From UPSC to Game Development - How I learned to create games | ft. Tivra Raj #gamedev #gaming #jobs
1From playing IGI to a self made IGI clone, the story of Tivra Raj is part inspiration and part reflection of the next generation of game developers in India #HumansOfGaming
Tivra’s story starts with a tragedy. He was just 2 years old when his father passed away. Soon, Tivra and his mother found solace and support in living with his mother’s family. To support his education, Tivra’s mother started working at Anganwadi, firmly laying the foundation for Tivra’s future.
Tivra's fascination with technology began in first grade when he encountered computers for the first time in his school. Soon, he was introduced to the world of gaming while exploring his uncle’s laptop.
Tivra stumbled upon an application that to him looked like a work project. The name of the application? IGI. After his friends told him that IGI is actually a game he started playing it and there was no turning back.
In class 5th, Tivra shifted to a Kendra Vidyalaya where his friends introduced him to more games like Prince of Persia and GTA, and needless to say, he loved every bit of these games.
By class 9th, he moved to Bangalore with his uncle. All his family wanted for him was a good education and opportunities for a better future. Like any caring Indian parent who yearns for security and a good life, Tivra’s mother wanted him to study hard and become an IAS officer.
While initially aligning with this goal, Tivra soon recognized the boundless opportunities around him. An encounter with a news story about careers in gaming sparked the idea of game development as a potential career path for Tivra.
His journey took a more focused turn after the 10th grade when he began working at his uncle's institute. By 11th grade, his exploration into game development led him to Unity. But when he tried his hand at it, he didn’t understand anything, it felt too daunting to him. He didn’t open Unity after that, but that doesn’t mean he stopped with his quest.
He soon discovered FPS Creator, an intuitive tool that allowed him to develop an IGI-like game, boosting his confidence about his choice of pursuing game development.
Excelling in computer science in the 12th grade, Tivra aimed to pursue a degree in game development. However, the lack of institutes with a good curriculum and financial constraints led him to opt for a BCA.
During his final semester of BCA, Tivra chose to create a game for his project, revisiting Unity and learning it through YouTube tutorials. He successfully developed a 3D game in just three months.
Post-BCA, during the challenging times of COVID-19, Tivra took various odd jobs but his passion for game development was reignited when he saw an Instagram ad about Outscal. Tivra quickly signed up for Outscal’s launchpad program and was blown away when he found exactly what he was looking for.
Cut to today, Tivra is working full time at TomoClub as game developer!