Are Video Game Jobs All Work And No Play?
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The video game industry is mammoth, justthisnk of all those kids out there with all those games. Someone has to make those games. Ask any video game players if they would like video game jobs, and you will receive an enthusiastic positive response. No doubt that group of gamers pictured themselves sitting around all day playing video games. Game testing jobs do exist, but there is much more to creating video games. It takes lots of skill and talent to get video game jobs.
There are a number of ways to get your foot in the door for a video game job. First, be sure this is your true calling. Much hard work and many long hours go into video game creation. Many people love to play video games. Can you play the same game, or same level, over and over again for a week, a month, or two months? Those with video game jobs may have to do just that. Artists may have to draw and redraw characters, backgrounds, and textures. Animators may spend weeks perfecting a certain movement. Video game jobs are hard work and require patience and dedication.
Jobs in the video game industry are constantly changing. Modern video games are more like movies than games. There are scripts, characters, production values, directors and producers, sound tracks, voice actors, and many others. Other video game jobs include graphic artists, animators, sound effects creators, musicians, and editors.
The drivers of video game jobs are the economy and emerging technology. The video game economy is booming, thanks to new game consoles such as the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and the PlayStation 3. The hard part is learning the technology. It is likely that each video game company uses proprietary programming and animation software. Games are written for specific game consoles, and those change frequently.
A video game programmer needs to get the most game action out of every line of code in the game. This requires formal education. Many universities now offer courses for those seeking video game jobs. There are also two U.S. schools dedicated to fulfilling the needs of digital entertainment creators. The first is DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, WA (www.digipen.edu). The other is Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL (www.fullsail.com).
If you are not sure you could consider an internship before jumpling in with both feet. The industry is so romanticized that a dose of reality can help your decision. At best you will be exposed to many different video game jobs and learn which ones you like. At worst you will find it so mind-numbingly boring that you wondered why you ever considered video game jobs in the first place.
When you play for fun, you do as you please. When you are hired to play, you play what needs to be played, for as long as it takes. The pay has been compared to a fast food job. If you are patient, and show skill at finding bugs, you might be rewarded with other video game jobs.
Like all walks of life only the best qualified and most talented employees get the best video game jobs. The increasing complexity of games and gaming technology ensures that there are many jobs for qualified people.
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