How to get into the games industry
The Designer
- Introduction
- The games development process
- A perspective from Eurocom
- The Project Manager
- The Producer
- The Designer
- The Artist and Animator
- The Programmer
- The Sound Designer
- The Games Tester
- In Final - links and resources
A Game Designer works on what you might call the blueprint - a detailed plan of action. This involves outlining the look and feel of the game, the number and type of characters, the gameplay and the physical environments. To do this, they need a thorough understanding of what limitations the programmers and artists have and also what sacrifices will have to be made in order to design a successful game. These ideas are communicated through various mediums, including drawings, diagrams and design documents. It's not enough simply having creative ideas for a game; you need to set realistic and achievable goals and then explain these objectives to the entire team.
If you want to be a Designer then you should play games - lots of games. Select a diverse range of games - platform games, action games, kids games, racing games - and see what separates one from another. Even if games get bad reviews and publicity, check them out. If you don't like them, work out why specifically ("because it's boring" isn't a valid answer) and ascertain how things could be improved? Some games are almost brilliant except for a tiny flaw so try and see how that could be overcome as simply as possible.
Try and look at fan-based information on the Internet. Some people have some extreme ideas that would be really hard to get published, but as stand alone ideas they can be interesting to read. The wider range of material you can look at, the better the inspiration. Also, replay games that you've already completed, try and do a scenario differently, try different methods and see if you can get a different outcome, or a least think of a different outcome that could have been implemented easily. Try to see if you could have added anything extra, but still using the game's resources. Innovative yet feasible design concepts are crucial for standing out over your competitors.
Write a design document for a game as an example of your work to send with your CV. You are not the only one on a project; you need to be able to write and communicate clearly to other members of the team. For instance, if you want a monster to attack the player in a specific way, you'll have to write a document clearly explaining how the monster will work so that a programmer can write the artificial intelligence (A.I.) code for it.
If possible, buy a game which has level design software built in - this could be very useful. Tutorials for level editing software can also be downloaded from the Internet that explain the process from a complete novice level right up to advanced editor usage. Some games don't have built in editors, but editors for these games can easily be downloaded. Also look at other people's level designs, sometimes user-designed levels can be very impressive and inspire you to think differently.
The routes leading to the position of Game Designer can be varied. Some start out as members of the QA department. Here, their understanding of the games development process is varied, and a Lead Tester will work closely with Producers, Project Managers and other team members, giving them invaluable experience both of the processes involved and the people skills required, all of which transfer fittingly to the role of the Game Designer. Demonstrating an understanding of gameplay issues and the practicalities of the hardware involved, coupled with communication skills, are key considerations for a smooth-running game design.
Ultimately, you need to be able to demonstrate your ability to clearly and inventively communicate your concepts. Equally important is the ability to see your work through to completion, for no matter how impressive your design work may be, if it doesn't represent the full scope of a game, it will fall short when it comes to selling your abilities as a Game Designer.