| If you're an avid video gamer and while sitting at | | | | design as coding. |
| home playing your favorite game, you think to | | | | For writers, you'd better get a decent degree in |
| yourself, "I could do this better", video game | | | | creative writing or English. Most video game design |
| design might be the perfect job for you | | | | jobs require at least a Bachelors degree in English |
| someday. But there are some key skills you'll | | | | to apply for a story writing job. Second, they |
| need to have before you can enter the field and | | | | want experience, so start early, working on |
| truly make an impact on the video game market. | | | | projects in school, taking specific courses in Game |
| Here's a description of the most important ones. | | | | Theory and developing long story lines for use in |
| Programming | | | | video game design projects. |
| Everything you see in a video game is boiled | | | | Your job will be writing dialogue, script and |
| down to 0s and 1s, the basics of programmers | | | | concepts for a massive world with hours of |
| everywhere. If you decide to aim for this job, | | | | interaction. You'd better have a decent idea of |
| you'd better start early. Programming is the | | | | how you're going to do that. |
| building block of any good video game design job. | | | | Computer Animation |
| If you're great with numbers, better with details, | | | | The face of video game design, the job that |
| and don't mind spending long hours staring at a | | | | everyone thinks of when they envision their |
| computer screen looking for a missing line of | | | | future designing video games, is computer |
| code, programming is a great place for you in | | | | animation. First off, you'll need to still learn the |
| video game design. | | | | programming languages of your programming |
| You'll need to learn a combination of three to five | | | | coworkers. This job requires a lot of different |
| different programming languages to be really | | | | skills, many of which are programming languages. |
| successful in this job, so you'd better be prepared | | | | So C++ had better be on your resume along with |
| for a lot of work. While C++ is the groundwork | | | | Maya, 3DS Max, and a handful of other image |
| for any programming job, you'll also be learning | | | | rendering mega-software. |
| Java and Visual Basic to supplement it. | | | | Video game design courses are perfect for the |
| Most video game design uses a combination of | | | | potential Computer Animator as well, as you'll |
| whatever works in a given situation to get the | | | | learn how to operate vast, high tech computers |
| job done. If you're in high school though, | | | | and machinery and utilize the newest software in |
| interested in a job in video game design and | | | | doing so. |
| programming, you should try your hardest to | | | | Computer Animation requires not only the |
| take courses in or learn C++ as preparation. | | | | technical expertise of a programmer, but the |
| Story Writing/Game Theory | | | | visual, artistic mastery of a story writer or sketch |
| For every good video game, there's someone (or | | | | artist. This job requires the best of both worlds in |
| many someones) whose job it is to write the | | | | the video game design industry. |
| story and develop the ideas for the game. You | | | | There are plenty of jobs for all different skill |
| might think this sounds simple, having sat in your | | | | levels in video game design. If you're capable of |
| basement telling your friends how much better | | | | writing a good story, drawing a decent picture, or |
| you could do at writing the ending for a particular | | | | remembering vast strings of numbers, you can |
| game. But there's just as much schooling to get a | | | | find a job in game design. It's all about where you'll |
| job writing or brainstorming ideas in video game | | | | best fit in. |