Have you ever been curious how your favorite video game works and how it was made? If so, maybe you would be interested in a game design career. A game design job entails many interesting facets; besides the visual design side of it, the scripting side of game creation is fascinating as well.
Game designers use their knowledge, skills and expertise to create a fully functioning single player or multi player game from concept to production. Of course, one interested in working in game design must be highly motivated, as the work can be hard and mentally draining. However, the career is often rewarding to be able to create something new and fun for everyone.
As a game designer, one must first come up with a concept and then create the rules of the game. For instance, if you are creating a soccer game, you would take into consideration the rules of soccer. You’ll also want to create the terrain and whole setting of the game. Depending on what type of game you are creating, you might want your game to focus mainly on the scenery; if so, so you’ll spend resources to on the aesthetics of the design elements. The story and characters are other elements a game designer thinks about. This can be fun, as you would be able to fully use your imagination to create characters and make the story as you want it. Other areas of game design include creating the props, vehicles, weapons and anything else associated with that particular game.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a game designer salary ranged from $35,000 to $75,000 in 1998-1999.* The earnings can be larger or smaller depending on which project you are working on, what industry you work in and how extensive your skills and training are.
Get more information on game design degrees using our game design school finder at the top of this page ↑. School representatives will guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have about the various programs that are available to help you earn you game design degree.
*For more information, please visit: http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2000/Summer/art01.pdf