{"id":56426,"date":"2026-02-04T18:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T09:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=56426"},"modified":"2026-02-04T18:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T09:30:12","slug":"game-designers-who-ask-for-ideas-programmers-who-dont-know-c-cyberconnect2-ceo-on-the-top-reasons-why-aspiring-game-devs-fail-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/game-designers-who-ask-for-ideas-programmers-who-dont-know-c-cyberconnect2-ceo-on-the-top-reasons-why-aspiring-game-devs-fail-to\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cGame designers who\u00a0ask for ideas, programmers who don\u2019t know C++.\u201d\u00a0CyberConnect2 CEO\u00a0on\u00a0the top reasons\u00a0why aspiring game\u00a0devs\u00a0fail to\u00a0enter game companies\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe Game Industry Guidebook\u201d\u00a0(unofficial translation), written by\u00a0CyberConnect2<\/strong>\u00a0president Hiroshi Matsuyama and published by Kadokawa,\u00a0is set to release on February 16.\u00a0In addition to\u00a0providing\u00a0advice\u00a0to\u00a0aspiring game developers and those who are already working in the\u00a0industry,\u00a0the book\u00a0contains\u00a0personal\u00a0insights\u00a0from Matsuyama,\u00a0as well as\u00a0data based on\u00a0surveys\u00a0conducted\u00a0with\u00a0around 40\u00a0domestic\u00a0game\u00a0companies.\u00a0CyberConnect2 is known for developing the .hack series, the Fuga: Melodies of Steel trilogy, and several titles in the Dragon Ball, Naruto and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure franchises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on\u00a0the aforementioned survey results,\u00a0it was discovered that\u00a0only about 1.9%\u00a0of\u00a0aspiring game dev\u00a0applicants\u00a0in Japan\u00a0manage to get hired.\u00a0Although\u00a0Matsuyama\u00a0fundamentally\u00a0disagrees with the\u00a0mindset\u00a0of \u201canalyzing reasons for failure\u201d in the first place (arguing that candidates would be much better off studying\u00a0about\u00a0\u201chow to succeed\u201d),\u00a0he\u00a0wants\u00a0to help prepare future generations of developers. As such, in his book, he cites\u00a0the top ten reasons why applicants fail to get hired.\u00a0Three of these were cited in an excerpt\u00a0published\u00a0by\u00a0Famitsu<\/a>:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Aspiring game artists\u00a0who\u00a0only want to\u00a0draw, not make games<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Based on Matsuyama\u2019s experience, artists who are looking to enter the game industry often present only illustrations in their portfolio. When asked what they want to do, they usually reply with \u201cI want to do character design.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matsuyama plainly\u00a0states\u00a0that there is almost no company in the world that will hire a completely\u00a0\u201cuntested,\u201d\u00a0budding artist for character design. Since the direction and atmosphere of character designs often change with each title, game companies are more likely to commission\u00a0established\u00a0illustrators\u00a0for the job,\u00a0despite their high fees.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While jumping straight into character design may be unrealistic, Matsuyama says that as they\u00a0gain mileage\u00a0at a game company, artists\u00a0will inevitably start encountering\u00a0design opportunities that will\u00a0allow them to shine. Provided they do\u00a0a good job, these designs will be incorporated into the final game.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Eager programmers who have not mastered\u00a0C++\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A question Matsuyama often gets asked by programming applicants is whether their knowledge of Java or C# is enough. While games are made with different programming languages, Matsuyama highly encourages them to master C++, as it is used by most console titles.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\u00a0applying,\u00a0he suggests making\u00a0a\u00a0short playable game similar to the ones in\u00a0WarioWare.\u00a0The short game will usually be evaluated by its structure, source code,\u00a0and\u00a0whether\u00a0it can be played\u00a0completely\u00a0from start to finish.\u00a0Those\u00a0not looking to\u00a0make\u00a0an entire game can also show their skills in\u00a0other\u00a0ways, such as shader demos.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Game\u00a0designers\u00a0who can’t write 100 proposals\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Aspiring\u00a0game\u00a0designers (called game planners in Japan)\u00a0often ask\u00a0about what kind of proposals they should be writing.\u00a0However, the fact that they are asking\u00a0others\u00a0means they have already failed, according to Matsuyama.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the job of a game\u00a0designer\u00a0is to constantly\u00a0come up with\u00a0new ideas,\u00a0Matsuyama says\u00a0a good way\u00a0to practice is by\u00a0creating\u00a0100 proposals\u00a0about\u00a0one theme,\u00a0followed\u00a0by discarding those ideas\u00a0and creating 100 proposals on another\u00a0theme. He then suggests throwing those away and creating another 100.\u00a0While this\u00a0might seem like a lot,\u00a0he\u00a0explains that newbie game\u00a0designers\u00a0are better off\u00a0writing short, one-page proposals than\u00a0making 30-page proposals for projects that are\u00a0likely to be infeasible and not very\u00a0entertaining\u00a0in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, experience isn\u2019t everything, as Matsuyama says that even CyberConnect 2, with its 30 years of making games, prefers to hire freshly graduated game designers and develop their talents, rather than hire mid-career devs. But since these employees have no prior game development experience or track record, the best way for them to demonstrate their aptitude is through quantity, he explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u3061\u306a\u307f\u306b\u5f0a\u793e\u306f\u4f8b\u5e74\u3060\u3068\u63a1\u7528\u7387\u306f5\uff05\u524d\u5f8c\u3067\u3059\u306e\u3067\u6bd4\u8f03\u7684\uff08\u4ed6\u793e\u3055\u3093\u3068\u6bd4\u3079\u308b\u3068\uff09\u63a1\u7528\u7387\u306f\u9ad8\u3081\u3067\u3059\u306d\u3002\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/8ZDIdfelX9<\/a><\/p>— \u677e\u5c71\u6d0b\uff20\u30b5\u30a4\u30d0\u30fc\u30b3\u30cd\u30af\u30c8\u30c4\u30fc (@PIROSHI_CC2) February 4, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>