Archive for January, 2009

Assessing career progression within the video games industry

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

The video game industry is one of the fastest growing fields in entertainment, and is soon expected to surpass box-office movie revenues! As a growing field, the jobs that exist in the industry are rapidly changing and are becoming more and more specialized.

Some of the more common career paths in the industry as follows.

Game designer:

In general, game designers are responsible for creating the vision for unique, creative and fun games, and oversee the development of games at each step of their progression. Within the design career path, people typically start out as general animators, eventually progress to design positions where they work under a lead designer, and ultimately run the show as lead designer.

Game producer:

Producers are in charge of overseeing the development of the video game. For a career, you can work either as an internal producer, working in a hands-on role with the video game team, or as an external producer, where you oversee the progression of several different video game clients. Either way, producers typically handle the contracts, timing and testing of video games.

Game programmer/engineer:

Programmers, in general, develop the technical aspects of the software for video games. However, in recent years, programming has become extremely specialized. These days, there are individual programming jobs for graphics, sounds, artificial intelligence, gameplay, and so on. Some programmers may specialize in just one of these areas, and advance to higher positions within that area throughout their career. Others are familiar with several different programming specialties and bounce between them throughout their career.

Game artist:

In modern video games, the visual art is a huge component to the success of the games. Not surprisingly, there are many jobs focused on different aspects of video game art. Concept artists create the overall characters and world of the game, 3D animators help bring them to life, and texture artists add detailed surface texture to graphic art. Graphic artists typically work under the direction of an art director and the game designer.

No matter which career path you decide to take, the video game industry is a booming one full of job opportunities.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Hobbies & Games | No Comments »

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.

Tags: , ,
Posted in computer-games | No Comments »

What Senator Brownback doesnt know about video games could hurt you

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

Senator Brownback (R-KS) is angry that the rating system was subverted. Last week, he introduced the “Truth in Video Game Rating Act” (S.568) to require video game ratings organizations to play all games “in their entirety” before issuing ratings. It would also prohibit game designers from including any “hidden” content that users can later unlock.

The inspiration for this revision of the ratings system is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasa popular 2004 release that was easily modifiable by a downloadable file that turned the game from simply violent to both violent and pornographic. Had the game been shipped with this pornographic content available, the game, which received an M, for mature, rating would have received a higher AO, for adults only, rating.

However, the ratings system was never meant to substitute for parental supervision, which is essentially what the Senator is asking it to do. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) system, a six-tier system resembling the movie industry’s familiar PG, R, and so on, is a tool that parents can use to help supervise their children, not a babysitter.

A foolproof ratings system cannot be created with a single mandate. To truly lock out the possibility of any offensive content reaching kids, Senator Brownback’s bill would not only have to mandate that games be played “in their entirety” before being rated, but that designers safeguard their games against third-party modification.

Third-party modificationknown as “modding”has created a huge community of enthusiasts who create everything from World War II battle recreations to J.R.R. Tolkien inspired nerd-fests. Mods can even replace the standard characters of a game with likenesses of politicians or porn stars. (Perhaps an all-Senate version of Quake III is in order?) After Senator Brownback discovers his “play the whole game” law hasn’t put an end to violent and smutty video games, he’ll have to ban modding as well.

But he can’t stop there! Amateurs are not only modifying games, they’re also creating games out of whole cloth. These do-it-yourself gamer communities aren’t bound by laws governing the sale of video games so they are outside the reach of congressional censorshipat least for now. Any non-commercial game would also have to be banned in order for our nation’s children to finally be free of violence, pornography, or even “comic mischief” (defined by the ESRB as “Depictions or dialogue involving slapstick or suggestive humor”).

Tags: , ,
Posted in Hobbies & Games | No Comments »

Playing The Game: The Future Of Animation And Game Design

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

The popularity of video games is a staple of our culture and appears as though it’s going to stay. From the different genres of video games to the complex stories and character developments, video games have become an entity that spans generations of gamers. For many, it is an escape into a new world of fantasy and adventure. As a result, it is no wonder why so many high school and college graduates are going into the field of animation and game design. Several colleges offer courses and programs related to learning how to create video games. The video game industry is a growing, multi-billion dollar field and many of the college graduates want to get their hands on the controller.

The increasing demand for more games with better stories and more life-like graphics has been on the minds of serious gamers for years. There is no satisfying the serious gamer because the graphics continue to get better every year and the stories tend to get more interesting, too. Therefore, the video game players expect more every time. This is why colleges are now offering courses in animation and game design. They see the prevalence of video games in our culture and the people who want to build and design these games.

But the programs and courses that deal with animation and game design are not only about drawing and how to create a video game. Creating a game that is both playable and sellable is not an easy task. Basic classes for those who begin in animation and game design deal with topics such as artistic terminology and artistic theory. From there, a student can expect to enter classes in which they generate ideas and concepts for their particular video game. There is also an additional course dealing with presenting your idea to a video game company.

If you decide to go into the field of animation and game design, you can also expect to take some more educationally geared courses. There are some that deal with the history of video games along with other courses that teach the demographic makeup of who plays certain games. You may also be required to do reviews of games and learn about the nuances of the different gaming genres. But success in these classes will inevitably lead to more enticing topics such as artificial intelligence and prototyping your game. For the avid video game player, taking these courses may make the game-playing experience a more interesting one as he thinks about the intricacies of every move made on the screen. For others, however, these courses may serve to only ruin the mystery that they have associated with playing video games.

The field of animation and game design is not, as the name implies, all fun and games. In fact, it is the opposite. There is a lot of hard work that goes into designing these elaborate games. From conception to the store shelves, many experts have contributed something to its success or, consequently, its failure. Learning the techniques of being a successful video game creator is much like learning how to play an instrument. You have to learn note by note, then chord by chord before you can even think about learning how to play a song. That is the same thing with this lucrative field. You can be a gamer your entire life but, other than the occasional game idea, your gaming skills are irrelevant when it comes to creating a game. By completing the animation and game design program, you will see and appreciate where the growth and direction of the animation and gaming industry is headed.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

What Are The Most Favourite Types Of Game Design?

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009

Game industry is never stop changing and developing, especially electronic games which has variety of formats and designs. No matter which types of theme or the story that all gamers want, the manufacturers can always have a game to fulfill these gamers’ requirement. Even though there are million types of games available today in the market, but one particular type will only be known for one particular group of gamer. No one knows every aspect about all types of games available. For example, if I am a gamer who love to play only computer games, then I will never be interested about games available in other format or platform such as PS2, web-based (such as flash games) etc. The only thing that could interest me is only computer games and they must be the game that has particular theme or story too. Therefore, this is a very good opportunity for you to get to know more about types of games that are available in the market today. As this article will give you some basic information regarding this.

The first type that I would like to introduce is the computer games. This is, I can say that, the most popular and well known platform among other type of games in the world. This is due to the technology of computer has bring massive interest in terms of game graphic design and story to attract all gamers around the world. Moreover, the latest development of computer games is that the person does not need any kind of controller to play the game, but just wear a small headphone and they can control the character in the game by just use their imagination or mind.

The second type is called “online games” This type is a further development of computer games. I would like to take you back for sometimes 10 years ago where the internet and network technology were not much developed like these days. All types of computer games were design for stand-alone computers which means those players have to play with the computer and tried to overcome the goal that was set by the computer. But today, the technology of online games is far more that the word “advanced”. This is because now there are many of online game communities all around the world. One particular group of online game can have millions of member who play same game together in real-time mode. This means that the objective and themes of the game are designed by players not by computer any more. On-line games, at preset time, seem to be the most popular among any other type of games, however, as they are running in community, online games seems to be expanding in terms of popularity.

However, the information described above is just the basic introduction for you to get to know other type of games but not intend to convince you to change from your favorite type. But if you have time to try, that would be perfect because each type of game has its own characteristics, pros and cons so they are still worth trying.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »