College Money

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Almost every gamer experiences the desire to participate in the creation of video games at some point in their lifetime. It all begins with a simple idea that you have; an idea that you wish you could just give to someone else to make for you. You might play a game, and after experiencing the horrible sound of it, you and decide you want to make one that is better. Some people are inspired by others successes such as the musical works of composer Nobuo Uematsu or Yoshitaka Amano’s brilliant art. So begins your adventure into the game industry; an industry that at a first look seems to be closed off from the rest of the world, until today.

START

Game industry jobs are not placed in official job banks of the United States of America as of today (though they are becoming more popular every year), and most people have to research tons of sites and books all by themselves, however with this guide you will be able to quickly assess where you belong in the industry and if you belong at all. There once was a day when almost everyone in the industry had entered by chance, when simply sitting in a game store would get them a job, but today that will not happen; there are many people after these positions, requiring much more out of you. The development teams have grown dramatically in size.

Level One: The Big Questions

The first thing is to decide specifically what you want to do. Do you like math? Do you have the patience to work long hours in the night trying to figure out why a character continues to freeze when he jumps in the air? Can you draw using computer software? Are you willing to spend time either at a game design school and the large amounts of money for them, or will you start at the bottom and work your way to the position you desire instead? Do you know any ways that you may be able to network yourself with members of the industry?

Click Here to Download Xbox 360 Games, Custom Xtreme Firmware, Software, Media and More with Everything4360 Premium XBox 360 Dedicated Downloads!

Level Two: The Different Roads

There are very diverse and specific positions available. Each position has different preparations for it, and each one requires that you have sharpened your abilities at certain skills. Without the required skills, your chances at the job become slimmer, and if you want to maximize in profit, you will want to be an expert at what you do, because a successful game means a big bonus. You might as well start towards that position as you read this so you get a competitive edge over others.

The Designers

Game Designers are known as the masterminds behind the flow of a game, or in some instances the failures (Bible Adventures we?????re looking at you). This field could require many things, mostly the person needs to be well rounded in other positions so they can organize and bring out ideas from everyone else and be ready to assist the other workers when necessary. You can find game design documents samples via search engine online, and then try and stay and focused as you complete one. After you finish the document, find basic game software program such as the popular RPG Maker, and see how well you can execute the idea to the program. If you cannot accomplish this task, you may need to look at other positions in the industry.

Average Salary Range: $43,486-$83,734

The Producer

The parents of the game companies workers. It is highly important that a producer is organized, or the entire project will self-destruct, as well the millions of dollars put into it. You need to work on organizations skills for this career before you apply, try to put yourself on schedules and budgets, make to do lists, and follow through to see if you can do them. Try out clerical jobs early in your life to get some experience with organization. Since their job is so crucial to the creation of a game, and they have to put in many hours to make sure everything is going just right, their salaries tend to go higher than other positions quicker. (Though other positions can make far more in the long run)

Average Salary Range: $60,802-$118,418

The Artist

If you are artistically gifted, you will find a big place in the industry. From animation to concept art, everything that the designer envisions needs to be brought to life by the artists. Those without default skills can sometimes pick them up in simple art classes or books, but beware of entering the industry without ability for you will quickly find yourself without a job.

Average Salary Range: $45,675-$98,896

The Programmer

Programming is no easy job. Most people realize this when they take a simple course of BASIC and realize that BASIC is actually not all that basic to the average person, leading to major changes. The in-depth engines that games have today with the power of systems, such as the Playstation 3, mean that every little detail needs to exist in a game, and lazily copying and pasting levels and codes will lead to no sales and ultimately no pay. There is rarely a case of someone beginning as a lead programmer, though if you attend a rigorous school such as Digipen University, you may be allowed to start as one. If you want to get a head start today, Digipen offers summer programs to kids for some large sums of cash that can teach you the basics, however if you want a cheaper route (you know you do), see if you can master C++ using available books, such as the C++ Primer. C++ is the basic language most programmers learn, and after learn it you should then decide whether this field is really for you.

Average Salary Range: $53,000-$121,000

The Composer

If you decide to become a composer, then music school would obviously be your first choice, unless you already have taught yourself how to use the musical software necessary to make games. It is one of the highest paying jobs in the industry, with the requirement of songs to loop in games and sound effects when actions occur. Composers need to be able to develop songs quickly to match the heavy schedule of games and tend to be out of the regular gaming world except to submit their work.

Average Salary: $51,370-$92,344

The Tester

When most people begin their journey in the industry, it begins with testing. As a tester, you can learn what really makes a game good and bad, which could ultimately help you when you climb to higher positions. Whenever you play a game from now on, think to yourself what you like and don’t like and begin to write them down on a piece of paper. After you finish, organize your thoughts to what can really improve the game, and you have just accomplished what a game tester normally does, except they do this in the early stages of games, when more glitches are present. If you can test games clearly and understand how they function, you may be able to also find work as a game journalist, but that is only if you can write well.

Average Salary Range: $24,797-$61,310

Discover how you could do the same thing and get paid a full-time job’s salary to play video games all day long.

Level Three: Absorbing Abilities

You really do not need to get an education in order to be involved in the game industry, however it will help you to show that you have a degree, as it will say that you have discipline, can work hard for something, and are intelligent. You will also make more money a year. There are special circumstances where going to school would be a good idea.

If you want to enter programming, Digipen has been known to create programming geniuses from their school and has special deals with many companies to help you get a job (many other gaming schools have bad reputations for their job placement promises). Be prepared for more math numbers than your brain may be able to process in a day and a very strict lifestyle for four years if you do choose to go to Digipen. As far as design is concerned, you could learn many of the same things at art schools such as Ringling School of Art, instead of going to regular game design schools that focus on programming. No matter what, if your education is going to be based on video games, be prepared to give up lots of money now or in the future of loans. Digipen is currently $63,756 without special fees and Ringling School of Art is roughly $42,152 a year without special fees. The good thing is that at this point and time, game companies don’t require actual game degrees, though one day it may become the case that they do, so just get a degree in something that you want to learn, and then take your place in the industry you wanted to enter at the beginning of your adventure.

GAME OVER

Source: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=7822815&publicUserId=5529063