A Complete Guide to a Career in Game Design

Game designing refers to the application of design and aesthetics to devise games for entertainment, education, exercise, or experiments. Big games that have fantasy realms, it relates to the central theme, plot, and the characters' histories. In smaller games that have no significant characters or plot, it refers to how the gamer plays the game. How do you win the game? What can the player do with their character? How does the level of difficulty change as the game proceeds?

Although the terms game designing and game development are used interchangeably, they are different concepts. Game designers deal with the conceptual aspect. They come up with the initial vision for a game. The core concepts, aesthetics, characters, levels, and narratives of a game are a designer's responsibility.

Game developers are responsible for the technical part. They bring these concepts to life. They take games from the conceptual phase and work them into reality. Game development usually involves programming, coding, rendering, engineering, and testing.

A Game Design Career entails the following responsibilities:

• Conceptualising engaging games for entertainment and education
• Following global gaming trends and best practices
• Planning game elements such as storyline, characters, vehicles, plots, and settings in detail
• Creating game rules
• Storyboarding and writing scripts
• Collaborating with UI and UX designers to optimise the game interface
• Collaborating with developers, programmers, and artists to create a prototype
• Participating in beta testing
• Ensuring quality control for the final product

For Game Design Career, you need to enrol in a bachelor's degree or diploma in game designing after completing your Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exam with 50% marks.

Alternatively, you might have a bachelor's degree in computer science engineering or related fields. Engineering graduates are preferred due to their technical expertise and familiarity with computer applications.

Apart from the right educational qualifications, you must have a passion for video games, a flair for coding and storytelling, and an innate understanding of industry trends and target audiences.

"Our approach to making games is to find the fun first and then use the technology to enhance the fun."
- Sid Meier

A game design career typically needs the following skills:

• Conceptualising Projects

  All video games are born from a concept. If you choose to work as a self-employed designer, you should be able to develop your own concepts. If you work at a studio, you'll be working with a team of other designers. Game designing is more than just a vague story idea; it includes gameplay, layout, storylines, characters, scenarios, maps, difficulty levels, and many other details.

  A game designer should have an eye for detail to conceptualise and incorporate the required intricacies. For example, designers have to decide small details like how fast characters can move and how high they can jump, as well as make complex decisions like how powerful a character can be.

• Bringing Concepts to Life

  A competent designer can express their concepts and communicate those with others involved in bringing the game to life. The characters, maps, and layout need to be communicated clearly to the rest of the team. This is done with computerised drawings created with 2D and 3D graphic design software.

  After the designer has thoroughly set up the concept with drawings, other members of the team can do their part. The game artists create images that will appear in the finished game, and the programmers bring these ideas on-screen with their code.

  A common misunderstanding about game designers is that they are only creative and lack analytical skills, which couldn't be further from the truth.

  Game designing involves math and logic to figure out how different parts of the game can be brought out most appealingly. Although designers might not need quite as much math as programmers, they frequently call upon algebraic formulas to decide how different parts of a game should work.

• What skills will you develop as you go deeper into game designing?

  Learning on the job is a part of every career. After you meet the prerequisites for game designing, you will learn many valuable lessons with each experience.

  • Teamwork: A game has many facets, and it doesn't attain perfection unless different people lend a hand. If you want the best version of your concept to manifest, you will need to work with a team.
  • Creativity: As you become a more experienced designer, you will gain in-depth knowledge of the industry and a unique perspective that can give you an edge over others.
  • Effective Communication: The need to communicate your concept most effectively will help you improve your communication skills and express yourself tangibly.

A frequently asked question is, “Is game design a good career?” Consider the following facts and figures:

The global video game industry is worth UD$ 197 billion and is expected to reach $ 285 billion by 2027. The expected number of gamers in the video game segment by 2027 is 2833.1 million.

Source: https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/digital-media/video-games/worldwide

The Indian gaming industry ranks among the world’s top five gaming markets. It garnered $2.6 billion in revenue in the financial year (FY) 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 27% in the next 5 years, reaching $8.6 billion by FY 2027.

Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/storyboard18/how-it-works/indian-gaming-industry-clocked-2-6-bn-in-fy22-set-to-cross-8-6-bn-by-fy27-lumikai-report-3018.htm

The future for game design is bright, to say the least. Demand for trained designers is at its peak. Game designing is becoming an increasingly popular profession because game formats are being employed in sectors that transcend mere entertainment.

We absolutely need diversity in game designers. And not just the diversity of gender, but diversity of cultures, ethnicity, of sexuality. If we want to reach beyond the audience, we have to bring in more players, and to bring in more players we've got to bring in people who might be able to reach those players.
-Brenda Romero

Building a video game from scratch requires a lot of skill sets. Many people are involved in the process, and this creates diverse career opportunities in game design. A standard game-designing team consists of the following members:

• Junior game designer – Works with artists, programmers, and other designers to construct a vision of the game. A junior game designer partners with senior game designers to create new games. They also help establish initial mock-ups and sketches for the graphics team.
• Level designer – They are responsible for developing the total environment of a game level, along with the assets and characters that inhabit it. In the conceptual stage, the level designer envisions a chapter in the overall storyline of the game.
• Lead designer – Takes the central role in project delivery. They are responsible for the quality, creativity, and delivery of the projects they are overseeing, along with revenue generated and client and team satisfaction.
• Content designer – Designs characters, levels, puzzles, art, and animation. Depending on the requirement, they may also write code using various computer programming languages.
• Creative Director – Responsible for the overall vision of the product, including gameplay, visual style, story, audio assets, cinematics, and marketing materials.
• User interface designer – Understands how digital and physical experiences blend. A user interface designer evolves rough ideas into polished user flows and pixel-perfect interfaces.
• Writer - Creates characters and builds the game narrative. Video game designers and programmers rely on the writer’s script and storyline to give structure to the game.

Depending on the region, course duration, certification, and other factors, the total cost of a course in game design can vary from 2 lakhs to 15 lakhs.

Source: www.shiksha.com/design/communication-design/colleges/game-design-colleges-india

Graduate Level courses in Game Art and Design include –

• Degree in Game Art and Design – BA
• Degree in Game Art and Design – BSc
• Diploma in Game Art

Curriculum
The curriculum varies depending on the institute you choose. But a game designing course usually includes –

• 3D Prop Modeling
• 2D Art (Concept Art and 2D Assets Creation)
• Floral Designing / Mosaic
• Game Logic and Engine
• Design Principles
• Mathematics
• Media laws and ethics
• Character Modeling
• Game Engine and Prototyping
• Lighting and Rendering
• Camera, Lighting, and Optimisation in Engine
• Project Management

Salaries in the game designing field vary depending on the person's experience, talent, and other intangibles. The national average salary of a game designer in India is ₹614,151/yr.

Source: www.glassdoor.co.in/Salaries/india-game-designer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,5_IN115_KO6,19.htm?countryRedirect=true

This is just a rough estimate, and it is bound to rise within a few years. With the right effort and guidance, you can earn the money you've always dreamt of while doing something you relish.

"I think it's fair to say most video games let players experience only eight emotions: anger, panic, dread, surprise, wonder, satisfaction, joy and disappointment. And some games only disappoint."
- Scott Rogers

Here’s what you will need for a successful career in game design:

• Time management: It can be tough to limit your project and determine when it has reached its creative limit. It is always tempting to keep adding new features, but it is essential to mind deadlines. Time allocation, or rather the lack of it, is one of the main reasons for project delays.
• Making the right choice: Selecting the best game features and deleting the unwanted ones can be difficult. For example, if a new idea is not working, should you keep trying, or should you move on to the next phase of your game world design? You need to handle such situations tactfully, so keep an eye on the industry trends and the preferences of your target audience.
• Promotion and advertising: Advertising your concept to the world is crucial for your success as a game designer. New games are released frequently, so your game needs to stand out and get noticed by the right audience at the right time.
• The unwanted technical glitches: Polishing your game before it is finally released is crucial to avoid poorly executed features, weird anomalies, and bugs. So, ensure that your game is free from technical glitches to avoid production and launch delays.
• Customer understanding: Being able to communicate with the customers and figuring out what they expect from their gaming experience is vital. Don’t get discouraged because of a few bad reviews; keep working on your game till you feel it has reached its maximum potential.

Your journey doesn't end after getting into a game design school. School is where your Game Design career path in video game design truly begins. It is where you learn, grow, and understand the nuances of your passion for game designing. Cultivate these abilities to stay ahead of the game –

• Identify your style: Identify your strengths and find out what interests you – choose a specialisation that allows you to bring these out in the best way possible.
• Look at the bigger picture: The next tip is to develop multiple angles. In your career as a game designer, you will have to gain several perspectives. For example, identifying trends among gamers and producing content that attracts the largest audience, all while maintaining your personal creative touch. To create an identity, each of your game designing projects must have a bit of you.
• Play all the games: Want to be involved in all the class discussions? Play every game, analyse it from every angle, and understand the tiniest details that went into its making. Not only does it broaden your thought process, but it also allows you to wonder how you would do it differently. The more games you play, the more you know about what makes a gamer tick.
• Think out of the box: No idea is too small, and every detail matters. The most crucial part of your career as a game designer will be your attention to detail. No one will want to play your games if they are mediocre. In the end, even the most customary experiences can serve as inspiration. It all depends on how you look at it.
• Read success stories: Learn from mistakes, even if they are not yours. They are called success stories for a reason. Giving them a read will help you in the long run. Not only will you know about the road to fame, but you'll also know the difficulties the industry faces.
• Attend gaming festivals: By doing this, you'll have a better understanding of what gamers look for in a game. Understanding the current trends and basing your games on them will give you an advantage over others.

• The course duration: What are your plans for the future? Do you want to hone your game designing skills and gain a complete professional education or enter the industry as soon as possible? According to your preference, you should opt for a course which lets you meet your long-term goals as well as allows you to gain sufficient knowledge.
• Institute's reputation: If you wish to pursue a degree with high industry standards, look for the institute's accreditation status and certifications. Check student reviews, and ask the graduates about their learning experience and the campus culture. Ensure that the school provides hands-on training rather than just theory. Bookish knowledge is pointless without practical application.
• The teaching staff: Often, on an institute's website, you can find a section called ‘faculty’. Check their experience, their contributions to game designing, and read about their work. This will help you to gain an in-depth insight into the school’s offerings and whether they are the right fit for you.
• Location and facilities: Check for colleges that provide state-of-the-art facilities. If you're planning to move to another city, make sure they provide accommodation or help you find a place to stay. It is best to live in the institute's vicinity to save time, money, and energy.

If you're looking for an authentic school to pave the way for your career path as a video game designer, you can opt for Seamedu. The institute was founded to bridge the gap between industry and academia. Our experienced faculty, state-of-the-art technology, and meticulously programmed courses will help you pursue a promising game design career.

While the information listed here is research-based with the best attempts to keep it accurate and reliable, the actuals may vary according to the course curriculum, facility location, an individual’s specialisation and experience, current industry scenario, economic conditions, and several other factors. We do not recommend or endorse any views expressed within the third-party information contained here. Employment opportunities or any included salary figures are not guaranteed.