Plumbing isn’t meant to be a reduction. You’re still solving problems. But at the end of the day the data must flow.

Depends on what part of the game you’re working on, I imagine. Building a game (or any software product) is probably more like building a house. You need architects and designers and painters and carpenters and masons and electricians and plumbers. If you do frontend stuff you’re more like a mason or carpenter. Backend more like electrician and plumbing. Systems design -> architect. Interaction/UX design -> designer.