Video Game Design Schools
An education in video game design is the perfect way to take a love for gaming to the next level. Turn your creativity and raw artistic or technical ability into employability, and find a place in this booming field. Creating a video game takes imagination, artistic and technical vision, and a lot of gaming experience. Do you have what it takes?
The game designer is the visionary behind a game, its storyteller and its architect. The game designer creates the script, worlds, characters, interactions, and rules that form a game and dictate how it is played. The game designer immerses players in a world of their own creation (often with assistance from a team of artists and level designers). Sometimes the story behind the game is quite basic (“save the princess”), sometimes gameplay depends very little on it. Regardless, the game designer will have a large role in determining how gameplay should unfold, what the experience should be. Game design requires the ability to tell a story through a game as well as the ability to architect a design framework that the producers, engineers, animators, and design team buy into and refer to during implementation.
Some of the most cutting-edge, exciting jobs out there belong to video game designers, along with the programmers and artists that turn ideas into engaging, immersive, fun products.
What to Expect
Most video game designers hone their abilities through structured training and education to get started. A program at a video game design school will prepare the game designer will the skills needed to pursue this exciting career. The curriculum at video game schools often offers a foundation in digital game design through the study of subjects such as gaming technology, game design processes, animation, level design and general education coursework. Additionally, the game design program may also cover the basics of the math and physics of games; programming fundamentals; game design; modifications (MOD) and massively multi-player online game (MMOG) programming; two- and three-dimensional graphics programming; and simulation and game engine design.
Potential Opportunities
Graduates of video game design programs often pursue entry-level career opportunities in a number of different digital entertainment and game design companies. Job opportunities may include working in a team to design, develop, test and produce video games, or creating animations and 3D scenes for use in video games. Careers within film, television, and web and multimedia production are also possibilities for those who successfully complete courses at video game design schools.