Video Game Designer Design core features of video games. Specify innovative game and role-play mechanics, story lines, and character biographies. Create and maintain design documentation. Guide and collaborate with production staff to produce games as designed.
Video Game Designer is Also Know as
In different settings, Video Game Designer is titled as
- Design Director
- Designer
- Environmental Artist
- Game Design Consultant
- Game Designer
- Gamemaster
- Level Designer
- World Designer
Education and Training of Video Game Designer
Video Game Designer is categorized in Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Video Game Designer
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education Required for Video Game Designer
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees Related to Video Game Designer
- Bachelor in Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
- Associate Degree Courses in Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
- Masters Degree Courses in Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
- Bachelor in Computer and Information Sciences, General
- Associate Degree Courses in Computer and Information Sciences, General
- Masters Degree Courses in Computer and Information Sciences, General
- Bachelor in Informatics
- Associate Degree Courses in Informatics
- Masters Degree Courses in Informatics
- Bachelor in Human-Centered Technology Design
- Associate Degree Courses in Human-Centered Technology Design
- Masters Degree Courses in Human-Centered Technology Design
- Bachelor in Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- Associate Degree Courses in Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- Masters Degree Courses in Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- Bachelor in Information Science/Studies
- Associate Degree Courses in Information Science/Studies
- Masters Degree Courses in Information Science/Studies
Training Required for Video Game Designer
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Video Game Designer in different industries are
- Special Effects Artists and Animators
- Graphic Designers
- Web and Digital Interface Designers
- Software Developers
- Web Developers
- Computer Programmers
- Film and Video Editors
- Producers and Directors
- Computer Hardware Engineers
- Computer Systems Engineers/Architects
- Desktop Publishers
- Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
- Art Directors
- Set and Exhibit Designers
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
- Commercial and Industrial Designers
- Web Administrators
- Fashion Designers
- Search Marketing Strategists
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters
What Do Video Game Designer do?
- Review or evaluate competitive products, film, music, television, and other art forms to generate new game design ideas.
- Provide test specifications to quality assurance staff.
- Keep abreast of game design technology and techniques, industry trends, or audience interests, reactions, and needs by reviewing current literature, talking with colleagues, participating in educational programs, attending meetings or workshops, or participating in professional organizations or conferences.
- Create gameplay test plans for internal and external test groups.
- Provide feedback to designers and other colleagues regarding game design features.
- Balance and adjust gameplay experiences to ensure the critical and commercial success of the product.
- Write or supervise the writing of game text and dialogue.
- Solicit, obtain, and integrate feedback from design and technical staff into original game design.
- Provide feedback to production staff regarding technical game qualities or adherence to original design.
- Prepare two-dimensional concept layouts or three-dimensional mock-ups.
- Present new game design concepts to management and technical colleagues, including artists, animators, and programmers.
- Prepare and revise initial game sketches using two- and three-dimensional graphical design software.
- Oversee gameplay testing to ensure intended gaming experience and game adherence to original vision.
- Guide design discussions between development teams.
- Devise missions, challenges, or puzzles to be encountered in game play.
- Develop and maintain design level documentation, including mechanics, guidelines, and mission outlines.
- Determine supplementary virtual features, such as currency, item catalog, menu design, and audio direction.
- Create gameplay prototypes for presentation to creative and technical staff and management.
- Create and manage documentation, production schedules, prototyping goals, and communication plans in collaboration with production staff.
- Consult with multiple stakeholders to define requirements and implement online features.
- Conduct regular design reviews throughout the game development process.
- Collaborate with artists to achieve appropriate visual style.
- Document all aspects of formal game design, using mock-up screenshots, sample menu layouts, gameplay flowcharts, and other graphical devices.
- Create core game features, including storylines, role-play mechanics, and character biographies for a new video game or game franchise.
Qualities of Good Video Game Designer
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Tools Used by Video Game Designer
- Audioconferencing systems
- Computer data input scanners
- Desktop computers
- Laptop computers
- Personal computers
- Smart phones
- Tablet computers
- Video gaming equipment
Technology Skills required for Video Game Designer
- 3D graphic design software
- Adobe ActionScript
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Advanced business application programming ABAP
- Atlassian JIRA
- Autodesk 3ds Max
- Autodesk Maya
- Autodesk Scaleform
- Balsamiq Studios Balsamiq Mockups
- Blackboard software
- C
- C for Graphics cg
- C#
- C++
- Extensible markup language XML
- Graphical user interface GUI design software
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- JavaScript
- Job control language JCL
- Linux
- Lua
- Microsoft DirectX
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Expression Blend
- Microsoft High Level Shader Language HLSL
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft Visual Studio
- Microsoft Word
- MySQL
- Objective C
- OpenGL
- Oracle Java
- Perforce Helix software
- Perforce software
- Perl
- PHP
- Python
- Ruby on Rails
- Scheme
- Simple DirectMedia Layer SDL
- Sound development software
- Structured query language SQL
- Unity Technologies Unity
- Virtual Battlespace 2 VBS2