Until a couple of decades ago, most people failed to see video game designing as a viable career. But now, thanks to the fast-growing numbers of video games and their players, the industry has ballooned into a thriving one and has started to pave the way for immense career opportunities.
In fact, in the past few years, the salaries of video game developers including that freelancers have grown significantly. Of course, a lot depends on their skill and experience too.
This boom in the video gaming industry is because of the overall growth potential in the gaming market – in India and across the globe. Secondly, the industry is being perceived as a major game changer. Also, it is a major cause of demand for better smartphones; cheaper and faster internet quality and easy access.
So, now, though we understand that the video gaming industry requires skilled and trained video game developers, there lies a big question as to how one can become a video game developer.
If you too are groping in the dark and wondering how to become a video game designer, here we are with all the right answers for you.
Before moving ahead let us check out what video game designers do to tap better job prospects, key skills, and more.
What do video game designers do?
– Design and develop flowcharts, storyboards describing the gameplay,
– Write code
– Fix glitches or test for bugs
– Work on the game’s setting
– Create characters, visuals, maps, scenarios, difficulty levels, etc.
– Create methods for winning or losing
– Create a user interface
In simpler terms, video game designers develop concepts into playable games. They could either contribute to the making of the overall product or work on specific sections of a game and coordinate with a team.
Qualification & relevant skills
Technically speaking, the profession is generally taken up by computing professionals with a degree in software development. Undoubtedly, it is an ideal place to start for it gives critical knowledge and experience in data management, software fundamentals, web development, basic to advanced knowledge of UX and UI, and more.
In addition to this, knowledge in the below-given points essentially adds value to video game designing.
– Game design engines like Unity 3D, Unreal Engine
– Coding languages such as C++ and C#, Python, Java, Kotlin
– Advanced problem-solving skills
– 3D art creation, modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, etc
– Art-based software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator
– Analytical skills such as good mathematical reasoning
– Ability to use data for qualitative information & designs
Apart from these, there are a number of online video gaming courses floated by reputed institutions. Many of these courses include sections such as Unreal Engine 4 Game Development Training, Python Game Development Training with Pygame, HTML5 Apps and Games Training and more.
With this, we assure you that the professional growth opportunities for video game designers are plenty. And if you thought that video games were simply entertaining media, it is not so. Rather, the industry is definitely poised for explosive professional growth.
If you are someone who has a knack for tech, spends a lot of time playing games, and can think of different gaming plots, weapons and upgrades, you are meant for this industry.
So, what are you waiting for? Just get cracking and join a video game developer course today.