We all enjoy playing games and basking in the glory of their stunning visuals and addictive stories. With PC hardware becoming stronger than ever and technologies like real-time-ray tracing (RTX) making their way into the mainstream, the world of gaming and especially the design side of things are more interesting than ever. Now, if you are someone like us, at some point you would have wondered if you could try your hand at game design. Heck, even take it up as a career. I mean, why not?
If that is the case, then you are in the perfect place, as this month we are covering the world of game designing and bringing you a handy guide that’ll help you get started on the road to becoming a game designer. And, if you are looking for other gaming-related careers, let me give you some spoilers. Over the next few months, we will be covering a variety of gaming-related careers. So, keep on reading SKOAR! Who knows what strikes a chord with you?
Game design: What does it even mean?
The world of game design is very complex. To put it simply, as a game designer, you are responsible for the most essential elements of a game, including, but not limited to, story writing, gameplay direction, level design and management. You are the boss, what you say goes, because you are the one taking the game from an idea to an actual product.
As lucrative a career in game design may sound, the responsibilities that come with it make it a job that can earn you a lot of fame but also put you in the firing line for all the criticism if the game does not perform as expected in any way, shape or form. While there are various disciplines that you can specialise in, when you are on your way to become a game designer, there are some blanket responsibilities that apply. To give you an idea of what they are, here’s a very interesting list compiled by the folks at Western Governors University –
- Brainstorm new game ideas that would engage a wider audience,
- Outline the game’s concept and storyboard the overall game experience,
- Develop characters and plots based on the storyboard of the game,
- Develop the code necessary for a game to work,
- Document the code and work out any bugs or issues with the code,
- Work with developers and other members of their team to ensure that there are no bugs or problems from start to finish,
- Respond to feedback about concerns with the game, and
- Create patches or bug fixes to ensure that the game continues to work well.
You see what I mean, right? To make sure that you are on your A-game all the time, there are some essential things like creativity and time management that you need to level up on, if you’re to cut it as a game designer. That is true with any creative career, but when you are working as a game designer, whose vision can make or break a game, it becomes even more important. Given the fact that a game has a variety of people with varying interests, backgrounds, and skill level involved as the stakeholders, you need to make sure that everything comes together and the game makes sense to the end user overall.
So now that you know what it means to be a game designer, let us look at the career path, starting with the degrees and certifications that you need to pursue during your quest to become a game designer.
The degree of success
Like it is with any career, which is a confluence of creativity and technical skills, there is formal education that helps you get started. You can think of it as a tutorial, after completing which you get a starter pack that will help you build your character in a game. The only difference here is that the degree, at least at the undergraduate level, will allow you the opportunity to hone your skills and try out more than what you had set to achieve. Some have even gone on to say that about 80 percent of game designers have an undergraduate degree.
When looking at your home ground, which is India, gaming and its related careers are such a new thing that you might be under the impression that there won’t be enough on offer. However, the truth is that the industry and the education sector have evolved so rapidly that you will find a plethora of opportunities to learn game design as a degree.
Some of the top institutions offering game design courses that are available in India at the time of writing this article are –
- B.Sc and M.Sc in Game Design and Development by AAFT University
- Advanced Program in Interactive Design and Games, Advanced Program in Game Design and Integration, Program in Mobile Game Design and Integration, Program in Immersive Design by MAAC
- Certificate in Toys & Game Design (TGD) by NIFT Delhi
- UG Program in Game Design Communication Design and Technology by Pearl Academy, Delhi
- B.Des. in Game Design by UPES
- BDes in Game Design by Whistling Woods International
- M.Des. in Digital Game Design by NID Bangalore
These are some of the courses that are offered. If you are doing your research, you find institutes across the country that offer courses that will help you land a job as a game designer.
When you are taking these courses, depending on the institute that you choose, the specialisations, and a host of other factors, the things that you are taught will be different. However, some of the key areas that will be in focus in most of the courses are –
- Game UI and general framework production
- Target audience identification and analysis
- 3D and 2D game prototyping and code development
- Level design
- Platform identification and analysis
- Art direction
During your course, you will also be taken through different software tools that are used for game development. These include programming environments, art and design software, and industry standard game engines. Essentially, you need to be a jack of all trades. Do not come at me with – A jack of all trades is master of none. The complete phrase is – A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.
Being a jack of all trades when you aim to be a game designer is all the more important because you will be working with a host of specialised departments within your organisation. So, having even the most basic understanding of several moving parts of the game design process will make sure that you can give meaningful feedback to the rest of the team involved in the game development process.
Where do I level up?
If you have read so far, you would already have an understanding of what skills you need to be a successful game developer. And I will only add meaningless words by talking about them. But, just to make sure that you and I are on the same page, here are some skills that you need to master before you dive into the sea of game design –
- Storytelling and character development
- Critical thinking and trend identification
- Teamwork and personnel management
- Project management and interdepartmental coordination
- Game development and design, including programming
What is the playing field like?
India as a market in the global gaming scheme of things has shown a lot of promise. Major game development and design studios have entered the market with tons of money, hope, and, most importantly, job opportunities. Not only that, some of the major game studios and related organisations have also collaborated with local institutions to provide expert guidance to students.
What this means is that if you are in the right place, you can get a massive head start.
Talking about numbers, a simple Google search reveals the immense potential game design holds. Job portals like Naukri, LinkedIn, and others have over ten thousand job listings in total, related to the keyword of “game designer”. If you have looked for jobs, even out of curiosity, you will know that across organisations, job descriptions vary a lot, even when the job title is the same. So, when you are searching for a job, make sure to go through the description that they offer as well.
In terms of the money that you can make, according to Glassdoor, the average base salary of a game designer in India is around ₹8,00,000 per annum. And, as for the game studios that are active in the country, right now, the list is vast, and we are sure that you will be surprised to see some of the names –
- Electronic Arts
- Rockstar Games
- Reliance Games
- Tata Consultancy Services
- Zynga Games
- Ubisoft
- 99Games
Imagine your name coming in the credits of GTA VI or the next title in the Rainbow Six game franchise? Don’t build castles in thin air just yet. There’s a lot of work that you will need to put in to make sure that you are worthy of being hired by gaming studios who bring us some of the best titles.
Now what?
I don’t know. I am sitting here reading about game design and writing this article for you. If you have read through this article, you know what to do next. Why are you still here? Go, go, go! Get started! And I am sure you will make it big. When you do, though, remember SKOAR! does video game reviews and, we’d love to see what one of our minions achieved!
Follow Us
Satvik Pandey
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile
