Game Design School & Your Video Game Design Career
Game designers are the masterminds who conceptualize the mission, theme, plot and rules of a video/computer game. Designers specialize in story lines, character biographies, game criticism, game play mechanics, environments and level design. Many game designers act as lead project managers overseeing teams of up to 50 artists, programmers and sound designers throughout the development of a new game.
“As a game designer, in the end what you’re responsible for is: Is it fun or not?” says Paolo Malabuyo, lead designer for Xbox. But that’s more difficult that it sounds. If the pace is too slow, the game is boring. If the pace is too fast, the game is confusing. Designers must keep players interested by creating puzzles to solve. Ultimately, a game should be easy to learn but hard to master.
Most game designers complete formal training in the fine arts or multimedia. A strong background in drawing, painting, color theory, sculpture and graphic design is needed to keep pace with the high quality expectations of players. Designers usually begin their careers as game artists, programmers, testers or producers.
Game Designer: Education & Training
Most game designers inadvertently received their earliest training at home by playing computer or video games for hours on end. All of those hours glued to the screen weren’t for nothing!
- A college-level education in fine art, graphic arts, computer arts, computer science, special effects or animation is critical due to the highly technical nature of the job.
- Depending on their exact position, gaming professionals are expected to be proficient in programming languages such as Java, C++, as well as 2D and 3D art tools such as Photoshop, Maya, Max and Lightwave.
- Internships will help you get your foot in the door.
Game Designer: Salaries
Salaries for game designers vary depending on experience and reputation in this competitive field.
- Early-to-mid-career game designers may earn between $35,000 and $75,000.
- Experienced game designers may earn more than $100,000.
Game Designer: Career Spotlight
Paolo Malabuyo
Job Title: Lead Design Program Manager, XBox - Microsoft
Years in Field: 5 years
How did you find your way into game design?
Like a lot of people in the game industry, I grew up playing video games, wasting my money on arcades, playing Atari and the early game consoles. I studied art and design at Carnegie Mellon, a double major in painting with computer graphics and animation. That’s where I was able to develop conceptual and visual design skills, and at the same time I wasn’t afraid of technology.
I sold my computer (an Amiga 500) and game system (Sega Genesis) my freshman year of college. I wanted to spend time on school work, hold down a job, and still have a social life and date. It wasn’t until after I graduated that I fell back into playing games as a hobby. Read more about game designers.