Land your dream job in the games industry
Many of those who earn their bread and butter today on the computer have already spent their youth in front of the box. Whole nights were gambled through, the PCs with the heavy screens were carried into the buddy's party room and Lan parties were celebrated with Diablo, C&C and the like. Back then, many dreamed of a job in the games industry – as a developer, programmer or – best of all – beta testers. What skills do you really need to get coveted jobs in the games industry?
New devices, jobs and games
The games industry has evolved a lot since our Keller-Lan parties. In times of WiFi, high-performance laptops and, above all, mobile pads and pods of all kinds, player behavior has changed. Multiplayer games are easy to set up without tedious wiring and reinstallation orgies or simply take place online. Thanks to the widespread mobile phone games, it is no longer just boys between the ages of 15 and 29 who play. This technical and content-related development of the games naturally has an impact on the type of employees that are needed and the skillsets that are required.
The game designer
While on the one hand casual gaming is booming with the hundredth clone of ancient classics, on the other hand the success of gripping single-player games is also increasing. Because if you gamble seriously, you also value a great story. As a result, the boundaries between play and feature film are becoming increasingly permeable. IMDb has its own category for video games, and the most creative strategy or role-playing games are now even featured in the venerable newspaper feature section. The relatively young profession of game designer lays the foundation for such a story. He develops the storyline and the environment in which there is shooting, building or puzzles. He worries about the underlying rules and game mechanics and has to convey his ideas to the team on the production level in a similar way to a director.
A game designer needs these skills
Since it is a lot of work to invent a whole world, this often doesn't happen alone, but in a team of other game designers with different focal points. A corresponding amount of time is spent in meetings and brainstorming sessions. Enjoying communication and teamwork is therefore a must. Regardless of whether a simple browser game or a sophisticated first-person shooter is to be developed: A game designer must have a basic understanding of the technical side of game development and what can be implemented with the current engines. Programming skills are therefore an advantage - they also help to quickly try out ideas in self-made prototypes. The imagination for how certain ideas can be realized is also trained through experience with related techniques such as camera work, photography and lighting technology. But most important for this job is the ability to communicate plot and character ideas in a structured and descriptive manner. As in a screenplay, what should happen when and how must be recorded - in such a way that the programmers and graphic designers can also implement it afterwards. These skills can usually only be proven through relevant professional experience or targeted training. If you want to become a game designer, you have to plan ahead. Lateral entry is only possible in the field of film or directing.
The Game Artist
So that a game does not just consist of a beautiful story and bare mechanics, there is the designer or game artist. It ensures that there is also something to look at and sets the visual style of a game. This is where zombies are designed and armor drawn, and the game artist is also responsible for designing the menus and interfaces. The look and feel of a game are fundamentally determined by the artist department.
Not to be forgotten is the composing and creation of music and sound effects, which also fall into the large category of art designer - of course, not one does everything here either and there are corresponding specializations.
A game artist needs these skills
Unlike in game design, hard skills are required here: Knowledge of the relevant software such as 3D Studio MAX, Maya or Photoshop should definitely be available before applying for a position as a game artist. You have to be able to translate the verbally communicated vision of the game designers and writers into something graphic. Without quick thinking and creativity, nothing works here. This also applies to the sound and FX designer, and of course to the composer. The sound artists must also have a basic understanding of how game engines work and, of course, be familiar with their audio tools. Possible apprenticeships here are either media design, graphic or communication design or a degree in audio design or experience as a media designer for sound and film.
The games developer
It's a tough job, but someone has to do it: implement the ideas and specifications of the game designers and build the game piece by piece. The programmer communicates closely with the other departments and assembles the various components into a finished product. Since the use of game engines has become widespread, the technical framework rarely has to be reinvented. Based on this, the game is then implemented and a lot of code is written.
A games developer needs these skills
In addition to mastering the common programming languages, an understanding of the respective gaming platform is essential - of course it makes a huge difference whether programming is for smartphones, consoles or browsers. The common engine, whether Unreal, CryEngine or Unity, is also part of the programmer's tools. A close cooperation with the games and level designers as well as the concept art department is the be-all and end-all. Without the appropriate soft skills, it doesn't work as a programmer either. You can start here with a degree as an IT specialist in application development or system integration. Web development or media informatics are also a good basis for a job as a games programmer.
