Games Designer
Careers Explorer:
Use your imagination to create new computer games.
Overview
You’ll need to be a passionate gamer with a vivid imagination to succeed in the competitive gaming design industry.
The Games Designers are the epicentre centre of creativity, building virtual worlds and bringing ideas to life. You may work on a design that you’ve come up with yourself or from a pre-approved idea, such as a game based upon a film.
You’ll be building prototypes, creating interactive narration and developing the game’s mechanics. You’ll need to design systems that are easily maintainable, expandable and crucially, capture the imagination of the user.
Games are available across a variety of formats and platforms, including mobile, virtual and augmented reality, console and PC, and you’ll need to use a broad range of technical and creative skills to imagine, test and develop your ideas.
Team work is key, as you’ll be working alongside a multidisciplinary team including Games Developers, Programmers and Animators.
Top 5 Tasks
- Conduct market research to understand what your target audience wants
- Use your creative talents to design games for a range of devices and platforms
- Consider, plan and detail every element of a new game
- Present your ideas to development teams
- Write scripts and design storyboards.
Salary
Salaries for entry-level positions are around £18,000 while the average salary for Games Designers are around £30,000. Those at the top of their game can earn up to £65,000.
Am I Suited?
- Passionate gamer
- Technically-minded
- Creative
- Team player
- Analytical-thinker
With the increased popularity of mobile and tablet gaming, the games industry is in a strong position, with virtual reality gaming currently the largest area for growth.
Qualifications
You don’t necessarily need a degree or HND to become a Game Designer as employers are usually more interested in your experience and games knowledge. However, a degree in a related subject such as Computer Games Design, mathematics or Computer Science would be beneficial.
Competition in this industry is fierce and you’ll need relevant experience and an online portfolio of your own game ideas to showcase your games design skills and experience.
Progression
