The Gaming Industry has grown a lot since the mid-70s. Today it makes 80 Billion Dollars a year with an 8.6% employment growth rate, which is bigger than Hollywood, the Book and the music industry. Although it still thrives for recognition, a very large number of young people want to be a part of the Gaming industry. Unlike the old days, Universities have degree programs and courses to churn out and serve this ever growing behemoth industry.
A lot young people and gamers grow up with a dream of making a living by designing and developing video games themselves. A gaming job is possible, but a job working as a video game designer is usually earned from years of experience doing other related work in this field. The trick is simple: play as many games as you can and build your general knowledge to be a good game developer.
It is always a good time to join the gaming industry. Games now have a massive audience than before; they are directly connected to our phones, PCs, consoles and tablets. Couple of years ago, it took millions of dollars and a group of 300 to bring a new project to PC, Mobile, PlayStation or Xbox. Today, it is possible even for a single programmer or a small team to entertain a worldwide audience. Just look at Angry Birds!
Any hardcore gamer today is familiar with Big names in the industry like EA Games, ID Software’s, Ubisoft, Steam, etc. These juggernauts of video gaming companies like Electronic Arts, Activision and Ubisoft are sinking more and more money into marketing their AAA games.
Although the Indian market is slowly catching up with the pace, the major countries to control the market today are the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, Korea, Germany and Canada.
Careers for a Game Developer/Designer and the Profiles:
A Video Game Developer/Designer writes and debugscodes to develop games for different platforms. He determinesthe design and basic concept of the game as well as thestory and sketch of how the game will look like. He also maintains a process of theactivities;every game is tested and redesigned until all the flaws are eliminated. Video Game Designing involves a big group of creative and logical team. This team includes: Programmer, Writer, Audio Programmer, Level Designer, Animator, Modeler, License Support Engineer and Software Engineer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects 417,605 jobs to be opened in Gaming by 2016.Many jobs are off-shore with design studios through Asian and Europe.
Animator: Games Animators are responsible for the controlling, fluid movements and the behavior in a game.
Assistant Producer: Works with a game’s production staff, to see to it that the game is delivered on time.
Audio Engineer:Create the soundtrack for a game, including music, sound effects, character voices and spoken instructions.
Creative Director: Creative Directors are responsible for the overall look and feel of a game.
Game Designer:Controls the Core elements within a game – how a game should work and how it plays.
Game Programmer:Mostly Coding and how to control the game.
Games Artist:Creates the visual elements of a game, like surface texture, scenery, objects and the characters.
Lead Artist: Lead Artists are responsible for the overall look of a game.
Lead Programmer:Heads the team responsible for the coding.
Level Editor:Responsible for the game architecture, like landscapes, objects and buildings.
Course Details
Most employers prefer a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering. Couple of years with programming experience is recommended. With a Master’s Degree in Computer Science one has a better standing. And most important in this industry is the love for Video Games.
Best International Graduate Schools for Video Game Development, as per Internationalstudents.com,
Across the world, some of the top Universities which offer various programs in gaming, some of the top ones are enlisted below.
| University of Southern California, | Los Angeles, CA, USA | http://www.usc.edu |
| Rochester Institute of Technology, | Rochester, NY, USA | http://www.rit.edu |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology, | Cambridge, MA, USA | http://web.mit.edu |
| University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL, USA | http://www.ucf.edu |
| Southern Methodist University | Plano, TX, USA | http://www.smu.edu |
| Carnegie Mellon University, | Pittsburgh, PA, USA | http://www.cmu.edu |
| South Thames College | London, UK | www.south-thames.ac.uk |
| University of the Arts London | London, UK | http://www.arts.ac.uk |
| Nihon Kogakuin College | Tokyo, Japan | www.ncie.neec.ac.jp |
| NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences | Breda, Netherlands | www.nhtv.nl/ENG.html |
| Vilnius Business College | Vilnius, Lithuania | www.kolegija.lt/en |
Best Game Developing and Design colleges and institutes in India
| ISOG – INDIAN SCHOOL OF GAMING | www.isog.in |
| Backstage pass: Game Designing and Development | www.backstagepass.co.in |
| Game Designing Course – MAAC India | www.maacindia.com |
| Arena Multimedia | www.arena-multimedia.com |
| ICAT College | www.icat.ac.in |
Fee Structure:
For the serious young people, the costing for an international college for Game Development and Designing colleges along with the accommodation and cost of living would vary from INR 30 Lacs to 70 Lacs depending on the college and the course you take. Also for a low budget career, the courses would cost up to INR10 Lacs to 15 Lacs. The reputation of a school can be helpful while searching for a job, but at the end of the day, hires are made from demo reels
Income
Salary varies depending on the gaming companies, your skills, level of education, and geographic area. With a Masters or Post-Graduate degree you will usually earn a higher entrylevel salary than those with aGraduate Degree or Courses. A gamedeveloper’s salary ranges from entrylevel 30Lacs annually to experienced ones with 80Lacs, while working in international companies. In the Indian Market, it varies from a 5LacsAnnually for an entry-level to 30Lacs for the really experienced ones. It is common for a recent graduate to work at a low paying position to gain experience and recognition in the field.
A designer working on the most successful title of 2014, Titanfall
Career Path:
Glimpse of a Gaming Career for Gaming Enthusiasts and Professionals
And then, you may find these books really useful:
Rules of Play by Eric Zimmerman and Katie Salen
The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell
Challenges for Game Designers by Brenda Romero, Ian Schreiber
Game Feel by Steve Swink
Rise of the Videogame Zinesters by Anna Anthropy
End of the day
There is no easy path to get into the gaming industry, it’s a world full of hardcore and professional gamers coming together to make better and bigger games for everyone. The International Gaming Industry is exploding, but the Indian market is catching up gradually, from 2007 at its start with revenue of 4 Billion Rupees to 28 Billion Rupees in just 8 years. It only shows a promising future for all the creative and die-hard gamers to pursue a career in the Gaming industry, not just for the titans (PC, XBOX and PlayStation), but also the mobile and tablet industry.
