Video Game Design

One part of technology that continues to advance is video games. They have become so mainstream that they are single-handedly creating new careers and degrees for those interested by their endless possibilities. With a degree in video game design, you have the opportunity to obtain a career specifically focused in the field of video gaming. However, prior to picking a program offering a bachelor's degree in video game design, you should first decide on which specific area of gaming you are most interested in. With there being so many career opportunities in video game design, you have chance to choose the area that would best allow your skills to grow and help make your entire video game design career more enjoyable.

Common Career Paths:

Artist

An artist creates art as a way of expressing their ideas, thoughts, or feelings. They bring in a range of methods to do this – i.e. painting, sculpting, or illustration. Through their creativity they are able to take simple tools such as a pencil or pen and construct a work of brilliance. Further materials are oils, watercolors, and acrylics. Depending on the goal of the artist, they may choose for their work to be realists, abstract or even stylized. These creations can portray objects, people, nature, or events. An artist can fall into more than one category. There are art directors who articulate design concepts. A craft artist puts together objects that are made by hand for sale or to put them on display. There are painters and sculptors who apply a range of media techniques to create original pieces of work. An animator can construct work used in films or for electronic media. When you are an artist, you have the freedom and liberty to put together whatever you desire. Depending upon who your employer is, you may be instructed to construct a specific creation. However, there may be instances when someone asks you to complete a task with very small guidelines. An artist is always challenged to use their creativity to the max. They can challenge themselves to make use out of items that others may simply toss aside. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 the median average annual salary for multimedia artists and animators were $56,330. The middle fifty percent earned between $41,710 and $77,010. The lowest ten percent earned less than $31,570, and the highest ten percent earned more than $100,390.

Creative Director

The job of a creative director is to manage the copy chief, art director, and associated staff. They are expected to organize a company's market research and marketing strategy. They have their hand in multiple areas of business such as sales, advertising, and promotion. They sometimes have a say on matters like pricing, product development, and public relations. A creative director generally has a lot of insight and experience with being able to see the finished product before plans are even finalized. They have the ability to focus all of their strong ideas and combine them in a way that will be productive. While this position is typically found in graphic design, advertising and media, it is a position some web development firms have felt would be beneficial for their company. In the advertising business, a creative director would meet with a client and grasp the type of strategy they are after and then create some potential approaches they think would be beneficial. In this case, a creative director comes up with ideas for others to follow through. In the video game business, a creative director is in charge of the design, vision, and direction of the product being produced. Here they may serve as a lead designer, using their talents in one main areas as oppose to spreading their knowledge in multiple areas. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 the median annual wages of creative directors were $80,220. The industry that offers the largest median annual salary for creative directors was Computer systems design and related services.

Computer Programmer

A computer programmer is a person who writes programs. Following computer software engineers and systems analysts designing software programs, it is a computer programmer who takes this creation into a logical series of directions that the computer can follow. All computer programmers code these commands in various programming languages – the number depends upon the need. Additional job duties for this job include updating, modifying, fixing, and expanding all of the existing programs. In the case of those who are working on a big project that needs multiple programmers, a computer programmer will use computer-assisted software engineering tools as a way of systematizing most of the coding process. Through using these devices, a computer programmer is able to concentrate more on writing the unique parts of a program. With the world of software design continuing to spread and progress, there are some computer programmers that are now taking on some of the main duties that previously were dealt with by only software engineers. With a range of programming functions now being computerized and preset, computer programmers are able to aid software engineers with determining the needs of users as well as producing certain parts of computer programs – and in some cases other functions too. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 the median annual wages of wage-and-salary computer programmers was $69,620. The middle fifty percent earned between $52,640 and $89,720 a year. The lowest ten percent earned less than $40,080, and the highest ten percent earned more than $111,450. The industry that offers the largest median annual salary for human resource managers is software publishers.