skills needed to be a video game designer

video game designer career

Whether you're passionate about the game playing experience or you want to get into a popular field that lets you explore your creativity, there are many reasons to consider a career in video game design.

Companies in the gaming industry are looking for designers who have the right attitude, qualifications, and talent to bring their projects to full realization. Although these companies may have specific requirements in mind when looking at potential employees, there are certain skills you can use no matter who you work for in the future.

If you're interested in getting involved in video game design, read on to find out some of the skills you need to succeed.

1. Game Design Courses Can Help Boost Your Programming Skills

At the basic level, video games operate by using computer software which responds to commands and input from the console controllers. This software uses a specific programming language such as C#, C++, or Unity in order to bring video games to life.

A personal interest or background in programming can help you better understand how the code your game runs on affects its functionality, appearance, and user-friendliness. Game design courses can help you improve your programming skills, and guides you through the elements of creating a video game page's layout, make-up, and placement, among other areas.

2. Communication is an Important Aspect of a Video Game Design Career

Game designers must often coordinate their work with other artists, programmers, designers, and members of their team. This means that having good communication skills will be to your advantage, because you will be expected to explain your thought processes, express your ideas, and collaborate with others in order to do your job well.

game design courses Students at Oxford College can use their training to communicate effectively in their career

Communication also extends to writing—game designers may have to create quests or storylines, write a pitch document, and contribute to a project's game design document. You may also have to explain certain specifications or functions of the video game to others through email or other documents, and it's important to make sure you have strong skills in communication to help everyone in your team stay on the same page.

3. Successful Video Game Designers Stay Updated on the Industry

The video game industry is constantly evolving as it incorporates new technologies, trends, and developments to help make a better, more immersive gaming experience; think, for example, of how often you see new or updated editions of video game consoles such as Xbox, Play Station, and Nintendo. This rapid progress means it's important for game designers to be familiar with these changes, trends, and technologies in order to understand how they will affect the projects they're working on.

Staying knowledgeable and updated on what's happening in the industry can keep you one step ahead in your video game designer career. Understanding the different changes and trends helps you stay more proactive and can even help you incorporate popular trends or technology into a game's design to give it a valuable advantage in the market once it's released.

4. Creativity Can Help Video Game Designers Give and Take Feedback

Creativity is an important skill to have in video game design because it helps you create compelling and interesting stories, characters, and settings that players will enjoy and invest in.

video game design program Feedback is an important aspect of a career in video game design

Although game design is an innovative field where creative ideas can be incredibly useful, it can be difficult to find a good balance between your ideas and those of the rest of your team. This means you may encounter feedback, as well as provide it to others. While it may be hard to hear a critique about your personal work, being creative involves being open to new possibilities and ideas, and this can help you incorporate and suggest useful criticism and feedback throughout your career.

Do you want to take your career in video game design to the next level?

Contact Oxford College for more information about our video game design program.