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by Kelly Richardson
kelly.richardson@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist

If you are a graphic design pro who feels like you haven’t found your place in the industry, listen up. As the realm of the graphic design field is wide, there are opportunities for you to ply your skills in several cool niches. The video game design industry is always looking for career minded professionals.

The video game industry has grown from a fledgling concept in the late 70s to a multi-billion dollar industry in the new millennium. According to a study by the NPD Group, U.S. retail sales of video games, including portable and console hardware, software and accessories, reached more than $9.9 billion in 2004. The gaming public’s thirst for new conquests means that software and game companies must keep a stable of video game design pros working around the clock. If you have some basic graphic design skills, you can start a video game design career and cash in on the gaming trend.

Video Game Design: A World of Options

When you switch to an animation emphasis, a whole new set of design career options opens up for you, including:

• Gaming Consoles. From Playstation 2 to the Game Cube, video game design pros create those chart busting games for consoles.
• Computer Gaming. Another routine project for video game designers is the supply of computer games that run on PCs and Macs.
• Peripherals. Your video game design career might even have you designing gaming accessories for consoles and computers alike.

If the video game design industry sounds likes something that you would be interested in, here are some specifics on the job that might help you make a decision.

The Video Game Design Career Profile

Your degree is the credential you need to open the door, but add some business savvy too.

• Develop Programming Skills. The key component of any design team is the programmer. Get some programming experience and you’ll be ahead of the employment game.
• Experience Pays. Video game design pros with experience and title experience earn a median salary of just over $60,000 per year.
• Persevere. Breaking into this exciting field can be difficult, but persistence and making contacts will pay off big dividends in the future.

With a video game design career, you will be making a good living doing something you love to do. And if you’re playing, you can’t possibly be working.

Source:

Annual U.S. Video Game Sales, The NPD Group

About the Author

Kelly Richardson covers the local education and technology scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in educational journals, periodicals, and e-zines.

by Kirk Bangstad
kirk.bangstad@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist

If you’re trying to jumpstart your video game design career, attending industry conferences like the Austin Game Conference is a good way to meet potential employers.

There are a number of ways to find a job in the video game design industry. Many video game design school graduates send portfolios to the major gaming studios, or first work for smaller studios to get some practical experience. If you haven’t had a lot of luck finding a job through the normal application process, you should think about attending a video game design industry conference.

One of these conferences takes place in Austin, Texas each year, and draws close to 2,500 attendees from approximately 20 countries. This conference in particular is a biggie for the industry because Austin is home to over 60 video game companies, making them one of the top video-game producing cities in the U.S.

Conference Designed to Boost Video Game Design Careers

These conferences are designed to let participants network with one another. Many sessions are very informal and allow people to speak with and get to know each other in relaxed environments. Some conferences are set up for employers to view and critique video game designer’s portfolios. These opportunities are invaluable because participants get a chance to show their work to potential employers, and they can get valuable feedback about their skills in a supportive atmosphere. The industry isn’t that big yet, so it is important for your video game design career to meet other people like you. You never know when an acquaintance will tell you about a potential job opportunity.

Do your video game design career a favor and make it to one of these large industry conferences. The upside of making connections will far outweigh the travel and hotel costs.

Source

Worth Playing

About the Author

Kirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago, lllinois. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.

by Kirk Bangstad
kirk.bangstad@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist

Activist games teach people about global issues while they play. Because they are often distributed free over the Web, they can become a great avenue for exposure of emerging video game design graduates.

The video game Darfur is Dying is undeniably cool. In the game, players assume the role of Sudanese refugees and try to stay alive by avoiding Janjaweed militias. The game is distributed free from a Web site and has attracted more than 700,000 unique visitors. Ramiro Cazaux and Corey Jackson were the two recent video game design graduates involved in this project, which has been written about in many major media publications. They undoubtedly were happy that they were able to contribute to such a worthy cause, but probably more important for their video game design careers, they’ve received some amazing exposure.

Video Game Design Exposure Could Help You Get a Job

Activist games are obviously never going to become major products in the gaming industry, but because they are distributed free of charge and hyped by mainstream media, they can get a lot of attention. If you have recently graduated and want to jumpstart your video game design career, you might want to latch on to an activist game project. If you’re hurting for next month’s rent, however, don’t spend all your time on an activist game project. Video game design graduates generally don’t make a lot of money from these ventures. Most activist games are sponsored through grants, meaning that there’s generally not a ton of money to go around.

If exposure is what you’re looking for to boost your video game design career, and you feel like contributing to society’s social conscience, then check out the activist game scene.

Source

Businessweek

About the Author

Kirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.

by Joe Cooper
joe.cooper@animationschoolreview.com
Animation School Review Columnist

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in May, the annual mega-conference of the video game industry, old favorites and much-anticipated video game designs were showcased to fans and leaders of the industry.

One of the biggest debuts was Nintendo’s new Wii controller, which uses motion detection to reflect the motion of video game characters’ hand-held props, like swords and guns. Sony also introduced a wireless controller of its own, signaling the latest trend in video game design.

Other important news includes the plans for Grand Theft Auto IV to be released alongside Sony’s third incarnation of PlayStation, which has redefined video game design through its global popularity. The game will be available to both Sony and Microsoft gaming systems at once; there will be no wait for Microsoft systems this time.

Video Game Design School

Interested in taking your love for gaming to the next level? It’s possible to make a career out of it, no matter how much your parents punished you for playing too much as a child. You can learn game development, 3D software, and artificial intelligence in video game design school. Some degree programs even have you develop your own game before graduation.

An Associate’s or Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Animation or Video Game Design can qualify you for an entry-level position in gaming. Some video game design schools partner with design companies to offer internships during your degree program. And, experienced video game designers make between $60,000 and $80,000 per year. It shows what some experience and a degree from video game design school can do.

Sources

PC World
Full Sail
GigNews

About the Author

Joe Cooper is a freelance education and technology writer and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor’s in American Literature from UCLA.