As you begin
embarking on your pursuits for higher education, what majors
have you considered? Business? Accounting? Computers? Or how
about more complex fields such as law or medicine which
require additional years of schooling?
Well, if you have a passion for these things then you
should go where your heart leads you. But if you're taking
these types of majors simply because it seems like the right
thing to do, perhaps you should consider a different course
of action: majoring in something you truly enjoy...
something you could do hours on end without feeling like you
are working at all. And if you are like many people, this
'something' would be playing video games.
That's
right! You can actually get a job creating and/or playing
video games. Below is a list of some of the careers
available for those with a video game degree.
1) Video Game Tester
This is a
position in which you truly would get paid for playing video
games. According to Doug Doine, a game tester for Electronic
Arts, as a game tester you would "go over different
components of a game and look for things that just don't
make sense." You would also "break the game," meaning you
would "do things a normal user would do and inadvertently
see something go wrong."
Doug Doine further adds
that video game testing is a good place to start for young
people who want to "break into the industry." To get such a
position in it is best to have a "passion for gaming" and
some educational background. Doug himself has a degree.
2)
Programmer
According to Gameinformer Magazine, video game
programmers are the "heart and soul" of the industry. They
are the ones responsible for creating the code necessary for
getting video games to function. And contrary to popular
belief, their jobs aren't always easy. Video game
programming often involves creating complex functions and
algorithms often times more challenging than programs
created in Corporate America. Thus a talent for mathematics
along with a more analytically-inclined brain are absolute
essentials.
Indeed, game programming may not be the appropriate
course for everyone seeking a video game career, but if you
were deciding to go into the computer field anyway, which
job would be more enjoyable... coding the next Halo, or
working on a boring, hum-drum piece of no-name software?
3) Animator
Animators are responsible for coordinating the movement
of video game characters. Accomplishing requires more than
drawing something on a piece of paper, which according to
Alex Drouin, an established game animator, occurs after a
lot of "brainstorming, chilling, playing, planning and
testing" with the programmer. But when the busy work is
done, the video game animator will finally get a chance to
do what he or she does best... animate. Alex Drouin says the
thing he liked best about his job was "being able to come
|there| late in the morning, sit behind |his| computer, put
on a great CD, and then create crazy animation that will end
up in a game that will be seen all around the world by
gamers." Now, wouldn't it be nice if you could get a job
like that? With a video game degree it is certainly
possible!
4) Sound Designer
Sound designers are responsible for creating the music
and sound effects of video games. Video game music is
created either from digital sources or real-life
orchestration. As video game consoles become more advanced,
many sound designers favor the latter when deciding on what
type of music they want in the games they are working on.
Creating appropriate sound effects, on the other hand,
sometimes requires more creative experimentation.
To be successful at video game sound designing it is
best to: 1) have an interest in both music and sound, 2)
possess knowledge of recording technology and 3) be familiar
with the types of music and sound used in today's most
popular video games. A video game degree will help develop
these talents and skills.
5) Producer
According to
Gameinformer Magazine, a producer "functions as the glue
that holds a development team together, seeing to a variety
of organizational tasks ranging from budgeting and planning
to input on the direction of the game itself."
A good producer must possess superior management and
accounting skills. This is because not only does a producer
have to work with people on a regular basis trying to get
them to meet deadlines, but they are also responsible for
the budget of the video game project. Not knowing how to
best spend money, (a skill acquired through accounting and
economics), could result in financial failure.
Indeed, producers have a lot on their shoulders, but it
is still a suitable option for non-technical persons who
desire to get into the game industry.
6) Game Designer
Video game designers are responsible for creating the
'experience' of a particular game. Evan Wells, a video game
designer, sums it up by saying "the main tasks of the
designer is to make sure the game is fun."
Wells further adds that game designers are responsible
for macro and micro level design. Macro level design
involves "figuring out the core mechanics of the game; the
variety of level looks, power-ups, etc." Micro-design
involves creating the "actual levels and the
moment-to-moment gameplay within those levels... the
enemies, the objects, and the particular way you encounter
those enemies and objects."
Good game designers should obviously have an interest
in video games along with some drawing and programming
skills.
7) PR Manager
If you would like to explore the marketing side of the
video game industry, then consider becoming a PR manager. PR
managers are responsible for promoting video games. And
according to Natalie Salmon, a PR manager for Midway, part
of this process involves "learning about the game that is
going to be announced." So this boils down at some point
having to play the video game. Isn't that what you wanted to
do anyway?
8) Fields not relating to video games
Each of the career paths discussed above are fields
that are not limited to the video game industry. If you
decide that you don't want to use your video game degree to
find a job related to video games, you can always use it to
market yourself for other types of jobs. Of course, you may
want to take a class or two to get a certification to help
further establish yourself in the latest technology, but
this is recommended for anyone pursuing an IT career.
Bottom line, a video
game degree, (just like any other computer-related degree),
will lay the foundation you need to teach you the
basics for programming, testing, animation, software
development and other skills that are pertinent to the
business world.
