Video Game Jobs – Which One Fits You?
There are a lot of different jobs you can tackle as you enter the realm of game design. There’s everyone from the designers, to the project manager, to the level designer, animator, and down to the tester. But how do you know where you fit in? Well there’s a few ways you can analyze your personality to see which job would suit you best. But for now, let’s take a gander at all the different jobs and duties you can do:
Jobs in the Video Game Industry
1. Game Designer
Your job would be to come up with the actual concept for the game. This is everything from the type of game it is, the world the game takes place in, the characters, their goals, and the underlying storyline.
The designer works closely with the rest of the team to make sure the final concept is in line with the creative vision of the designer. Many of times the designer will write a manual that will serve as the blueprint of the game. The development manual, as it’s called, will consist of sketches, character backstory, cut scenes, and even some scripts for the voice actors. Of course nothing is set in stone as a game is a fluid project.
The designer is the first in a long line of people that have to come together in order for a game to be possible. Let’s continue on.
2. The Game Programmer
These are the guys that are behind the nuts and the bolts of a project. They usually do most of the heavy lifting after the designers are done. Game programmers work closely with animators and designers to bring the game to life. Many programmers are actually skilled animators as well.
Game programmers must be proficient in a programming language in order to make the games. The most common being C++. Game programmers usually go to college and obtain a degree in computer programming.
3. Animators
Animators make the game come alive. They create the graphics you see in the games, and map them to the animations which make the characters move in the game. Animators are skilled in a lot of areas including design and a little programming.
Most animators go to school and get a degree in animation, graphic design, computer programming, or they are self taught. It is important for an animator to have a whole lot of different computer skills to be able to choose from.
4. Writer
The writer, while can be easily confused with the designer, does not do the same job as the designer. The writer’s job is to actually write the story of the game out in it’s entirety. Often times they work with the designer closely in this regard.
Where they different from the designer is that the write also writes the complete script for the game, including all speaking parts which must be recorded by actors, and all cutscenes that animators must create. It is also the writer’s job to rewrite the script if the game is adapted from another source of media like a game based on a TV show or popular movie.
Many writers are simply screen writers, fictional writers, or television writers. Writers are commonly self taught and let their work speak for their brilliance. Some may opt to go to a University and get an advanced degree in creative writing, television writing, or screenwriting although it is not necessary.
5. Sound Technician/Audio Engineer
The sound technician is the person who chooses all the cool sound effects for the game. The sound technician is also responsible for coming up with an audio score for the game, especially for games that are story based with longer cutscenes. The sound tech also may cast actors and work with them to create voice overs for the game.
Game sound technicians are essentially the same people who do sounds for movies and television. No specialized skills are generally needed to crossover into doing sound effects for games.
6. Game Tester
The game tester is the final piece in the cog before the game is considered a complete work. Game testers do just as their names suggest… they test the game. And by test, that doesn’t mean to play for fun either. Game testers are required to play games for hours on end looking for bugs and glitches.
Game testers are supposed to report any glitches they encounter back to the programmers so that they are corrected in time for the game’s final release. While game testers aren’t involved in the hands-on making of a game, they are sometimes the difference between a good and a bad game. If a game goes to shelves full of glitches and bugs, sales and ratings will be effected in the long run.
So Which Video Game Job is For You?
This all depends on what type of personality you have. If you are a creative type that isn’t interested in learning the nuts and blots behind how things work, you should lean towards being a designer or a writer. You can be self taught, but you probably should think about going to school just for the sake of making connections in the industry.
If you love programming, debugging, and “making stuff work”, then programming is definitely down your alley. You could also dip into animation if you feel your creative side in a pinch as a programmers. Programmers are required to know a language, so if you are already comfortable with one then you are definitely cut out for programming. Even if you know a language you can also go to school to make those valuable contacts you’ll need in the industry.
If you love games, but want a skill that will translate across industries then you should consider being a sound technician. Sound technicians don’t just have to do games, remember films, television, and recording artists all need sound technicians as well!
Finally, if you are the type that just wants to get paid to play games, then game testing is probably what you’ll want to look at. A lot of people enter the industry as testers and work their ways up.
Just remember that whatever path you decide to take in this industry, make sure you take a good look at the skills you already have and you’ll make your professional life that much easier!
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