Combine Work and Play With a Video Game Designer Career
What Is Video Game Design?
For anyone that loves and lives to play video games, video game design can be a dream job.
Video game design refers to planning, designing, and creating video games. Video game designers will often work closely with other members of a team to create video games for computers and video game consoles. Designing video games is a very specialized and challenging career.
Contrary to what some may believe, the majority of video games are not created overnight, or even in a few weeks. The majority of video games on the market today will usually take at least a couple of years to make.
Although most video game designers are more artistic than anything, they will also usually need to know at least basic computer programming, since he will need to help program certain parts of a game. Once the initial copy of a game is created, a game designer might also help test it and work out any bugs or problems in it.
Some video game designers may be more focused on certain aspects of video games than others. When creating a complex video game, for instance, one team of video game designers may be responsible for coming up with the story behind the game and the narration. Another team may focus on creating characters and animation, while other designers work together to create the settings and layout for the game.
Since sound is an integral part of a video game as well, some game designers can specialize in this area. This can involve creating music, sound effects, or character voices in a video game.
How Much Money Does a Video Game Designer Make?
The video game industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, and most video game designers will usually make a decent amount of money. The median annual salary for a video game designer according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is $58,510; $28.13/hr.
Video game designers truly do earn every penny of what they make, though. Although it sounds like a dream job to many, most people don’t realize the amount of work that must be done to plan, create, and polish a video game. The majority of video game designers are constantly under pressure with strict looming deadlines, and they will usually need to work very long hours.
What Type of Education Does a Video Game Designer Need?
Video Game Design is a very competitive field, and an education is usually needed to break into this field.
Students who are looking to have a career in video game design have the option to attend a few different types of schools. Traditional colleges and universities will often offer several classes pertaining to video game design, for instance, but art or technology institutes may offer more specialized programs in this field. Some student may even opt to enroll in increasingly popular online programs.
Learn More About Popular Video Game Design Schools and Programs Below:
- The Art Institutes: Game Art & Design (BA, BFA, BS)
- Full Sail University: Game Design, Bachelor of Science (Online)
- Devry University: Bachelor’s – Game and Simulation Programming
A video game designer will usually need to have at least an associate degree in order to secure an entry level position as a video game designer. A bachelor’s degree in a related field, however, is even better.
Aspiring video game designers should consider taking graphic design classes, including animation, along with computer science classes, including computer programming. Some art institutes may even offer video game design degree programs, which combine several artistic design classes with more technical computer courses. There are plenty of online options for those seeking more of a work from home experience.
What Can a Person Do With a Degree In Video Game Design?
Small video game production companies are often looking for video game designers. Since these smaller companies often have limited budgets, however, they will generally not pay as much as larger companies. On the other hand, these smaller companies are usually a little more laid back than larger companies. A new graduate just starting his game design career typically has a better chance of securing employment with small or start-up companies.
Large multi-million dollar video game production companies are often a little harder to get into, and they are also a little more structured. Since these larger companies have much larger budgets, however, game designers are usually paid larger salaries.
Featured Schools with Video Game Design Programs: Request information to learn more.
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