10-11-2007

How Do I Become a Video Game Developer

The other night I was talking to a friend of mine at church about what his son was planning to do as far as college goes.  He mentioned that his son would probably like to design games like Halo 3™, a recently released and very popular video game.  It occurred to me that I’d heard several similar comments from other parents, so I decided to do some research and see if I could put together a column answering the question “How do I become a video game developer?”

From the research I did, the short answer seems to be; lots of time playing video games, a degree or degrees in an appropriate field, strong communication skills, tons of hard work, and the ability to work in a highly stressful, yet rewarding environment.  Like virtually any other career, what people see from the outside is the highest level of attainment in that field, and want to do that.  They see the crazy money Hedge Fund managers earn, and want to become stockbrokers or financial managers.  They see the fame and fortune enjoyed by actors, musicians and other celebrities, and want to do that.  The same goes for athletes.  Likewise, for people wanting to become video game designers/developers.  They all want to create the next Halo, Sim, Tetris, or even PacMan or Space Invaders (for you parents reading this).

The reality is that only a very small percentage of the people in those industries ever get anywhere close to that level of success.  So while we want to cultivate your goal of becoming a millionaire off of your great idea for a video game, it’s probably best for you to plan for a slightly lower degree of notoriety and financial reward.  So what does it take if you plan to go the more traditional route to professional success in game design/development?

• Lots of time playing video games – not just getting good at the game(s), but critically analyzing their design, artwork, levels, controls, options, characters and overall player experience.  If you’re just good at playing, you can plan on a career as a game tester who gets paid hourly, on a contract basis, and has short deadlines and likely has to play the same parts of the game over and over to identify bugs.
• A degree or degrees in an appropriate field – tons of different degrees are appropriate, like arts (visual and musical), computer science (Artificial Intelligence, programming, software design, etc.), video and audio production, English or Communications, Theater, among others.
• Strong communication skills – games are developed by groups or teams, so you’ll have to work well with others, communicate your ideas effectively and when you are in a leadership position, you’ll have to get everyone moving toward the same goals.
• Tons of hard work – lots of time spent on your own, building your portfolio and testing and re-testing your ideas for games, characters, levels, etc.  Plus the same things when you are working as part of a development team.
• The ability to work in a highly stressful, yet rewarding environment – long hours on short deadlines, constantly moving and changing targets, sometimes getting to advance your ideas, sometimes those of others, and possibly contract work early in your career.  But once you’ve finished a game, you get to see it on store shelves and receive e-mail feedback from game users.  Financial rewards can be significant also.

Actual jobs within the game design/development industry include visual arts (everything from clay modeling to graphic design), audio (this area is currently experiencing growth – creating and editing sounds and music for games.  It will help if you listen to all types of music and can play at least one instrument), game design (this is not an entry-level position.  Leading development teams to create new games and/or levels within games), production (also not entry-level, and is much like movie/television production.  Overseeing entire project, combining audio, video, programming, testing, quality control and ensuring meeting deadlines and budgets.), programming (the backbone of the process.  These people write the computer code that makes everything work as efficiently as possible).  In addition, and like most industries, one could work in marketing/promotions, human resources, web design and management, and most other business functions within the gaming industry.

There are roughly 40,000 people working in the U.S. in video game development, over 45% of whom work in California.  Salaries for testers may be $37,000+, artists make about $65,000, Audio Engineers earn closer to $70,000, and programmers demand over $80,000.  Of course those figures are averages, and entry-level positions will pay significantly less.

References:

• Working so Others can Play:  Jobs in Video Game Development – Olivia Crosby, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Summer 2000, http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2000/Summer/art01.pdf
• Video Game Careers – Christiaan Allebest, Young Money, August 2007
• By the numbers – Video Game Industry Salaries – Sam Sollars, Young Money, August 2007
• Http://www.igda.org – International Game Developers Association web site
• How to get started in the Game Industry – Ernest Adams, December 11, 1998, http://www.gamasutra.com/features/game_design/19981211/get_started1.htm

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