Video Game Designer Career

Hundreds of thousands of people play video games on a daily basis. As a result, there is always a need for the creation and development of these games, and that is precisely the job of a video game designer. These individuals have a passion to design and implement newer and better games for the video game enthusiast.

What is a Video Game Designer?

Video game designers are people who are passionate about video games and are players themselves. They are forever seeking ways to create new, challenging games that will be a hit on the market. Video game designers have sharp, analytical minds, and are excellent at solving problems, because that’s what all good video games consist of-the ability to analyze and work through any problems that arise as the game continues. An experienced video game designer knows exactly what the player desires, and they have the knowledge to put that desire into effect.

Video Game Designer Job Duties

Anyone working as a video game designer needs to be able to develop the storyline to the game, and plan out the details and ideas behind the story. This may sound like an easy job, but in reality, there is a lot of education and experience required before anyone is able to do this with any amount of ease. The designer has the explicit job of formatting a script and writing all of the dialogue and concepts that will make the video game interesting and challenging for thousands of players. This entails hours of designing and re-designing the programs, discovering and fixing any glitches, and playing the game over and over until it is absolutely perfect.

Video Game Designer Skills

Anyone interested in a video game designer career has to have great mathematical skills, an analytical mind, and the patience needed to sit for hours in front of a computer screen. Being detail oriented and having a vivid imagination is a necessity when writing the story that essentially makes up the whole game. Learning programming languages and being able to use them in different combinations is critical to a successful video game designer. This can be a dream job for anyone with these skills.

Video Game Designer Education

Anyone who is interested in a video game designer career needs to have above average computer skills. Most positions require a two year certificate or a four year degree in engineering or computer science. In addition, mathematics courses are extremely important, and animation courses and storyboarding are essential. It is through these courses that necessary computer languages are learned such as Java, C++, 3D modeling, graphics programming, animation theory courses – to name a few.

Video Game Designer Salary

Salaries are fantastic for experienced video game designers. Designers who are new to the field can find that they can make $35,000 a year the first year, which is an unbelievable salary for first time designers. The more experienced individuals have the opportunity to realize a salary of $70,000 and upwards annually. Obviously, the more training someone has, the better the potential to earn an extremely good wage, which is why video game design is such a sought after career.

Video Game Designer Job Outlook

The field of video game design is growing faster than anyone would have imagined just a few years ago. By the year 2012 there is expected to be a 67 percent growth in jobs in this field, making video game design the fastest growing occupation to date. As the field grows, however, so does the competition for these jobs which is why it is vital to obtain the best education available.

For people who think that they have the capabilities of designing a better video game than what is currently on the market, the next step is simple. Attain the required education and learn as much about the various aspects of video game design as possible.