Skip to Content
 

Looking for a job as a game designer

12 replies [Last post]
Fri, 03/19/2004 - 09:41
Anonymous

Hello everybody,

I'm looking for a job as a game designer. Does anyone has an idea?

Kindly regards

Pitrak

Top
Fri, 03/19/2004 - 10:55
#1
FastLearner
Offline
Joined: 12/31/1969
Looking for a job as a game designer

Do you mean a designer of board games and cards games -- physical games made from cardboard and paper and such -- or do you mean video games?

Top
Fri, 03/19/2004 - 11:37
#2
phpbbadmin
Offline
Joined: 04/23/2013
Re: Lookinf for a job as a game designer

Pitrak wrote:
Hello everybody,

I'm looking for a job as a game designer. Does anyone has an idea?

Kindly regards

Pitrak

Me too. If you find one, come back here and let us know how you did it.

-Michael

Top
Fri, 03/19/2004 - 17:41
#3
DavemanUK
Offline
Joined: 12/31/1969
the long or short path....

well...we all know the answer to that is longer than Tolstoy's 'War and Peace', however I suggest either of the following:

1) read lots of web-articles on games theory/design, make lots of games/designs and show them to friends/family/web-forums, play lots of established games and analyse their mechanics/design, read some more articles, make games for entering competitions to 'learn the ropes' of professional design/rules writing, read more, talk more (join the scheduled chat rooms here), build up a portfolio of your finished games (how they fared in competitions/blind-testing/etc.)......

or,

2) sleep with a publisher

Hope that helps :)
Dave W.

Top
Sun, 03/21/2004 - 06:41
#4
Nazhuret
Offline
Joined: 12/31/1969
Looking for a job as a game designer

on a similar note i'm looking for a job that allows me to sit around playing board and rp games, working on my train layout and playing video games while recieving thousand dollar checks every week....

did i mention the prestige, fame and nightly talk show slots? and the cases of booze and cars and what have you?

ok.... sorry... that was a jerky thing to respond with to a first time poster.....

let me HONESTLY say this....
PITRAK, hello... welcome... we all (to somewhat of an extent) share this dream that you have stated. even if you are thinking VG (if so this is probably not the *best* place to get ideas, though it sure as hell isn't the worst) and not board games then i wish you sincere luck in anythying you hope to accomplish.

it's a hell of a thing to try to do... on any playing field.. self publishing... selling to a company... man, even putting it up there for free on the web....
as far as i personally see it.. it's got to be about the love of the game or it's just not worth it...

having said that and on a final note: my spelling might not be the best at this particualar moment during the night but i meant what i said and i said what i meant... an elephant's faithful one hundred percent... AND i'm glad to see you aboard.

here's to future collaborations... :D

Top
Sat, 04/17/2004 - 16:28
#5
Anonymous
Game designing job

There is only two real ways to get a game designing job...

1) Have an iirefutable college degree in design/art classes. I'm talking like 6 yeas of college, because if you don't...game designers are probably already overflowed with wanna-b's

2) Make a hit game that goes international quickly and lasts for ten years without going down in sales...and if you manage to do all that, maybe just maybe someone will hirer you with a low budget. Most games are designed by people who send them in to publishers. While there are some companies (come to mind Parker Brothers) that do have game designers, most companies can not afford to have printing material and game designers who just sit around trying to think shit up...so your best bet is to design your own game and send it into a publisher, which is how most games come to be...not really any such thing as a professional game designer

Top
Sun, 04/18/2004 - 17:02
#6
Anonymous
Looking for a job as a game designer

"1) Have an iirefutable college degree in design/art classes."

Really?

Then tell everyone you know I graduated Rutgers in Fine Art with a 4.0, Athenaeum Honors, and a painting award...

I know it ain't helping me too much.

Talent, on the other hand... THAT is "irrefutable"...

Trust me, I know plenty of people who look good on paper but couldn't figure out how to wipe their @ss with it! :)

Andrew

Top
Sun, 04/18/2004 - 20:23
#7
Anonymous
Looking for a job as a game designer

You raise a good point my friend, lol

Top
Sun, 04/18/2004 - 20:46
#8
Anonymous
Looking for a job as a game designer

hee hee...

I hope my post doesn't come off the wrong way, it sounds a little rude, but is not meant to be.

Top
Tue, 04/20/2004 - 23:03
#9
Anonymous
Looking for a job as a game designer

Man, screw the red tape mumbo-jumbo and start your own company dedicated to creating the games you have designed. I've just gained interest into this game design scene, so my above statement might be a bit reductionist, but doing your own thing might be the way to go.

Top
Tue, 04/20/2004 - 23:06
#10
Anonymous
Looking for a job as a game designer

Hi Gatsby,

I think that's what most people would do if money were no object!

Top
Wed, 04/21/2004 - 11:38
#11
Anonymous
Looking for a job as a game designer

Hi Turner

You're right, money is the pit full of tigers you fall into once you have hit that stumbling block. But thats where a site like this comes handy.

From reading some of the posts, it is obvious we have a common goal of making new/better games.

We live all over the world.

These facts combined allows for the sharing of wonderful resources. If i'm looking for some cheap bits, and everything I find is either too expensive or not what i'm looking for, I'll come here. This seems like the kind of place where positive input is law. Between everybody on here, I'm sure to find something i like.

If some dude in Australia can't find something for whatever reason, I'll check all my Minnesota resources to see if i can help him out.

Turner, your right, money is a pain in the ass, but thats whey we're here.

Top
Thu, 04/22/2004 - 11:17
#12
Anonymous
My insight

Well, I am a game designer. And, I can tell you how I broke into this industry.

Art.

I was a graphic artist and I owned my own business. I was approached by a Toy and Game Dev. and Manufacturing company out of Chicago. They offered me a gig, and I took it. It was sorta good fortune, and being at the right place at the right time. But. it was my art skills that got me in initially.

This industry is kinda like a club, once your in, your in. But, it's hard to get into initially. The industry is very small and everybody knows everybody. And, it is not uncommon for the same people to bounce back and forth across the core companies filling openings as they arise.

Anyway, that's one way to get in, you gotta be a talented artist. You need to know your stuff, and don't be a fan boy! It can be a major turn off to a prospective employer.

The other route to get into toy and game design is to be an Industrial Engineer. See, most big companies want features in their games. Something that will make a game more attractive to a consumer. You can't always rely on game play to sell your game. You got to be able to design these features and make them feasible to manufacture. You need to understand how manufacturing works, it makes you a better designer.

Anyway, it's been almost 4 years that I've been working in this industry, and I have since moved on to a bigger and better Toy & Game Dev & Manufacturing company in Mass. I can honestly tell you that I have the greatest job in the world. I highly recommend pursuing it.

Your Options:

1) Hone your art skills.
2) Earn a degree in Industrial Design.

Top
Syndicate content


forum | by Dr. Radut