Video Game Designer Job Description
Do you want to become a Video Game Designer and work with the game developers on the next version of Halo, World of Warcraft or the next great online game? Would you like to become a Video Game Designer working on the XBox 360, Nintendo Wii or the next Playstation? Well, you might not be far from a career as a Video Game Designer.
Video Game Designer Career Outlook
The Video game industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that has outgrown many other industries in a short period of time. Video games are no longer looked upon as children's games. Walk into any store that sells video games and you'll see 20- and 30-year-olds checking out the latest versions of games such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, The Sims and more. With the latest releases of the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the Nintendo Wii, the career outlook for Video Game Designers is greater than ever. Video game popularity and complexity is exploding, and so are the video game designer job opportunities at game companies and studios.
Do you have what it takes to become a Video Game Designer?
There are several key qualities video game companies look for when hiring someone for a video game designer job. The most important thing is that you should like video games. Companies want to hire someone who knows what makes a video game good and what makes a video game bad. They want someone who knows the difference between good video game design and poor video game design. The only way to do this is by playing video games (a lot). There are lots of people who spend all their time playing video games.
Another important attribute is good problem-solving skills. There are typically lots of challenges, bugs, and potential problems in designing a video game, ranging from collision detection to making things look convincing. To succeed in a video game designer job, you need to be the type of person who is willing to work hard to solve the problems that arise in game development and production.
Finally, video game companies look for someone who can work under pressure and deliver in a crunch. The gaming industry works at a fast pace. You need to be patient, but you also need to be efficient at what you do.
Getting educated to become a Video Game Designer
If the video game designer job sounds like the one for you, there are plenty of opportunities for getting into the industry. Education and career training programs in Video Game Design are for students who want to combine a passion for playing games into a computer design career. These courses prepare graduates for entry-level employment in positions including game designer, modeler, and visual effects specialist.
A rapidly increasing number schools offer programs to prepare you for a video game designer job. Some schools that Offer Video Game Designer Programs include:
- The Art Institutes
- Devry University
- ITT Technical Institute
- Kaplan Career Institute
- New England Institute of Technology
- The College of Westchester
- Westwood College
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The Art Institutes offers several degree programs in Game Art & Design, Game Programming, and Visual & Game Programming. Game Programming students receive a hands-on introduction to programming, allowing them to collaborate on new ideas and techniques and speculate on those coming tomorrow. Graduates of The Art Institutes programs are prepared to seek entry-level employment in positions such as modeler, storyboard artist, animation artist, 3-D illustrator, digital artist, FX artist, video postproduction artist, broadcast graphics designer, and game designer.
DeVry has both an online Game & Simulation Programming program and a campus program at several of their campus locations. As a gaming degree student at DeVry, you will work on industry-standard equipment and software to develop your own video game or simulation. You'll also develop strong math and physics abilities and teamwork and communication skills.
The Digital Entertainment and Game Design program in the School of Drafting and Design at the ITT Technical Institutes can help graduates prepare for career opportunities in a variety of entry-level positions involving the technology associated with the design and development of video games and multimedia applications.
Kaplan Career Institute offers an Associate's Degree in Digital Arts that combines fine arts courses such as drawing and illustration with general education courses in art history, communications, marketing, and psychology. You'll also have an opportunity to master some of the digital art industry's most popular graphics and animation software applications. Kaplan's program integrates classroom lectures, hands-on training, and field trips to help you develop the skills employers demand in the workplace. Before graduation, you will be required to complete an externship at an approved facility in the Harrisburg community to gain hands-on experience working in the industry.
New England Institute of Technology has Associate's and Bachelor's degrees in Game Development and Simulation Programming Technology. New England Tech is southern New England's largest, private technical college and offers more than 30 Associate's and Bachelor's Degree programs online and on campus in Warwick, Rhode Island.
The College of Westchester's Associate degree Game Design Program will offer you the opportunity to learn the entire development process of video and computer games, including concept creation, marketing proposal, and product sales. Working individually and in teams, students will storyboard, create and manage game assets, and script the interactive elements in preparation to complete a basic working prototype.
Westwood College offers an online Bachelor Degree in Game Art and Design that helps students gain knowledge of art and animation techniques for employment in the video game and interactive software industry. Westwood curriculum includes courses such as Color Theory, 3-D Modeling and Animation, and Cinematography. In addition, a combination of management and general education courses enhance students' skills in critical thinking, logic, communication, and problem solving. Westwood College provides a flexible, challenging education option for students who want to be a part of the dynamic gaming and game design industry.
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The International Game Developers Association is the largest non-profit membership organization for designers who create video games. The Association's mission is to advance the careers and enhance the lives of game developers by connecting members with their peers, promoting professional development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer community. Their website, www.igda.org, also features information on internships in the video game industry.
Read more about Video Game Design and Development careers:
- Multimedia Artist and Animator Careers
- Video Game Designer Careers
- Video Game Developer Careers
- Video Game Programmer Careers
- Video Game Sound Designer Careers