About fifteen years ago, if a youngster setting out afresh on a career path ventured to select gaming as a means of livelihood, he or she would have been told to think again. But with India becoming one of the top five countries in mobile gaming, the scenario has changed drastically.
Unlike the popular belief, gaming isn’t child’s play. Here are three in-demand careers in the gaming industry and the skills that you need to get those jobs.
Game Designer
A Game Designer is the heart of the game. The job profile involves conceiving the game and how it will play. This includes the narrative, setting, characters, props and the interface design. So, if this is where you are headed, first take stock of your creative abilities, including visual designing and drawing skills.
To become a Game Designer, you must learn 2D and 3D software such as Photoshop, 3ds Max, Unity, Maya, and Mudbox. In addition, basic programming skills are a must. Collaborative working and good communication skills are essential to be able to effectively convey your vision to the people who are going to take it to fruition.
Game Programmer
If the designer is the heart, the programmer is the head, being responsible for the concrete manifestation of the game by writing the code. To fit into this profile, fluency in programming languages such as C, C++ and Java is one of the first criteria.
All those hours you spent playing video games was not a waste of time, how much ever someone might try to convince you otherwise because prospective employers are looking for experience in handling gaming consoles such as Xbox, Wii, and PlayStation. Remember that speaking in code is not enough. The programmer is the midpoint between the designer and the artist and needs to be able to communicate with a variety of job profiles, both technical and non-technical.
Game Artist
The Game Artist is the eye that takes the vision of the programmer further and gives it the shape that the player is going to see. All that you see on the screen including the clothes, vehicles and weapons used by the characters, the buildings dotting the landscape is the doing of the artist, requiring on the artist’s part an understanding of human anatomy and architecture. Drawing and sketching skills could help you in this job profile. The grind is in the details and the more observant you are, the better your vision.
Last but not the least, each of these careers demands that the execution should be driven by safety concerns for the gamers.
So, if you are ready to enter this industry, bring your ‘A’ game, because my friend the Game is On!
Interested in the above-mentioned job profiles? Join a career course with MAAC.