Become a Video Game Designer

You know them. You have played them. You have seen the commercials. Have you ever fantasized of designing a video game? Well, you can. Video Games would not exist without a talented, artistic designer. Look for employment opportunities, or simply design your own games with the appropriate software. If you are good, you are in business!

Do you know who Laura Croft is? Have you ever stormed the beaches of Normandy or commanded the defense forces of a medieval fortress? Have you ever wondered if you could actually make a living doing it?

In the vast and ever growing field of video game design, you can. From designing levels, environment, story lines, mechanics, to back story, graphical art and play testing; the opportunities are vast. A game designer can specialize in any one aspect or manage a team of professionals, all working to bring a game?s concept to life.

Is their actually a future in Video Game Design?

Not long ago, a video game was a simple pair of vertical lines passing a square back and forth, back and forth. Now it is just a child's distraction, nothing more. Now, a video game can include complex puzzles, adult themed plots, and enormous multi player worlds with religion, commerce, and even industry.

A trip to your local software store will reveal the demographics of the people who buy video games. Adults are more likely to purchase a game for themselves than their children are, and they do so to a tune of billions of dollars a year.

The industry is still exploding, expanding to new realms of artistic and auditory reality, complex story lines, and plots. For the video game designer, this means opportunity. Design companies and studios are looking for fresh ideas and creative open minds with a passion for playing games.

What kind of person does it take to become a video game designer?

Game companies look for specific qualities when they hire an individual.

The most important, for the company as well as yourself, is the love of gaming. You have to be the type of person who quests to find every hidden secret in the latest adventure game, the kind that will play levels repeatedly until achieving a perfect score. It is this type of fanaticism, this kind of passion that they rely on to improve their staff of designers.

Additionally, they want problem solvers. Not just to help clear technological hurdles in the design evolution, but to add to the design of trials and tests, puzzles and intrigue within the game environment. They want the type of person who cannot sleep until a solution is in hand.

Lastly, they need individuals who know how to meet deadlines. The industry is not fast-paced, it is racing at break-neck speeds, and only those who can work efficiently and meet their goals can hope to succeed.

Do you remember your parents mumbling something about how they wished you could make a living playing those darn video games? Unbelievably, this is how many game designers started their careers; endless hours spent playing video games as a child.

In addition, here are some common skills or achievements design companies and studios look for:

* A degree in fine art, graphical art, computer science, special effects, or animation is crucial considering the high advanced technical skills required.

* Game programming, is usually written in C++, Java, and even sometimes Assembler. A game programmer should be proficient in some, if not all of these.

* Graphical artists, those responsible for the look of the game need to be more then just
proficient in 2 and 3D modeling with Photoshop, Maya, Max, and Lightwave.

* Internships, another good way to get involved is to seek out and accept internships.

Resources:

http://www.fabjob.com/Video.asp

http://www.satori.org

http://www.adigitaldreamer.com