What qualifications do you need to become a game developer

Game companies prefer to hire designers who can start getting work done right away, without a learning curve. The most common game engine mentioned was Unity 3D , followed by Unreal Engine. Some studios are a bit more flexible in their requirements, noting only that they want designers to have experience using one or more 3D game engines. If you want to design games for a living, you definitely need to learn how to use a game engine.

But game engines are large, complex software packages, so the sooner you start learning, the better. Fortunately, most game engines are free for you to download and use as a student or hobbyist. For more ideas on getting started, read this article about free game engines.

How passionate are you about playing and designing video games? They want game design geeks. Do you geek out about the psychology behind video games? If not, then I suggest you get started. That means game designers need to understand each of the other disciplines — artists, programmers, audio engineers, and more — at least enough to have meaningful conversations about their work. As a bonus, you can use your finished mod as a portfolio piece in your game design portfolio!

Like many creative jobs, game designers often work without a clear set of instructions. Often, it will be up to you to figure out how to succeed in your job, without much oversight from managers. Which means game designers are required to take initiative and figure things out, even without direct oversight. Ownership and self-motivation can be hard skills to learn.

But you can do it with practice. What is your team or your class, or your family as a whole is trying to accomplish? Common examples include Lua , Python , and JavaScript. Because most commercial game engines require designers to do scripting to control the behavior of enemies, puzzles, quests, and other game features.

For example, you might use scripting to tell the game engine to open a door whenever the player is nearby, has a key, and presses the correct button. Over one third of game studios in the study require that you know a scripting language before you apply for a job. They want you to already know scripting, so you can be productive right away. There are free YouTube videos , or paid courses on sites like Lynda. I found a free online tutorial teaching C to new programmers, and you can practice in your web browser.

Game design and development is a highly creative, highly artistic job. It takes huge amounts of creativity — and creative risk-taking — to make something new that players love. For roles which include design as well as programme development, you could do a foundation degree or degree in a subject like:.

You could do a college course, which may lead onto more advanced qualifications or a higher apprenticeship, or help you to get a trainee position with a company. Courses include:. You could start as a quality assurance QA tester if you have plenty of experience of game playing.

You'll usually need an IT qualification or work experience. Employers will be interested in your talent and creativity. You may also find it helps to have A levels or a diploma in relevant subjects like computing or media production. You can create a portfolio of work or online demo to highlight your skills to potential employers. There is information on how to get started creating your own games at Into Games Start Creating. You can get more advice about working in games development from ScreenSkills and Into Games.

If you develop your own successful game independently, you could increase your income significantly. Long story short, after getting everything on the list for how to become a game designer, you will start working on projects either individually or in companies.

Game designers are responsible for setting:. When determining how to become a video game designer, you should recognize that there are several types of game designers. With so many responsibilities, game designers naturally need to prove their abilities.

However, four years of intense studies might not be available for all, especially those working in one field and wanting to make a career change. Here are some other options that you might consider if you're going to learn how to become a game designer:. When it comes to the technical know-how for game designers, there is a list of abilities that you should have.

So, now you will enter stage 1 of how to become a game designer. After these courses, the process of how to become a game designer should not be as mysterious. Another vital part of game design is animating and modeling. The latter term refers to the process of creating three-dimensional models. When considering the options for how to become a game designer, you need to know that modeling is one of the main tasks that these specialists have. I have already mentioned a bunch of programs that designers use: Blender, Unity, and Construct 2.

However, there are actually more tools available. When deciding on the best route for how to become a game designer, you also need to consider which applications you will be more inclined to use. In this short review, I will try to introduce some of the most popular options. GameMaker Studio tool is highly reputable for its simplicity. For the most part, game designers use it for the development of 2D games. It has drag-and-drop functions that allow efficiency that any specialist will appreciate.

Furthermore, the tool allows more tech-savvy people to generate their own game scripts thanks to the built-in scripting language GML. Maya actually consists of three applications that might be used for game design.

First of all, we have the main Maya tool for 3D modeling, animation, effects, rendering, and compositing. Up next, we have 3ds Max, which is very similar but does not support compositing. Lastly, we have Maya LT, which is 3D animation and modeling software for indie game makers. Photoshop is perfectly suitable for game designers. You can do anything you want there: design characters, objects, locations, buildings, etc.

Of course, Photoshop is best for 2D game designing, meaning that you should find another tool for 3D games. Surprise surprise: one of the options is not digital. Some game designers prefer to let their ideas fly on real paper instead of the computer screen.

You can definitely see the benefits of a good old notebook: you can sketch level plans, write lists of assets, come up with gameplay mechanics, etc. Some companies might require you to produce digital examples for your team. If it is allowed, you could scan your notebook. In other cases, you will need to use specific software.

The best prospects are for those who specialize and have good work samples. As a game designer, you can specialize in game programming or 3D modeling and make a portfolio of projects to stand out. Ashley Donohoe started writing professionally in about career, business and technology topics. She has a Master of Business Administration degree from Western Governors University along with eight years of experience managing all aspects of her small business.

By Ashley Donohoe Updated June 30, Related Articles.