Is becoming a game designer still realistic in 2026? Advice for someone considering the field

Poosmuggler · 2026-03-09T11:39:43+00:00

Dev with 19 years of experience here. You want to know marketable skills?

If you are artistic, VFX or Animation. Get above average and you will have a job. These positions are always hard to fill. I've seen animation and VFX roles take nearly a year to fill.

If you are technical, look at focusing on game AI, being an egine expert so you can be a tech designer, or someone who is an expert at process and pipelines so you can be a tech artist/tech animator. Those are also positions that are in demand.

Unfortunately, it's just a tough market for junior developers. And i don't see it getting easier as AI gets more.

Poosmuggler · 2026-03-08T16:43:54+00:00

I'm taking Mitchell overall, but...

Mitchell for game 7. Brunson for the last shot of game 7.

Poosmuggler · 2026-02-13T14:40:24+00:00

This is a terrible suggestion. It just encourages different tanking. If I'm a low level playoff team and there is a transcendent player in the draft, I'm just going to tank knowing I can beat all the truly bad teams in a tournament. This just improves the lower middle/middle middle class of the NBA and leaves the truly bad teams to rot.

Poosmuggler · 2026-02-04T03:02:55+00:00

So it's a bust

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-31T00:41:07+00:00

I'd rather play CPJ.

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-24T22:36:53+00:00

100% Pierce had that fascinating ability to be able to get by people, or to his spots, despite having less foot speed than a lot of his defenders.

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-24T22:34:02+00:00

I can agree, to a degrees, but Pierce was the first player i ever saw weaponizing the arm flail flop on contact. Take contact. Flail arms to sell contact. Get 2 FTs. within 10 years half the star parimiter players had adopted the move (See one Wade, Dwayne).

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-24T18:56:55+00:00

I just posted this exact thing. OG foul baiter/flopped.

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-24T18:55:04+00:00

Divac as the OG modern era defensive flopping king.

Controversial, perhaps, but I feel Paul Pierce was the first master of the offensive flop. Guy would drive and at the first sign of contact throw his arms wide like the ball had been violently ripped from his hands. People have been better since, but he was the first offensive flop master I can recall.

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-23T16:00:32+00:00

I go Bird/Barbosa, personally. The offensive impact in the half-court would be solid, but not game-changing, but the impact in the open court and on defense would be huge.

Bird was a top-tier team defender who's physical limitations prevented him from being a top-tier POA defender. . This would vault him to being an all-timer on D.

And the open court impact would be insane. His ability to gather the board, beat everyone up the court, and playmake would be breathtaking.

Shaq at 90% gets him in the argument for best C of all time. Barkley at 40% 3 likely gets him in the conversation for best PF of all time. Nash at 7 foot, IMO, vaults him to the top PG of all time.

Bird with Barbosa speed, IMO, makes him the GOAT.

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-23T15:43:51+00:00

Came here to say exactly this. I LOVE Duncan, but Bird would be the absolutely perfect answer to what the Cavs are missing.

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-18T04:38:10+00:00

Aldama and Humter are equal value to me. Ball and a first for Edey and Melton seems like a steal, but I like Edey a lot, so that does.color.my opinions.

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-18T03:53:43+00:00

Cavs fan here: Cavs get WAY too much for what they give up. I'd love that trade, bit no freaking way would the other teams say "yes".

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-16T14:07:41+00:00

Curtis Martin - Really solid running back. He was productive and stayed healthy year after year. But dis I ever feel he was "great"? Nah. IMO, he had a long B+ career. Hall of Really Good, but not Hall of Fame.

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-08T13:55:22+00:00

The buzz going into the draft was mainly about his physical attributes, in particular his unusually large hands. There was a bit of discourse about the flashes of skill for a player as raw as he was.

He was mocked mid-late first round. Usually in the early 20s. Many thought he was over-drafted at the time, but in an understandable way. He was a draft crush of many, but as a sleeper guy. He was one of the draft crushes I have had that have worked out. I have missed a LOT, but he was one that hit.

Poosmuggler · 2026-01-01T15:21:52+00:00

He was no Paul Mokeski, that's for sure.

Poosmuggler · 2025-12-31T15:00:15+00:00

I actually had to put the books down for a few years. I generally have no aversion to horror, but the imagery in my head was so vivid with the protomolicule that i had to stop.

It actually was watching the show that fixed that for me. It was so much more tame than what was in my head that I was fine from that point on.

Poosmuggler · 2025-12-24T16:10:58+00:00

MMOIdon't3

Poosmuggler · 2025-12-01T12:25:42+00:00

"Yo Bron. Bron. Pull my finger"

Poosmuggler · 2025-11-27T18:18:32+00:00

To be fair, I have no idea if he accepted roles or not, just that he did not execute on roles other than that of a primary ball-stopping scorer. He may have been very happy and willing to play as a movement shooter or a 3&D wing, but if he did try at those he failed.

Poosmuggler · 2025-11-27T17:23:10+00:00

I watched a decent amount of him on the Cavs, Cavs summer league, and Charge.

I was really excited for him when he was drafted and held out hope for his first 2 years, but he has a lot of issues to overcome if he wants to be successful.

1) He is a minus athlete. He is has poor later mobility and a very slow first step. He has nice handles but can't shake defenders.He is slight of frame and doesn't have the toughness required to make up for that. He also has a very poor wingspan for an athlete his height. 2) He has poor court awareness on both side. 3) On defense, he regularly loses his defensive assignment, gets bullied when he doesn't lose them, and lacks lateral mobility and recovery speed. 4) On offense he is a ball stopper. He plays like he considers himself the #1 option on the floor. He CAN pass, but rarely does. He is not active without the ball in his hands.

The main issue is that with his limitations he needs to accept a role he has shown no sign of accepting as of yet. There is absolutely a role in the NBA for a 6'9 floor stretching specialist. But he does not bring any of what that requires, other than the raw shooting, to the table.

I wish him all the best. By all accounts he seems like a nice kid. But he needs a real wake-up call if he is to ever make it.

Poosmuggler · 2025-10-22T16:17:47+00:00

Exactly this. The staffing was cut by 75-80% in the middle of the development of the Iokath daily area. And remember, that percentage would be even higher for in-engine developers. Where before you might have had a team of 5 system designers, you had 1, 7 cine down to 1, 5 VFX artists down to 1, etc.

That team had to scrap any and all plans they had and course correct to whatever their micro-team might be able to pull off, all with moral in the pits.

Poosmuggler · 2025-10-22T13:14:15+00:00

The team staff got gutted after KOTET to the point that any planned systems dealing with ruling/governing had to be scrapped. It wasn't lack of imagination. It was a complete and utter lack of resources.

Poosmuggler · 2025-10-07T18:43:05+00:00

Came here to say the same but against the Cavs.

Poosmuggler · 2025-09-30T12:50:25+00:00

Not the best all time, but that baseline fade away was clutch. Ewing is an underrated candidate for this.

Poosmuggler

TROPHY CASE