Experts in the field of computer games say that in 2021 the number of gamers in the world has reached 2 billion. Such an increase in the past couple of years has been observed due to the pandemic.
Even those who were previously indifferent to video games, during the period of imprisonment at home, tried this kind of leisure in order to somehow have fun. And many people liked it. There are many more ardent fans of computer and mobile games.
So, gaming today is a promising area, like the professions that are included in it. One of the most popular specialties in our time is a game designer.
The name of the profession is not known to everyone today, since it arose not so long ago. But very quickly it became popular and in demand. For those who are not familiar with the newfangled specialty and anyone who wants to devote themselves to this type of activity in the future, it will be useful to find out what it is, what tasks a game designer has and whether his work is well paid.
The initial stage in the creation of a computer game is the creation of an idea, followed by the construction of the game world. This is what a game designer does. He thinks over the rules according to which the heroes of the game will act and its world will be built. According to this scheme, the characters create the beginning of the game, the ending and give the player options for actions to choose from, which can somehow change the plot.
In order not to fall into the category of people who confuse the profession of a game designer with game art or programming, let’s understand its features in more detail.
Tasks and functions of the game designer
The main responsibility of a specialist is to design the gaming experience. This means that he must create a complete structure of the game and set the emotions for each player, which they will experience in different situations. To obtain these services, a game designer for hire is required through a dedicated recruiting agency or IT recruiting company.
If you have noticed, the work of such a specialist is a bit like the profession of a filmmaker. Another important responsibility of the playful designer is managing the production of the game. Here, the functions are already similar to the tasks of the product manager.
The profession of a game designer is a broad concept. To make it easier to understand its essence and hire a specialist who owns a particular skill, the specialty was divided into levels:
- maintenance of game content is the responsibility of mechanics;
- the narrative and the worlds of the game are the functions of the specialists in charge of the “where to play?” part;
- the development of interfaces is the responsibility of the employees who are responsible for the “how to play?” part;
- content is supported by individuals whose responsibilities are structured around the “what to play?” task.
But this is not all the specialists who have entered the category of “Gamedesigners”. It also includes level designers, monetization specialists, balancers, analysts, prototypes, and onboarding people.
How to become a game designer?
To obtain a diploma in a specialty, you must complete training in a specialized educational institution, for example, the University of Economics or the Institute of Design and Business. There are universities all over the world that teach this profession. There are about one hundred fifty of them in the USA.
In addition to higher education, you can also get the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the duties of a game designer on the Internet. There are many different online courses offered on the web today.
Although the specialty has one important nuance: you can fully master it only in the process of creating games.
So, for a company that decides to hire a new employee for a temporary or permanent place in its team, it is better to pay attention not to diplomas and certificates, but to experience, portfolio and examples of work.
Specialized companies and recruiting agencies will help you find a 3d modeler for hire with work experience and positive feedback from employers.