Many people dreamed about becoming a game designers/graphic designers (including me). Designing the next part of that unforgettable game you could not get hooked off from. For example that cool character, or designing a scene where the player feels the fear creeping down their spine . . . . Well before we let the horse run of with us to dreamland, there are some crucial information everybody should know. Like the schooling required, the salary to be expected, and so on.
Game Designer, Illustrator
A short but compact history of game designers, starts in the cave with the carvings telling the way of life of the people (Ok, not that far back). The industry of video games was said to grow 67.9% from to 2012 by The Bureau of Labor. Since then the employment of graphic designers are expected to increase 10% from 2006 to 2016. Their where 261,000 jobs in 2006, the 25% of the designers were self employed. Today many of the firms employing graphic designers, have employed more and more people from outside the United States, and tendencies show that this direction is becoming even stronger.
Salary
In 2002 the graphic designers salary was between $35,000 and $75,000. In 2006 the average game designer earned between $30,600 and $53,310, and the highest salary was said to be $113,000, with ownership/partnership occupation. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of graphic designers were:
| Specialized design services | $43,410 |
| Advertising and related services | $41,600 |
| Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers | $34,290 |
| Printing and related support activities | $33,930 |
| Newspaper publishers | $31,540 |
Recommended Education
A bachelor’s or an associate degree in graphic design is usually what is required to receive employment. The associate degree takes up 2 to 3 years in a professional schools.
The skills that are usually covered in the schools above, is learning a few basic computer programming languages, for example C++, Maya, 3DS MAX, Softimage XSI. But of course not all the occupations as seen below require the knowledge of theese computer programming languages.
The different job opprutunities at a game designing company.
- Concept / Storyboard Artists
- Character Artists & Animators
- Possesing a firm knowledge on basics of the programming languages, for example C++, Delphi, 3ds Max, with only mentionning a few used for game designing. This step create the characters, and objects that are a key factor in the game.
- Level Designers
- Here is where the good group working skills are needed, since usually this is done in a team where they design the scenerey/background. It is cruical for the designers to see the whole design in 3D in their head, to know where the player can move, what objects have be placed, etc. This gives the ‘breath’ of the game, as the players feel the chill from the icy weather. If the design is flat the whole project is likely to fail.
- Texture Artists
- Though this may sound like one of the lousiest job in the game designing, if you give it a second thought you will see that the gleaming of the car, or the texture if the frost, etc.
- Video Game Programming
- This is the motor that makes the game running. For this there are many programming languages that can be used but the most widely known are: Visual Basic, Java, C++, Mel, etc. It’s recommended to know more program language than one.
- Interface Designers
- Get to design the menus, and and buttons used for the interface of the games.
- Video Game Sound Designer
- This field is still a field where great changes are expected. Though today there are schools that give students a basic for the job, a few years ago had to learn the basics of audio technician on the job. But this is also a key element for a prized game.
- Video Game Tester
- Here is where many people get excited, since your work basicly covers playing games. But don’t get too excited since a lot more is needed than meets the eye.
Where the ideas and the main scenes are sketched that resemble a comic strip or book. Where the main features of the characters and the moods are put on paper.
Digital Media Arts College (DMAC)
Entertaining Games 