Viewing Thread:
"Designing games!!!"

I got a new query for all you helpful gamers out there!
I enjoy designing games, well thiking of ideas and stuff, but how on earth do i get someone to look at the games i have designed? thanx to neone who knows about this!
Spike007

Iam doing a computing degree and am learning Java at the moment and will be doing visual basic this year. Also in the course we get to do computer graphics programming and other programming techniques. I hope to be a game programmer so hopefully in 3 and a half years time I will be.

Right, well, I used to really want to work in the industry, so have been to sooo many seminars on this issue....

To become a game designer straight off is very hard. The only way you can do it is by making an actual running demo of the game... and this will require very good knowledge of C/C++... which is how the guy who made "worms" get into the industry....

However, by far the best path is entering the industry as an artist or designer... unfortunately I don't know what you need for this- I was looking at being a programmer myself.

So, my advice would be to try to get a job at a local development house as a games tester- I'm asumming you're still at school. In order to find local developers, try buying a copy of EDGE magazine, and looking through the pages where developers advertise for jobs... find ones near to your, and apply for a job there...

If you don't fancy a job, just write to such developers, saying what you want to do eventually, and what you should do to get there regarding Uni qualifications...

For programming,they sent me info about the qualifiations you need (Degree in Maths, Physics or Comp Sci), and you need to be fluent in C++.

Sonic

I remember reading somewhere (probably Edge magazine) that the need for Games Designers is becoming smaller and smaller as time passes by. The reason for this is that other members of a dev team (programmers, artists, etc) are providing so much creative input, that there's really no need for games designers.

I think the game industry is like the movie industry. If your an actor you cant get seen for an audition without and agent. To get an agent you need to have worked as an actor in a play or have some previous experience. Same with the gaming industry, if you ring up a game company and tell them you have an idea they will tell you to go else where or try a different department. I remember on Bad Influnce many many years ago they tried to get an idea seen and they couldnt get anyone to look at it. I think they only use ideas from the people that work for the company.

You could do what the bloke who made Worms did, and thats make the full game. Maybe you could try ringing and emailling game companies about your ideas. Dont send the ideas with an email or discuss them over the phone, as they may say that there not interested in your ideas. And then 2 years later you could find a game that is so similar to your ideas you had, and suprise suprise its made by the company that you told your ideas to.

Good luck in trying to get your ideas seen, let us know if you have any luck.

I got a new query for all you helpful gamers out there!
I enjoy designing games, well thiking of ideas and stuff, but how on earth do i get someone to look at the games i have designed? thanx to neone who knows about this!
Spike007