Archive for the ‘computer-games’ Category

Schools Of Game Design: What To Look For In A Game Design Program

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

The last 20 years or so have been huge for home video gaming. You can do almost anything in a video game these days, from racing in a Grand Prix to cooking breakfast. And because you’ve grown up playing them, and video game design is such a hot market right now, you might be looking into how you can get into the field and help to create some of the most entertaining video games around.

Lucky for you, there are a number of schools that offer courses in video game design. And the number of traditional schools offering video game design programs is growing every year. It’s a hot market and it takes more than just a computer science degree anymore to get into it. While you can always look into 3D design and computer programming at any major university, there are some schools that you’ll be able to find almost anywhere that offer specific courses in video game design.

Devry is a school that most have probably heard of and might at first shun because of its mass marketed approach to schooling. But with its video game design program, Devry offers specific, targeted courses that prepare the potential video game designer for exactly what they’ll be working on.

You’ll take courses in game specific math and physics, computer animation, and design mechanics that are all focused directly to video game related topics. The result is a school that doesn’t just teach you about 3D animation, but about 3D animation in video games. Devry will be comparable to a major university in cost though, operating independently as they do, nearly $14,000 a year for full tuition.

The Art Institute is a nationwide network of schools that offers everything from fashion design to cooking. But as the fastest growing art related field, computer animation and specifically video game design have made the Art Institute one of the best schools to get a degree in the art of video games.

Not only do they offer an online school, which includes separate programs in Animation Programming and a Game Art and Design Program, there’s also the option of extending your schooling and receiving a Bachelor’s degree, something many of the technical colleges don’t offer. Tuition for the Art Institute, if you attend a physical branch is fairly high, comparable to out of state tuition at a major university. The online school is a cheaper option but will still cost you about $1200 per course.

ITT Technical Institute is another one of those very commonly heard names that pops up constantly on the TV, and one that offers a video game design specific program that will prepare you for entry level work in less than 3 years. ITT has 85 locations, so it’s easy to find, but you’ll be paying full tuition like many of the other private institutes listed, comparable to out of state tuition in most states.

For those that complete a two-year course in video game design, it’s possible to come out of school and immediately find a job making video games. And for those getting a four year degree, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll land an entry-level job designing the games of tomorrow. The video game design market is hotter than ever right now, and it’s becoming easier and easier to get in at the ground floor.

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The Art And Science Of Computer Game Design

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

For anyone that enjoys playing computer games, a career and computer game design would be a dream come true. What could possibly the more enjoyable and rewording then designing your own computer game and actually being paid for it? Some designers are paid very, very well indeed. Every fan of computer games has no doubt at least occasionally fantasized having a career in computer game design, as a gamer myself, I have thought about how cool that would be myself.

If you are dreaming of a job in the computer game design industry, the good news is it’s a huge industry and there are loads of jobs available and it pays remarkably well if you should happen to come up with a hot seller. The bad news is that it is very difficult to learn the requisite programming skills that are required. Getting a degree in computer science is a solid beginning, but there’s nothing easy about achieving that either. Of the six friends I had in college that were computer science majors, only one of them has the fortitude to see it through and actually get a degree. It is a grueling major filled with advanced mathematics classes and tedious programming exercises. You really have to be smart, and you really have to be motivated.

If these things sound like something you could handle that a computer game design career may be something you could do. You will definitely need a deep abiding affection for computer games, but that’s pretty obvious isn’t it? My college friend that got his computer science degree is currently working for a well knowing game design company, and absolutely loves it. He will tell you though, that it is nowhere near the fun and games that he first imagined it would be.

Computer games today have absolutely huge amounts of complex code and can take years to complete. In the infancy of the game industry, computer game design teams often consisted of just a few people. Nowadays, a lot of the games have many different production teams all working simultaneously on a project, with each working in their own field of expertise.

For the really skilled programmers, there is no limit to what you can achieve. Experienced programmers with a proven track record under their belts can not only command a large salary but can have a lot of creative input over the direction of the game.

There are some other job in the computer game design industry and programming does not interest you. Generally, programmers are the most sought after, but good graphic artists and writers can be attractive employees to say game design producers. They may not be paid as well, but they most certainly still make an excellent living in the ever burgeoning industry of computer game design.

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A Rewarding Career In Video Game Design Awaits You

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Many people who have a passion for playing video games dream of someday being able to make their own. If you are particularly adept with computers, this might be an entirely feasible career. However, you must keep in mind that a career in video game design is not something that happens overnight and your first job probably won’t be working on the Playstation 4. But if you have the proper dedication and talent, a rewarding career in video game design could be yours.

Most video game designers started out by making their own video games from home. Most start with creating a very basic video game and then slowly work towards more and more complex games. It is fairly unlikely that you first video game will end up making you a millionaire but the experience that you will gain from hands on experience will prove invaluable in the future. A good way to start and to get constructive criticism is to debut your video game to your video game loving friends. Make sure that they are giving their honest opinions because that is the only way you will be able to improve your skills in video game design.

There are a few things to consider when attempting to obtain a job in video game design. A plague of many designers is that many are not able to put the finishing touches on the game and therefore never have a complete product to show to potential employers. Walking into an interview with a complete video game in your hand will certainly prove to the potential employer that you are worthy to work with their company. Employers like being able to tell right away that the applicant is able to see a job from the planning stages right up to the final edition of the game.

Depending on your skill level and also your connections within the industry, you could earn a very comfortable salary from the lucrative business of video game design. If you keep improving your skills, working hard and garnering new ideas, there is no limit to the amount of success that can be obtained. This is a booming industry that keeps growing and growing each and every year. New jobs are created daily, but the number of people interested in these types of jobs is also increasing quite quickly. That means that the competition for the higher level jobs can be a little tough. But with enough dedication, you can soon be making the money you’ve always wanted by doing what you love.

On a larger scale, there are also many different types of positions when it comes to video game design. There are junior and senior programmers, tools programmers, hardware engineers or even network programmers. Depending on what area you excel, you can find the job that perfectly suits your talents. Just like any other industry, most newcomers will have to start at the bottom but if you have what it takes, you could be in charge of a fleet of programmers in only a few years. Video game design is a very complex and competitive world. If that is what you truly want to do with you life, then you should not let anything get in your way. Just remember to start off small and build your reputation. A rewarding career in video game design will follow.

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Children Take Part In Animation And Game Design Courses

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

If you believe what the old timers have to say, video games and television sets are ruining the American family. In particular, those who grew up in a less technological time will tell you that today’s children are negatively impacted because they play video games instead of exercising. While it is probably true that the truth lies somewhere in the middle of extreme theories, it looks like there is finally something definitely productive coming out of the video game buzz. The children of this generation now have grown to not only love video game play, but to be interested in video game design. Programs are now arising in the field of Animation and Game Design that are geared towards children who are high school aged or even younger.

With new game systems coming out every couple of years, opportunities in this exciting field are growing by leaps and bounds. When companies like Microsoft and Sony are able to sell their game consoles for more than five hundred dollars each, it should be very apparent that there is some potential in this field. Children and teenagers, not content with just playing the games, have become very interested in creating the games. For those older individuals who want kids to be outside playing, this seems like at least some sort of compromise.

Some question how kids are getting the knowledge to get a good start in the animation and game design field. There are the very popular aforementioned programs that have classes designed specifically for them. One very popular program is in the field of robotics. It seems that robotics is the next in a long line of video game technology. Games have evolved at such a rate where it has become very apparent that gamers will no longer be satisfied with only high-quality digital games. They want to get involved through robotics. Nintendo took the first step this holiday season when they released the Nintendo Wi, a game console that enables the players to use their own motions to dictate the movements of the characters on the screen.

Robotics classes for young people are not designed to be taught like a normal class. Because of this, kids learn in an environment that will remind them nothing of a normal school classroom. Keeping with that theme, children are not relegated to a harsh and limited curriculum for their classes. Instead, these programs, taught at many places around the United States, are offering a chance to learn in a very relaxed atmosphere. Children are taught the art of animation and game design by adult mentors who have the time, desire, and expertise to impact knowledge into young people that will undoubtedly get them started on the right path.

Students in these programs learn all about animation and robotics. They learn how to think creatively in order to bring these objects to life. At these programs, creativity and the lively human imagination are valued like premium commodities. When students get further involved in the extensive learning programs, they will even be able to create their own robotic machines in an attempt to create game designs.

Today’s children and teenagers are no longer interested in just playing video games. They want to get involved in the action. Animation and game design programs geared specifically for children have allowed them to put that long-standing creativity to use and get to work on something special. While they might not be out playing in the back yard like their grandfather would prefer, they are putting that passion for video games to a good use. As these programs continue to be designed with young folks in mind, today’s youth will continue to take advantage of the great opportunities to learn and grow.

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Video Game Design Jobs – Which Job Is Right For You?

Sunday, July 12th, 2009

Many gamers look at the games they play and dream of creating their own. Perhaps with a pet idea for a game that hasn’t been done yet. Maybe you think a particular game is brilliant, but the plot is so thin, surely a better writer could have pulled so much more out of the experience. If you find yourself thinking like this, maybe a video game design job is for you. Let’s take a look at what positions are available.

Lead designers write and program and organize. It is the responsibility of the lead designer to make sure the universe of the game is a place players will find interesting. The lead designer needs to keep track of the pulse of the gaming world, to know what is hot, what is cold and what gamers will expect in a new game. The lead designer tries to find the best compromise between the resources and time available and the needs of the project to create the best possible game, knowing where to cut corners and where to focus attention.

Another of the tasks is to ensure that everyone in the project understands and works towards the themes of the game. What seems like a minor change can cost weeks of work and waste thousands of dollars. The lead designer has to determine when it is worth those changes, and to plan well enough that changes aren’t needed more than a tiny amount of the time.

Game designers take the notes given to them by the others and turn them into virtual reality. Game designers are given parts of the game and are told to make each module work, and work together with the modules the other designers are managing. Game designers have to be good analysts and outgoing people who will seek out the other members of the team to make every piece work correctly together and leverage every skill and asset available to better the game.

They have to be able to figure out what is working, what isn’t working and what needs to be done to correct those problems. They also need to be good writers who can produce clear and concise reports and emails to communicate this with others.

Artists turn those short notes that say a dozen women in chain mail bikinis riding dinosaurs and carrying crossbows will then attack the party into a vision. In a very real sense, an artist did anything you see in the game.

There are artists specializing in character design, some who do the background images, others who create the equipment and even animals. Artists must understand how the images will be rendered, so they can create the best appearances while using the least possible amount of system resources.

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Game Designer Education – The Facts

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

If you want to become a game designer then you will need to gain the appropriate education. While some game designers have gained stable employment by simply showing their portfolio, this situation is becoming increasingly rare. Nowadays employers want to see where and what you have studied and where you received your degree. Of course, they will also want to see your portfolio which means working on games in your spare time or as study projects is the best way to present yourself to an employer once you’ve received the proper education. Most good game design schools now incorporate work experience into their courses and as such you will leave school with real world practical experience as well as the knowledge learned at school or college.

Where to Get a Game Design Education

More and more game design schools are popping up around the n so knowing which to choose can be difficult. Some of the better schools and colleges include:

International Academy of Design and Technology

The Art Institute Online

Full Sail University

Westwood College Online

Ex’pression College for Digital Arts

ART CENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Savannah College of Art and Design

Johns Hopkins University

Pratt Institute

Animation Mentor

AGA Digital Studios, Inc.

University of Texas at Dallas Arts and Technology

ITT Technical Institute

Digital Media Arts College

Collins College

The above colleges, universities and schools focus on game design and development in specific courses dedicated to the subject.

The Collins College has a Visual Arts degree program where students can major in Game Art. It also involves game audio and project management and uses tools like 3D Studio Max and 3D Modeling. They have top class facilities like computer labs, animation labs and video labs. The degree takes about 2.5 years to complete full time and upon completion, will allow you to search for work as a Game Designer.

The Savannah College of Art and Design is located in Savannah, GA and was ranked by 3D World magazine as one of the top 3 animation schools in the USA. They train students using a wide range of tools including After Effects, Anime Studio, Pixar Renderman, Flash and more.

You can choose from an associates degree or a bachelor’s degree at many of these programs. In addition, many game design schools also offer certifications instead of a full degree. You will need to decide what fits best into your plans. Many game designers choose to begin with a certification as they are often quicker and then if they choose to do so later, complete a fully fledged 4-year degree. It really depends on where you’re at now and what your plans are.

Computer game design is a growing industry and as such more and more skilled people are required to fill positions. Computer and console games are becoming more complex as time goes by so by improving your skills and gaining employment at reputable gaming development companies will ensure that you are in a great position to make a career out of this exciting work.

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Playstation 3 Games: Designed to Excel

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

The gaming consoles are getting more and more advanced with the passage of time. The Sony PlayStation 3 is well known for its fancy design and easy interface. This gaming console allows the users to play high definition games with ease. This technically advanced console is backed with a 3.2 GHz advanced processor, 256 MB XDR RAM and the 256 MB of GDDR3 VRAM. This device provides the entertainment and access to internet by using all the latest media storage devices. With the help of this gaming machine, the users can also view vibrant and brilliant images in a photo slide show and home videos format. This advanced console supports numerous disk formats including DVD, DVD- R, DVD- R+, VCD, and CD- ROM. Unlike other consoles, PS3 supports Blu-Ray DVD.

Along with the Playstation 3 games, this device supports various games of older version. There are many games available in the market for this superb gaming device. All the games are packed with fun and show tremendous graphics. Some of the Playstation 3 top games include Burnout Paradise, The Orange Box, Rock Bond,, Call of Duty, Assassin’s CreedTom, Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Condemned 2, FIFA Soccer’08, a Unreal Tournament 3 and lots more.

The Assassin’s Creed gives enthralling and exciting experience to its users. With its brilliant images, it will be surely remembered for several years to come. This game focuses the story of the Holy Land of the 12th century. It covers the three major cities named Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre. This game is full of fun and environment provided in this game is beautifully designed. Each character is designed accurately.

On the other hand, Rock Band is very much capable of enticing everybody. This Playstation 3 game is based on the musical simulation and allows the player to first gather a group to make a rock band . Then the users become associated with the world’s greatest music artist. In this game, the player can enjoy the real resonating of the instruments like drum, bass, lead guitar, microphones etc.

There are various online shops from where you can get playstation 3 games without any hassle. On these online shops you can also get cheap deals on Playstation 3 gaming consoles.

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Predictions on the Exciting Future of Video Game Design

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Video game design is undergoing a dramatic shift. It is transforming from a creative pursuit that has a lot of work involved to a creative pursuit where the work is handled by the computer. This is the goal and impetus of game making; to get closer to the creative process, harnessing creativity, while leaving the mundane tasks to the computer. And the computer does this so well.

There are three different realms of game making that I will adventure into. And I will make some exciting predictions as to where we are headed.

The Language of Computers and People

The first realm of game making advancement lies in language. And what I mean by this is that when you are designing a game you have to communicate with a computer. You have to tell it what you want to see in the game and what you want to happen in the game. This began with programmers writing out long lines of code in a programming language. This language was something that took many hundreds of hours to learn. In effect, people had to learn the computers language. But, as computers advanced things changed and the Graphical User Interface came into the forefront as a much better means of communication between people and computers. Now you could use your mouse and navigate on the screen to get things done without knowing any computer language at all. And this also applied to game making. Now there are applications that are almost exclusively drag and drop. You can build worlds and insert items, objects, models, and behaviors into the without doing any coding.

Okay, so what is next in the world of language and game making? It lies in the golden fleece of the computer world: “Natural Spoken Language”. Software companies have been chasing after the goal of making computers totally hands free for a long time now. And while there are lots of voice recognitions software programs out there they don’t perform well enough yet. But we keep moving forward and we will get there. And when we do the technology will become an integral part of game making and game design. You will be able to tell an application “I want a castle. No, make it bigger. Good, now put stained glass windows. Now I want a character that is a big muscle bound hero. Etc. …etc…

When voice recognition is perfected and becomes ubiquitous we will have crossed an important threshold in technology. No longer will we as people have to learn the language of computers. Computers will have learned ours. And this will have a dramatic impact on game making.

Algorithms of Growth

Another very exciting area of development when it comes to game making is the area of self teaching and self growth. Games will be able to take small amounts of information and guidance that you provide and grow themselves in ways that you want, and also in unpredictable but rules based ways that you design. The computer gaming world is already making big advances in this area and some good examples of this are the Sims games where the world grows on its own but under your guidance. A game soon to be coming out that very much takes this self-growth into mind is the new game called Spawn. As a game designer you will be able to dictate a set of rules and watch as your game grows.

Interfacing with people

The potentially most exciting aspect of game design comes in the advancements of interfaces. As computers move toward the creation of virtual 3d worlds that are free of the monitor so will game makers become free of them. There will come a time that game makers actually see three dimensional models of their games as they make them. You will be able to reach right into the game world and move things around, stretch objects bigger, squeeze them smaller, and paint them different colors all with a stroke of your hand. This freedom will tap directly into the power of our eyes and take game making to heights never even imagined.

Game Design has come a very long way since the early days of long lines of programming code and the art will continue to develop in very exciting ways. And while it is difficult to predict which ways the technology will go it is a fact that we will continue to move in ways that will bring it closer to bringing to life your imagination and your ideas while sending into the shadows all the computer work. In effect the computer itself will become less and less obvious in the process and creativity more and more powerful.

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Explore Your Creativity With A Degree In Video Game Design

Monday, February 25th, 2008

Video games have exploded in popularity, thanks to our high paced and pressurized world crunching down on individuals. People need a break from reality and video games provide that venue of escapism, and businesses have definitely gotten the message loud and clear. Developing new games is a fierce industry and companies need people who can always bring on better games that stimulate all the senses at once. But how can you get into this rising segment and turn your interests in computers into something that’s a lucrative, fun career full of opportunity?

A degree in video game design is the training you need to break into a market where you can create fantastical worlds or develop settings that are so realistic, you can almost touch them. Individuals are demanding more and more from software companies, and only the top quality games will succeed in today’s competitive world. Investing your talents in a solid education that will give you the skills and know how to create high tech video games is a wise choice. The job opportunities will never peter out or become saturated, thanks to new technology that’s always being put into the market, and you can get into the gaming craze by getting the best training possible to send you into an amazing career.

You’ll have the chance to use your own imagination to create great characters that become popular household names. Remember Mario and Luigi? Well, those two characters were created by people with video game design skills and they earned their makers millions of dollars. What about Yoshi? The little dinosaur is another character created by someone with video game design skills that has made someone rich and famous. Why can’t that person who develops the next popular, fun character be you? Online gaming is another venue that has become a multi-million dollar industry and all you have to do is look up World of Warcraft to see how many people are hooked on video games, making the market a rich one for job opportunities.

So what’s involved in video game design? Educational facilities will provide you with artistic training to help you create visual images that snag people’s interest and keep them gaming, as well as the know how to apply that to animation and 3D modelling. Story development is a must, and you’ll be able to think up new ways of challenging people with tricks and traps or enemies to battle to become heroes and earn glorious rewards and treasures. Not only that, those who offer degrees in video game design will help you to put together a profile that will make you an attractive asset to software companies looking for talented 3D artists and gaming developers.

One thing is for sure: Without a degree in video game design, the competition to break into the industry is so stiff that you’ll never be able to get ahead. Great ideas and a creative imagination isn’t all it takes to open fantastic opportunities and set you into an amazing career. Top quality skills and training that keep you on top of the game and get you that perfect job are the only way to go about finding your place in the lucrative industry of video games. You’ll learn the practical side of design and animation to be able to develop games that bring in sales for businesses and earn the skills you need to be head hunted by companies. More than that, obtaining your degree in video game design won’t just be an important investment and career choice, it’ll also be a blast of fun as you expand your horizons and creativity, learning to think outside the box and come up with new, exciting worlds and characters.

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