Video games have obviously been around for quite some time, and they aren’t going anywhere soon.
If you’ve ever imagined working in the video game industry, there’s no time like the present to start! It’s a booming industry with projected consistent growth. And with all the different platforms that video games can appear on, there’s no shortage of companies and avenues to pursue.
And, it can be a lucrative pursuit as well, which never hurts!
What Exactly Is a Game Designer?
Before we go further, let’s discuss what a game designer actually does.
There are a lot of different positions in the video game industry, so making sure you know the differences between designer, writer, animator, developer, programmer, etc is important.
The designer works as part of a design team. The video game design team all work together to come up with creative concepts for a game. These are the people who say “What if there was a game where you……” Together, they refine the ideas to be realistic and possible.
The video game design team often works closely with the video game development team. The developers are the ones who translate the design team’s ideas into code. So, it’s important to work with the developers to make sure that what the design team wants is possible with the budget and the technology available to the developers.
A game designer is an imaginative, creative ideas person. They can come up with new concepts and imagine fun, exciting experiences for the players. They dream big so that there is a lot for the rest of the video game team to work with.
The typical game designer will use game engines such as Unity, art programs like Adobe Illustrator, and scripting languages like Python and C#.
A Day In The Life
Some of the tasks and projects you might expect to work on as a game designer include:
- Developing game ideas and mechanics
- Creating characters and storylines
- Creating scenarios for gameplay
- Building and testing game prototypes
The major difference between game designers and game developers is the main goal for each position. While there is a lot of overlap in what each job title does when creating a game, the designer is responsible for the ideas and the developer is responsible for making them happen.
The design team might create concept sketches and art, storyboards, plan out fight or adventure sequences, decide how the character regains health, what kind of health indicator there will be, main and side quests, and any other gameplay ideas that pertain to the particular genre they are making.
The development team is the one that makes all the code to bring those ideas to full realization.
Education and Skills
Some game designers have at least a bachelor’s degree in multimedia design or a related field. Some have an associate’s degree in a field related to game design. Others may have certificates only or in addition to their other credentials. Many are self-taught.
If you want to attend a video game design class to learn specific skills, there are many to choose from out there! These classes can be great for getting a certificate to show your education as well as for networking opportunities.
More important than your degree is your real-world experience and your portfolio. Ensure that you find fulfilling internships that teach you a lot about the real aspects of being a game designer and working in the video game industry.
Develop a portfolio, either on your own or with a portfolio-building class, course, or bootcamp. Your portfolio is vital for getting interviews and job offers in the video game industry.
The skills you will need as a game designer are:
- Design Theory
- Skill in computer graphics
- Animation skills
- Proficiency in Photoshop
- Knowledge of software and hardware development
You’ll also need to have a solid history of participating in the gaming industry. If you’re thinking of becoming a video game designer on a whim, you probably won’t have much success unless you work on getting familiar with games, the gaming communities, and gaming companies, and interacting online with these entities right away.
What is the Video Game Designer Job Market Like?
Even during economic downturns, the video game market continues to thrive and even expand. People simply prioritize entertainment, despite or especially because of hard times.
And, game tech continues to advance at a rapid rate, meaning there keeps being new territory to explore and new methods to work with constantly.
There really is a video game tech boom right now, so it’s a great time to become involved in the industry.
Advent of New Tech
In the past decade, we’ve seen demand for mobile games increase dramatically which in turn has changed the way mobile games are played. Graphics and UX for mobile games continue to improve and there is a lot of room for evolution.
Another new tech in recent years includes virtual reality (first the widespread use, and now the refinement and evolution of), augmented reality, cloud-based games, and downloadable games and content.
Even Netflix is beginning to add games to their streaming platform, which isn’t currently very popular but could be in the near future!
The VR market to expected to grow at 42.9% each year until 2026, when it will be worth about $53.6 billion.
Esports
Let’s Play videos on YouTube have become increasingly popular which means that games need to have a draw to get people to play even after they’ve already seen someone else do it. This poses a unique challenge to make games more attractive even after playing them once or twice.
Professional esports has exploded in recent years, leading to the invention of million-dollar-prize tournaments, lucrative Twitch careers, and casual gaming leagues.
Indie Games
Since video game creation tools are more available than ever, indie game studios are booming. Thanks to indie video games, the boundaries of what makes a good game keep expanding. Indie studios will continue to forge new paths in the video game frontiers for the foreseeable future.
Overall Job Potential
Trends have seen the video game job market increase by about 5.3% every year since 2019, and that trend is expected to continue which means over 32,000 new jobs by 2029.
While the industry is notoriously competitive, there will also be continuing growth in value and positions in the coming years.
Getting Started in the Video Game Design Industry
How can you get your foot in the door and start working in the game design field?
Be Present
Remember to be active in the gaming community. This is the only way you’ll really know how it feels to be someone who buys the products your working on.
Video games are interactive art, which means they are extremely subjective. You need to be able to know how to appeal to your audience and make a game that people will actually enjoy. If you’re not experienced, you won’t know how.
Networking
If you aren’t a fan of networking, the video game industry will be hard for you to get into.
You don’t have to network in the “traditional” ways in the video game industry. After all, it’s full of people who are really plugged in!
Interact with your favorite game studios, artists, designers, gamers, and other people in the industry on their videos and social media. Attend conventions and genuinely talk to people. Show your knowledge and interest organically in the channels easily available to you, and you’ll be surprised how easy it is to get in touch with influential people!
Know Your Stuff
As stated before, make sure you have credentials and a portfolio that can back you up. Show your creativity and understanding of what makes games fun or boring, beautiful or ugly, engaging or forgettable.
You can take additional game design classes online to flesh out your skills, give you some inspiration to make another portfolio piece, and even learn enough to fiddle around and make your own sample games. Not sure where to start? Check out gaming classes near me for courses and tutors who can not only help you learn about game design but give you career advice as well!
Intern as much as possible to learn from accomplished designers. Keep up-to-date on industry trends and news.
“90% of what is considered “impossible” is, in fact, possible. The other 10% will become possible with the passage of time & technology.” ~Hideo Kojima
Best Companies to Work As a Game Designer & Average Salary
In the US alone, there are 3,552 video game software development companies as of 2023, which is a 4.9% increase from 2022.
Most of these companies are small, indie endeavors, so you may or may not have good luck pursuing employment with them. On one hand, a small business might be great to work for and help get off the ground. On the other, they will have limited funds and budgets so they might not be able to hire or provide especially good pay or benefits.
Of the main companies in the US, the top three highest-paying are:
- Microsoft $110,901 ($101,078 – $119,525)
- Valve Corporation $121K – $130K ($119,735 – $131,205)
- Naughty Dog Inc ($60,960 – $147,320)
According to Zippia.com, the average salary for game developers in the US is $91k per year and the average salary ranges from $64k to 127k per year.
Of course, the more experience you have, the higher the pay.
Positions for Newbie Game Designers
“Game designer” is generally an umbrella term for anyone on the game design team. But in many companies, especially well-staffed ones, there will be different responsibilities for different members of the design team.
Some specific jobs for game designers include:
- QA Tester: Identify issues with a game including bugs, glitches, and inconsistencies.
- UI/UX designer: Design the user interface and the user experience with the game and any menus needed.
- Graphic designer: Create the visual elements for the game including character and environment design.
- Coder: Straddle the line between design and development by knowing how to code, which can be vital to test out a design before passing it on.
- Level designer: Design the layout and journey for the player as well as the difficulty.
There are a lot of different niches in the game design industry. Just take a look at the end credits of any video game!
One thing is for certain: the video game industry is not slowing down any time soon. Between mobile games, gaming consoles, computer and web-based games, and new tech becoming more widespread, there are countless opportunities to get involved in the field.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
