In addition, programmers with the “right stuff” can sometimes obtain internships with large video game developers, an opportunity that allows them to hone their skills in a real-world environment prior to graduation. In fact, a large number of colleges provide degree programs that will enable a person with the appropriate skill set to learn what is required in C++, DirectX, and OpenGL programming. Such institutions are a good place to begin on the pathway to becoming a video game artist. The Art Institute, for instance, has outlets in most major US cities, and it offers a comprehensive degree program in Game Art and Design, as does the Savannah College of Art and Design. If you need to, get yourself into a degree program that will also help you to produce a portfolio of your work. This information is more attainable than at any other time in history, so take advantage of it. Start by reviewing the numerous Web sites, books, and magazines to find examples of character and environment designs. Video game artists are born, but they are also trained. So, if you truly aspire to a job in video game development, identify your skills and work out a direct path to obtaining demonstrable skills that will help you to shine.Īs was just stated, there are many houses of learning with programs of study dedicated to the video game industry. Compared to 20 (or even 10) years ago, there are a myriad of schools today that not only are providing training within art and programming, but are actually offering courses and majors to help students make the direct jump into the games industry. Well, that may be enough, but probably not in an industry that is increasingly packed with very competent job candidates. What are you good at? Do you sketch in a notebook? Do you doodle out a more elegant piece of looping code on a napkin at a posh restaurant? It is common to see the best testers moving up into designer positions. Testers are hired because they can demonstrate an ability to play a wide variety of games, to categorize various aspects that don’t work or need improvement, and to validate aspects of a game that work exactly as they are expected to. Quality assurance in the context of a video game development team means game testers. In most game shops, designers must also be able to use or learn to use software-based tools that help establish gameplay modes and missions. The last two positions on the list above are jobs that are less specific and more magical.ĭesigners come from a wide variety of sources, but they must be passionate about the way games play and be interested in devising new ways for users to play them. Quite often, these are careers that someone attains only after learning and growing for a period within the industry. To make things more confusing, or intriguing perhaps, there are more advanced positions like technical artist (something akin to an artist and a programmer combined) or audio programmer (someone who is able to make the audio inputs work within the game’s engine). Understanding the types of jobs that are available will help a person get started quickly on a rewarding career in this industry. While the career paths discussed below are nearly always present in a top team, they are not the only ones available. Regardless of the industry’s growth, a job in the video game industry is very desired, and competition is cutthroat. The reason? Players can now get a feature film’s complex and lifelike art with which they can interact. In fact, revenue from computer games now exceeds that of Hollywood’s box office, and this will likely continue. This makes it the fastest growing industry across all sectors. Today, those opportunities are more prevalent than ever, as the industry is currently in an era of unprecedented growth.įor instance, the US Bureau of Labor predicts that the growth of software publishing, of which video game development is a part, will expand by 67.9 percent between 20. This is a boon to someone who wants to break into the market because there are many job opportunities in a broad range of fields. If you are looking to work in the video game industry, one of the most important things to recognize is that development teams are often quite large and diverse. Finding a job in video game development may seem like a dream to some, but it is a dream that is achievable.
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