I have been through the notions of what career I would like to pursue just like anyone else, but I can truly say that if I didn’t follow my intuition on becoming a Game Designer I would spend the rest of my life wondering if I did. So far, I have gotten a lot of opinions from students on whether they believe the industry is worth getting into, whether I wanted their thoughts on the subject or not. I have had people tell me that it is a very hard industry to get in to, and that it really isn’t worth it. I find that there are people who say that for any profession, so I don’t really take it to heart. Then there are those people who say something like, “If you love what you do, you will be good at it and be able to find a job”. I find this to be true, however sometimes the world doesn’t always work that way in our favor. You should always go with your intuition when you recognize it as such, and don’t let anyone else negatively influence who you want to be. My goal is to create something that brings joy and happiness to others, as well as entertainment and fun.
An informative page from creativepool.com says that Game Designers require skills like being creative, have storytelling ability, have basic drawing and 3D design skills, be well developed with presentation and communication skills, and also be fluent in a number of different software packages. Salary and benefits include around 19,000 per year for new designers, those with experience 25,000 to 35,000 per year, and those considered lead designers can earn 35,000 to 55,000 per year. This number seems a little sporadic for me, but I refuse to let it scare me or make me reconsider. Like with any job, you need to take into consideration that you have strong points and weak points. I may not be the best with public speaking, but I have a crazy imagination that I would love the world to see. Just because I am not good with the public speaking, doesn’t mean I can’t change that. I plan on doing whatever it takes in order to be the best I can possibly be.
Games designers may work from their own original idea, or use various elements that have already been decided upon. They develop:
* the rules of the game
* the setting
* the story and how it develops
* the characters
* the weapons, vehicles and other devices that characters can use
* different ways the game may be played.
I am aware that there may be a slim chance of me being able to work on my own ideas from the get-go, and I am perfectly fine with that. In fact, I find pleasure in knowing that I may be helping someone else with their story and bring it to life. I am lacking in the software department
for sure, but instead of worrying myself too much about it, I know that I will have teachers and classmates willing to help me understand and master whatever it is that I need to do.
According to a study by Interactive Software Developers Association, the average development company grew by 18 percent between 1997 and 1998, with about 50,000 people working in video game development in 1998. My specific interest lies with the art of character creation and animation. According to incredibleart.org under an article called, “Video game Artist”, the definition for character artist is the person who builds creatures, including the one the player becomes. Animators make those creatures move, and sometimes, the same person does both tasks. Although one doesn’t need to be a player to truly understand the way video games work, it really does help if someone has some past experience with them. I have been someone who has played video games since I was 3 years old, and was on a computer at 2. With that being said, I can still use pointers when it comes to computers. I hope that I am a good enough artist one day to be able to create a likeable character for those to truly enjoy being or fighting against, with a beautiful story to go along with it all.
If there is something that you want to do or become, don’t let anyone do or say anything that can get in your way of doing what you want. I find myself pretty negative about some things, but I feel very lucky to have a positive outlook on clearly one of the biggest decisions of my life. I know there isn’t a whole lot of people who can say that, since there are people who go their whole life without knowing what they want to become or even who they are. I believe a career is turning yourself into the person you want to be for the rest of your life, for me it is a job that will use my imagination and creativity, and I would have it no other way.
Theladypwnage 