quality work is what will make you stand out (of course within a reasonable price). As a freelancer all the projects I've worked on before most of them have extended deadlines which can be used to iterate and improve the mechanics. Not only it'll improve your reputation but you'll also grow as developer.
Like
Report contribution

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

Alasdair Stuart

Lore and narrative design for games, award-nominated pop culture analysis, award-winning voice actor, versatile copywriter
Close to 17,000 game developers across every branch of the field have been laid off in the last 18 months and it's showing no sign of slowing down. I'm writing this at the end of February 2024 and the industry is in shock. Every time this happens, every job that's going is in more demand and your chances of success drop. You need to remember these things: 1)This is not your fault. 2)Everyone you know in the field is either there, on their way there or terrified of being there. 3)Don't rely on gamedev. This is an industry that's unstable to the core right now. If you want to work here, you should. But if you can get something else, anything else, please do.
Like
Report contribution

You’re a game developer with freelance skills. How do you make yourself stand out?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Build a portfolio

2 Update your resume

3 Network with peers

4 Learn new skills

5 Promote yourself

6 Deliver quality work

7 Here’s what else to consider

Game Development

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Game Development

More relevant reading

You’re a game developer with freelance skills. How do you make yourself stand out?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Build a portfolio

2 Update your resume

3 Network with peers

4 Learn new skills

5 Promote yourself

6 Deliver quality work

7 Here’s what else to consider

Game Development

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills