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Researched by Zach G. |
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Types of
Designers
There are many types of specialties among game designers. Here are
some: The programmers take the concept from the designer, then
translate the animated figure(s). The artists produce art and scan into
the computers. Musicians create the music and sound effects. Game
testers test the game to see if the game is fun.Beta testers test the to see if there are bugs in the game. Bugs are technical problems. The producer oversees the project and is basically product manager.
The publisher sells the game to the public. The publisher can be one person or a company.
There are rankings within these categories, like there could be an art director or a lead programmer. It is possible to get promoted and demoted between these ranks.
History
There is a short history to video games, but here is the early history
to them. The first videogame ever was a game created by Steve Russel,
called “Space Wars”. In 1972, Nolan Bushnell copied “Space Wars” and
made a game called “Computer Space”. It did not do well because people
found it too hard to play. Despite his lack of success, Nolan Bushnell
went on to create “Atari”, the first video game company ever. His
company’s first game, titled “Pong” was a really big hit. It was
challenging and easy to play.Workers from “Electronic Arts”, another early video game designing company, focused on computer games to take advantage of it’s technology like: The keyboard, more memory, also 5 1/4 inch floppies. They made games like “Carmen San Diego”, and “M.U.L.E.”. From the mid-late ‘80’s, technology advanced to 3.5 inch floppies, sound cards, and larger memory. Designers now had to work on games that would suit more than one platform. They would fit PC’s, Apple computers, and consoles. In the ‘90’s “EA” started hiring teams of game designers instead of lone wolf designers (one person).
Choosing a
college
When choosing a college, consider this: In a traditional
college(University) you attend 4 years and get a bachelor’s
degree whereas in a technical college you can get hands-on
experience and attend a mere 2 years.Here are the college courses that will help in game design.
Physics: Physics programmers are in-demand
Computer graphics:2D Elementary 3D Advanced
Mathematics: Be sure to take linear algebra
Algorithms: Learn to make the best algorithms
Programming and assembly line programming: This will really help your career!
Human Anatomy: This will help with animations.
Requirements
The minimum requirement to be a video game designer is getting your
high school diploma. This is true, but most companies’ will only hire
you if you have a Bachelor of Science degree.How to get a job
First, get a computer program that teaches you how to design games.
Once you do that, make a good game. If the company likes the game, they
will hire you (if you meet the requirements). The game just has to be a
2-D side-scroller.Tools
The tools game designers use are listed below Color printer
Scanner
Fast computer
Lots of memory
Modem
Internet
Earnings
Here are the earnings for all the different kinds of designers.The programmers earn more than $55,000 a year. Musicians and testers earn $40,000-$70,000 per year. Artists make $30,000-$50,000. The producer earns over $50,000 a year. The Publisher can earns over $1 million.
Related careers
The careers related to a game designer are: Computer software
developer, computer programmer, computer animation specialist, toy and
game designer, graphics programmer, and computer consultant.
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On January,20,2004, I interviewed Micheal Moore at 5001 150th AVE
Redmond, WA 98052. He was a teacher for 25 years, a board game
designer for 10 years, and a video game designer for 15 years. He
currently works as a teacher for Digipen Institute of Technology where
he teaches students in a Real-time interactive simulation. When he was young, he was interested in games. He worked for a publishing company as an editor, then a video game designing company moved into the building. He went down to introduce himself, then ended up helping them with a magazine. Then he got caught up with designing games, and he realized how fun it was. Later on in his life he became a teacher at Digipen Institute of Technology. He needed a Bachelors of Science degree to be a teacher although he got a Masters degree in communication arts. Since he didn’t mean to become a video game designer he needed no formal training to become a game designer. He enjoys when it students understand something complicated and when he makes games. Nobody really knows when game design started, but some people found a board game in King Tut’s tomb titled “Senet”. They also think one of the first games ever were the “Olympics” which were physical games. The board games were not popular in the US until 1950. Danny Button, Sid Mier,Shigeru Miamoto, and Chris Taylor were some of the most important game designers ever. The biggest change in recent history is the technology. The games are more visually appealing. The online play for games has improved dramatically. The problems are that games lack innovation. Big name stores only get games they hear of. A lot more online games are coming. Game designing looks like a promising career in the future. A lot more games will be online in the future. The earnings range in Washington state is $30,000 if you just started designing games. If you are experienced or created successful games, then you will earn more. People do not measure how many people work in the industry, but Mike estimates 60,000-70,000 people work in the US, 6,000-7,000 in Washington. His favorite game is “Doom”.
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“Computer and Video Game Designers. ”Encyclopedia of Careers and Vacational Guidance. 2000. Crosby, Olivia. ”Career Features.” 8/23/2004. http://WWW.gignewscom/crosby1html. Lunda, Bill. Getting Ready for a Career in Game Designing. Mankato, Minnesota:Capstone Books,1998. pg 2-21. Marley, Phil. ”Fab Job Guide to become a Game Designer.” 10/28/04 http://www.fabjob.com/videogamedesigners.html. Moore, Micheal. Telephone interview. Jan 20, 2005. Olesky,Walter. Video Game Designers. New York, New York: Rosen Central, 2000. pg 9-15. “So You Want to Be a Game Programmer?” 4/21/04. <http://larc.csci.unt.edu/college.htm>.
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