Well, summer is almost over and that means I've got to head back to school soon. In case some of you don't know, I'm currently a student studying Game Design at Champlain College in Burlington, VT. However, this year I'll be studying a semester abroad in Montreal, Canada where I'll be actually learning from people who have worked in the industry before. Plus, Montreal is a huge city for the industry.
As I sit here preparing myself for the next year, I've looked back from my first year and see how much I knew back then about video games and how much I know now. And man did I know so little. Thankfully, I learned fast both in school and in my own free time to become more knowledgeable and understanding of the gaming world.
But I'm sure that some of you guys who read this blog are even thinking about being game designers yourselves and believe you can do well in the industry. If so, today this blog is for all you. The guys and girls who are in high school thinking of taking up a career in video games, but aren't sure where to begin.
Now this is not me saying what it takes to be a game designer, after all I'm still learning and I've only made a few games personally. This is just my personal advice to you guys that may help you get a better start on your path as game designers and your free to accept it or not.
Let's start.
1. Be sure you really want to be a game designer
This is a tough industry to get into from what I'm looking at and many companies want people who are passionate about what their doing. Don't try to take a career in this business if your just doing it because you think it will be an easy job or you can't think of anything else to do. Like any career you want to have your mind and heart set at 100 percent in order to achieve your goals. This business is not for the half-ass or the lazy bums out there. If your going to come into the industry and learn you need to bring your A-game all the time.
2. Learn about the industry
Video games are a business and as such there are terms, positions, regulations, and other aspects that your going to have to learn. Your going to need to learn the structure of a team and which position is which as well as their job. You need to learn the steps of pre-production, production, and post-production. And you have to know how the business side works. Your going to need to deal with the big suit men all the time and knowing a bit of what they do will help in a long run.
3. Listen to news about the industry.
It's best to know what's going on in your industry. What's the top game? What are the reviews? What are the top executives of the industry saying? Is there a new engine out? You don't want to look ignorant of the video gaming world so it's best to learn the latest news and if possible discuss it so you can get use to talking about it with others. Sites like Kotaku and Gamasutra are good places to start.
4. Learn about the history of video games
Video games have their own history that has expanded from the sixties to the present today. It's great to learn about the first video games, Atari, the arcade era, the video game crash, the Nintendo revival, when certain genres first made their appearances, the famous people of the industry such as Clifford "CliffyB" Bleszinski, Shigeru Miyamoto, Will Wright, John Carmack and John Romero, and many more. It's not only a great way to learn something new, but it will help understand why this once great hobby turned into the multi-billion industry it is today.
4. You are not making games for yourself
You do not make a video game for yourself! You make it for audiences! I want to make games that make people feel something as well as make them feel entertained in various ways. I love making people smile, laugh, cry, and excited when I write and I want to do the same thing with video games. Your making games for various kinds of people who are of different tastes, cultures, and ages so your going to have to expand your horizons a bit. If you want to make games only you will like, your not going to last long. Be more open minded and learn about the different audiences that exist so you can understand better what kind of game you can make for them.
5. Be patient.
Chances are, unless your really talented or lucky, the average game designer will not get the dream job they want until ten years in the industry. I want to be a lead designer one day, but I won't be that as soon as I graduate. There are tons of people more experienced then you or I and don't be surprised if your going to be a QA or a freelancer for the first two years. I'm going to have to climb the ropes and so will you. Some of you maybe talented enough to get ahead of the game, but either way you must be patient.
6. Learn from others
Now I'm not the best in the world when it comes to video games. There are tons of people out there who are better then me and some of them are younger. I've got one friend who not only can give you a UDK level in less then 24 hours and make it look like Epic made the game, but he's also been offered to be a level designer before he went to college. And there is one friend of mine still in high school who has so much potential to be a great designer that I want to see him succeeded. I learn from them, but others also learn from me. A few people have told me that they've learned how to make better story and character concepts from me as well as mix mechanics with story elements to make an intriguing gameplay. Sure in the end all of us will be competing for a job, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from one another.
7. Watch, read, and listen to various kinds of media.
Anime, TV shows, movies, books, and of course video games. Watching different kinds of media can give you inspiration for your games as well as ideas on what certain audiences like. Many great games were inspired from various other forms of entertainment. Look at Bioshock which takes Ayn Rand's philosophy Objectivism and make it the main element of the game. Shin Megami Tensei takes a load of mythology, religion and moral aspects in their games. And Kotor couldn't have been done without watching Star Wars. It's these things that may make your game successful so experiment with different medias.
8. Learn Flash
Flash is a very popular multimedia software that is used to make games all the time. Not only can you create art in it, but you can also code in it as well. It's one of the more popular ways of learning video games and one of the more simplistic ones. There are other ways to learn such as Java and C++, but trust me when I say that Flash is a much better process. Sure we designers aren't programmers, but it doesn't hurt to know at least basic coding. And if you are good at both coding and designing, then you just upped your chances a lot as many companies love designers who can program.
9. Learn an engine
There are various game engines out there and while some are not allowed for use to the public there are a few that anybody can buy and experiment with. UDK is the most popular one and many industries use it all the time. You can learn how to make levels, mechanics, physics, and scripting in game engines and this is very important to learn for a designer. Try to make a few racing or shooting games with the engines and post them online for others to judge. It will give you good experience and help you learn on what your good at as well as what you need to improve.
10. MAKE GAMES NOW!!!
This cannot be stressed enough. The most important thing to do now is to make games at this very moment. It doesn't matter if it's pen and paper games or electronic games, you must start making them now. The industry is looking for people who not only know their stuff, but are also well experienced in making games. Start making games on your own, but then try to make games with other people in order to learn about communication and teamwork. The more experienced you are on both sides the more your chances are at getting hired. You don't also have to make epic masterpieces, but try to make them stand out. That way when you show them your resume, you can include the ones that really did well with various players and they'll see how well you are at your work.
That's all I got for now. Maybe I'll give more advice sometime in the future. Either way, I hope this helps some of you and I hope you think hard about what you want to do for your future.
We are Gamers and we are Legion.
Later
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