Hi everyone,
My name is Lachezar Zanev. Just graduated bachelor of marketing but I am more interested in doing masters in video game design than specialising in the field that I have been now. I am very interested in that type of master and eventually a career. My question is it rational to change fields so late in my education and do you think it is worth it? I would love to get all kind of opinions - even more critical.
Thank you in advance.
Many "video game design" courses have little to do with game design, instead they are programming courses with a bit of level design or character design thrown in, or they are art, modeling, or animation courses with some design pieces thrown in. Sometimes they are focused on game design from the perspective of a game designer, but they overlook the fact that "game designer" is not an entry level role.
As Hodgman asked, there are many roles available. Saying you want to be the Game Designer is somewhat akin to saying you want to be a CEO.
For an aspiring CEO they might get an MBA degree, but that won't grant them the job at the top. The degree can help give some educational background and training, and will help at job interviews, but that's about it. Similarly a program teaching only the factors of game design won't make you a game designer, but can give you some education background and training to help follow in that direction.
Many people think of Game Designer as the idea guy, the one who comes up with the awesome idea, pitches it, and works with everyone to make the vision a reality. There is a position of game designer and that does some of the things people think of, but it is a management position and a senior development role. The person is directing many tens of millions of dollars of the project, and consequently the position requires years of experience. It is not an entry level job.
There are some entry level jobs working with world design, character design, level design, and similar, but usually they are coupled with programming as script writers for levels, or coupled with art as modeling prototypical worlds. If you start in that track than maybe six or ten years later you can get the Game Designer job title, but be prepared to work for many years on a much less prestigious job description.
All the game designers I know started out in other fields, and demonstrated competence both in game development generally and in their field. As they demonstrated increasing knowledge of design they were slowly given more responsibility for design; helping design small objects, helping build levels, helping balance systems. Over time it expands to owning small object design, owning level design, and gradually after many years transitioning into a designer role.
Pretty much what frob said. The answer to your question really depends on what it is you want to do at a game dev studio.
For example, artists would benefit from a different degree than programmers/developers would. It all depends on what position(s) you are looking for.
Thank you guys for the comprehensive answers. Really appreciate that. The Idea guy sounds good but I was thinking a position more like of director-type. I have particular skills in storytelling and writing and outlining the main storyline. I've noticed that some famous game designers are coming from fields like art, film-making and other not directly related with programming and animation.
The Idea guy sounds good but I was thinking a position more like of director-type. I have particular skills in storytelling and writing and outlining the main storyline.
If you want to write the storyline for games, David Gaider wrote an excellent piece recently: https://medium.com/@davidgaider/i-want-to-write-video-games-d83da40fdf8e#.8jekzqaiy
- Ok, can somebody answer to the last question of mine? :)
Which last question? The last item I see on there is "is it worth it?" so I'll assume that's the one you mean.
Value is a highly personal question, what is worth it to one person is not worth it to another. Each person has their own unique values and goals. Each person has their unique life choices and experiences. The experience may be amazing to one person, so-so to another, and terrible for a third.
I have known many people who returned to school, or went for the first time, while they were already mid-career. Often they are going for an MBA or similar degree to augment their existing career paths and open new doors.
You have a marketing degree. You can probably use your knowledge and skills to enter a marketing role, or even better if your goal is to be a designer someday, enter as an associate or assistant producer by touting the benefits you can offer them with your marketing background. Producers generally work to link people together and make sure schedules are hit; often this includes communicating and marketing both internally and externally. Associate and assistant producers often work with external marketing companies and social media as part of their job, and a marketing degree could be helpful there. Producers work very closely with various design aspects of games, and as you gain experience you could likely transition to doing more design than production. At smaller studios it is somewhat common for someone to wear hats of both production and design.
Thank you, everyone! I am just in that period of my life where I must definitely decide what will the future be. So I am taking as much advises as I can. Appreciate it! :)
