I am investigating video game design to find a job that I can write a good CV and letter of application for.
As I have researched, in video game design there are about 8 main categories of jobs: Concept/storyboard artists; character artists & animators; level designers; texture artists; programmers; interface designers; sound/audio; professional testers.
Concept/storyboard artists - do initial sketches and paintings of characters, levels, vehicles and other elements of the game. Character artists and level designers often do this role as well as their main role.
Character artists & animators - work with 3D programs (Maya, 3DS Max) to produce the characters and objects that make up the games.
Level designers - designs sections of the game, creating the game environment.
Texture artists - give skins to levels and characters. They map realistic textures and designs onto the game elements.
Programmers - work on the video game engine. They make the game work when you play it. C++ is the main programming language for most game programming.
Interface designers - make the menus, HUDs and buttons etc.
Sound / audio - work on the soundtrack and sound effects in the game.
Professional testers - put long hours into playing video games, finding bugs and problems, taking paths that might usually be strange to investigate all parts.
I am most interested in character design and animation, or level design, maybe programming.
"To pursue a career in video game character design, advanced technical training in graphic design and computer animation is needed. There are degree programs available in colleges, universities and vocational schools across the country. In these you can learn how to use state-of-the-art computer software and hardware, to create full video games. This will include learning to use basic language like C++, and also design programs like Maya or 3DS MAX.
A video game design course will include technical training in most areas of video game design.
Through an education in game design you will have portfolios to display to potential employers.
An environment design artist for a video game is similar to a set designer in a movie industry, so they have to know what objects to use in which settings etc. They need to make their environments adjustable to fit changing moods, times and storylines, working with all parts of the team.
They will also use software like Maya, 3DS MAX or Softimage XSI, but also Photoshop for some texture work.
For a career in video game programming, you need to know about video game design and video game programming, in-depth about either -
Visual Basic - high level, quite easy, good for turn-based games, handles graphics and processing
Java - good at handling motion, and handling distributed processing over the Internet, quite easy, becoming more popular for interactive games
C++ - handles most things, objects and graphics, processor based, steep learning curve, experience counts. Microsoft Visual Studio's C++ compiler/debugger is most used.
MEL. - Maya scripting language.
C++ is the most important. Many programmers work with all of them."
From this further information I am more interested in the character design and animation; the comparison between set design and environment design has shown me I probably wouldn't be as good at that as other things. Scripting seems difficult and maybe boring, especially with the steep learning curve for C++.
