Video Game Design Bachelors Degree Online
Is a Video Game Design Degree for You?
As the digital game production and design industry expands, more and more students are entering degree programs geared towards video gaming. A bachelor's degree in video game design can help you attain a position specifically focused in the field of video gaming. Before choosing a program offering a bachelor's degree in video game design, it is a good idea to decide on which specific area of gaming you are most passionate. There is a variety of career opportunities in video game design, and by taking the initiative to first find the area that would best allow your skills to grow will help make your entire video game design career more satisfying. Bachelor's degrees in video game design normally focus on the basic development of a video game. However, a video game design degree can involve a wide variety of subjects, including game theory, game mechanics, visual arts, and computer programming. Students who are most successful in a video game bachelor's degree program tend to be highly creative individuals who thrive in fast paced environments. Individuals who possess the ability to be scientific and technically driven as well as creative and imaginative are most successful within this field of study. Students in video game design degree programs should enjoy working in groups to create the optimum product or result. While an aptitude with numbers and equations is essential to video game design, strong communication is also endlessly important.
Advice for Earning Your Video Game Design Degree Online
Video game design is a high-paced industry, experiencing rapid growth as video games become more widespread and better funded. For this reason, video game design degrees are regarded very highly within the job market. Employers see in video design degree holders an ability to think creatively and technically while remaining ever prepared for changes and slip ups. While there is no further accreditation after a bachelor's degree necessary for graduates of a video game design degree program, many individuals decide to pursue further education. Some individuals choose to enter master's degree or doctorate programs in computer programming, creative writing, graphic design, and others. These degrees are not essential to succeeding in the video game industry, but do add to an individual's academic resume.
Required Courses
Some of the courses a video game design student may encounter in his or her bachelor's degree program include: prototyping, level design, visual development, game art, effects animation, character design, 3D modeling, prop modeling, creative writing, computer programming, and more. Students should expect to complete classes from several different departments throughout an institution, including the literature department, the art department, the computer science department, the math department, and others. Furthermore, students should anticipate several courses that require group work and projects as well as written exams and assignments.
Common Career Paths
A bachelor's degree in video game design may be used to start a career in multimedia, software engineering, animation, and graphic design. Some career options for video game design bachelor's degree holders may include (but are not limited to) the following highlighted occupations. A gaming programmer may work on a number of different areas in the game design such as the game engine, artificial intelligence features, and hardware. A designer, or artist, is responsible for the animation and 3D or 2D models for the game. The level designer uses the models for the game to design the actual gaming world for a specific game. A gaming producer makes sure the game is created on a timely schedule and on budget. An audio artist is responsible for all of the sound effects and music in a game. Other job titles video game design graduates obtain are concept artist, creative director, character designer, and computer programmer. The skills acquired in video game design programs are not limited to only the video game industry. A career within film, television, and other forms of multimedia production is also a distinct possibility for individuals with a degree in video game design.
Starting Salary: $50,300
Mid-Career Salary: $77,500
Learn More About a Career in Video Game Design
