Designer
The traditional designer role encompasses a variety of skills. Larger companies tend to divide the tasks into more specific roles but many still employ people under the catch all title of designer.
As a designer you will be expected to generate game designs. These are formalised in a game design document which, if approved, becomes the basis for the game you are making. A game design is not simply a written idea, a classic mistake made by many would-be designers is to write a premise, an idea or a back story and think that it is a game design. In fact the designer has to create the basic mechanics of the game; this means detailing how everything in the game will work, how it will feel for the player and how it should play in as much detail as possible.
You will need creative skills to write up your idea, a wealth of knowledge about how games work and game mechanics and an ability to play test your work and revise it as needed. You will also have to be good at articulating your ideas and enthusing other people about them.
The most fun part of the job for many people is generating ideas but this is also a small part of the job. Once the design has been chosen, fully documented and is going into production you will have to implement it. The level of involvement designers have in the implementation varies from company to company. Sometimes you will be expected to write code and have a high degree of technical knowledge, sometimes you will be scripting missions using a language written by the code department and sometimes you will simply be detailing out the mechanics and giving the code department enough feedback to realise your idea.
Another aspect of design is level layout which can be vitally important depending on the type of game you are making. In a multiplayer first-person shooter for example it is important for the designer to map the layout in other types of games this may be left up to the art department.
Getting a Designer Job
You will need a portfolio or website detailing your experience in design. Example work that can usefully be used to show off your skills includes writing, designing board games, scripting simple missions, building game environments and creating your own game. Sending prospective game design documents is a bad idea unless you are specifically asked to do so.
If you have no experience then do some work for a modification team. Ideally you will be able to present your best missions or maps for potential employers to play through. Ensure that you only include work which is finished and which shows off your skills to the maximum, if in doubt then leave it out. A small range of quality examples will always create a better impression than a large range of sub-par or unfinished work.
It is common for companies to promote designers through the ranks and so a good way into this position can be the test department (this is how I got a design job). Working in test will allow you to learn the basic processes of a game developer and encourage you to think about what does and doesn´t work in games. It also helps you get round the lack of experience problem. It is important to remember even if you do get a tester job you will still need to work on those design skills in your spare time, you must be able to demonstrate an ability to generate good ideas and realise them in game.
Many universities and colleges now offer game design courses, while most designers have a degree of some sort it is not necessary to have a game design degree in order to get a designer job. In my experience game design degrees do not prepare you adequately for working in a design department and you would be better off doing a computing degree, working in test or gaining experience through making something yourself.
Useful Links for Designers
[Home ] [About] [Contact] [Site Map]