VIDEO GAME DEVELOPER FIGHT OVERVIEW Video Game developer

VIDEO GAME DEVELOPER FIGHT!

OVERVIEW • Video Game developer is sort of a generalized term, and a video game developer can work in a multitude of specific fields such as programming, graphic design, or they can work as freelancers and do most everything that goes into a game on their own. Programmers are the heart of the game, they make sure that everything on screen works properly, and functions as it needs to. Graphic designers create all the characters in the game that you may become attached to, sometimes 75% of a games budget will be spent on graphics.

JOB DESCRIPTION • Video Game developers are involved in almost every aspect of the game, including story development, programming, game testing, designing the layout, creating music and graphics, and animation sequences.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS • As a game developer, you must be trained in many things such as programming language, graphics, operating systems, platforms such as PCs and Macs, and game consoles such as Xbox and Playstation. You will mostly get these skills by getting a bachelor’s degree program in computer science, or a related field.

JOB MARKET • There is a massive market out there for game designers, skilled and creative developers are high in demand. Almost every major company such as Electronic Arts, Valve, Activision, and Bethesda. But as with every job, there are many who are not skilled or talented enough that are constantly looking for work and not finding it. This is why game design takes such dedication, you will fail at some point, but you must improve to succeed.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES • This job will provide you with an extensive knowledge and will allow you to meet creative and intelligent individuals, and most of the time you will be placed in a field that you feel passionate about. Yet sadly, in recent years there have been massive layoffs in the game design, which doesn’t necessarily indicate a decline in the game market, it just mean there are more opportunities at smaller companies created by those who are cut by the major companies. Also, many medium sized companies are bought by the large ones every day, and that of course comes with cuts as a larger company may have better people to fit a job. But the best part about this job is doing what you enjoy and getting to work with others that share your passion and interest for games.

SALARY OPPORTUNITIES • Depending on where you choose to work, game designers make from $35, 000 to $100, 000 per year, although if you would rather work independently you will earn much less than if you were to work for an established business. Many choose a freelance route because they wish to create their own projects, without the pressure of losing a job over a mistake or having their game changed in a way that they may not agree with, in a freelance field, you have more control over the production of the game, however you will make much less money.

ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES • This career will give you a wide variety of options even if you decide to go into another computer related field later on. You will require extensive training but it will pay off in the long run. Many companies promote from the inside and all you have to do is work hard and keep your projects original and creative, most of the time you will start off in a small company, and if you are hard working and have a good work ethic you can be offered a job at a major company to start making some real money.

BENEFITS OFFERED • Being a game designer requires that you work hard and you may have to complete projects in a short amount of time. Many companies realize this and will give you a multitude of options when it comes to vacation days, they know that sometimes you are overworked and need a few days to rest. You will most likely have all medical coverage to ensure that you are not worrying about things other than the job at hand. If you end up joining a major company such as Electronic Arts or Valve, you will definitely have stock options and profit sharing options, but this depends how hard you work.

CONCLUSION • After looking at all the facts about game design, this is definitely the career that I would like to pursue, and I believe that this would be the best field to fit my life and interests. I feel that this job will give me an opportunity to meet people who are just as dedicated to video games as myself, and this is obviously something that I am passionate about.