It sounds like a career that’s too good to be true. Yet it is also a very serious business. One of the fastest growing professions is in video game design. Then again, who’d have thought that after 30 years a little game called Pong would eventually become a multi-billion dollar business? This industry has grown and is complicated enough now that students attending traditional college and degree programs online take many different types of classes.
Actually, becoming a game designer takes an interesting mix of degrees. A designer needs to go to school and take a combination of both Computer Science and some form of Business Administration. Whether they do it from a brick and mortar campus or through an online college is becoming almost superfluous. A game designer has to have a lot of hands-on skill with computers anyway.
A key reason for both types of skills is, on the business side, a good designer must be able to either create an original concept or hunt down a licensed property that can be turned into games. From there, he or she must also divine what format the game would work best in, whether it’s Playstation, the Internet, or otherwise. Then the designer has to assemble his or her design team, including programmers, artists and marketing people to help assemble the right package and unleash it on the consumer market.
To say the career is torridly hot is not succumbing to hyperbole. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly two thirds of all domestic households have some kind of video or computer games, and are always on the hunt for the latest edition of one series or another. Because of this, the Bureau projects job growth will be an amazing 30% by 2018.
While the current recession has slowed the industry somewhat, it looks like other forms of entertainment are turning around quickly. One thing helping the industry is growth in game rentals as opposed to sales. Another innovation that is helping is the introduction of new tech, such as the smart phone and the recent Apple’s iPad, although at this moment it’s way too soon to fully comprehend how the latter will impact the business.
This in turn makes financial aid a bit easier to get than most other career paths. As the career involves computer science it is eligible for S-STEM scholarships through the National Science Foundation, in addition to standard Pell and state grants. At the same time, a number of private companies who are involved in video gaming one way or another are providing their share of scholarships. This makes good sense as it helps them recruit the fresh and creative talent they always need. So, consult a financial aid officer when researching this career. This aid can add extra life to one’s academic quest.
If one needs further proof that creating games is a serious business, one need only look at the perks. The Bureau reports new designers usually start at slightly over $37,000. The average salary for an experienced designer is over $60,000. With possible benefits as health insurance, retirement and investment packages as well as potential profit sharing, the compensation could add up to the $100,000 range.
Gaming design has come a long way since the days of Pong, and the game designing career is having a field day because of it. It’s an exciting time for those who are participating in your college degree, working toward their business or their computer science degree online. The field is booming and needs talent. If this area of study is of interest and you would like more information about your science degree, check the internet.