Viewing Thread:
"How to become a UK Game Designer?"

Hi I am Eseer and I want to be a game designer.

(Relates to Sony PS1-2-3 by.... umm if you want to design a PS3 game one day?)

I have rougth but not so sure ideas of how to become a game designer while living in the United Kingdom.

1- Create a Computer game at home and take it to a company.

2-

Do a
ICT Foundation Course (1 year)

and then a

ICT Intermediate Courses (1 Year)

to get the grades to do a

BTEC National Diploma for IT Practitioners Course.(2 Years) (software)

After passing with good grades apply at a University for a

Game Design Course.(3 Years)

After you come out of this course you should be ready to be employed.

Please reply if you agree, disagree or know of a diffrent way.

By Eseer

To be a programmer it's C/C++ all the way.

The game designer job does exist but you need to work up to it. Publishers just wouldn't trust any development team with a game designed by an unexperienced designer.

I wouldn't worry about jobs until i had a degree if i were you. The games industry is a place for people with 2:1 degrees and experience.

There's no point in worrying about companies to work for either. The new consoles will see plenty of companies go under before you finish uni.

Afterreading bonus's message I understand I know NOTHING about working or job titles in the game industry.

So i got some questions:

What is the best game career job for the most say of the games design?
(Story, Character Design, Level Design ect;)

Also what Game Designer career job do you people think is the best and why?

What game company do you all think is the best to work for and why?

So what programing languages do you need to beome a game programer?
C plus plus? (The pluss key is screwed up on my keyboard.)

Thanks Bonus

Eseer Yonnos Sllim wrote:
> after a Game Design course it might still be very slim to get into a game
> company as a Game Designer and I would most likely have to be a low
> level programmer then work my way up to become a Designer?

Best place to start would be as a level/mission designer. Both jobs require very high level programming, usually in the chosen scripting language for the project. But it's definately an entry level job. You neve start in "any" industry as a manager, except reatil. No expereince means few responsibilities.

> I always figured that after a Uni (3 Year) Game Design Course I would
> instantly be employed and help work on a game. So is it that after
> this course I may just be a simple programmer with no say in a game
> what so ever?

Well, yes you could be, I got my first job 3 weeks after my last exam, but as a graduate programmer, which is an entry level, as low as you can get position. Time to start earning a reputation and working my way up.

> I guess what I'm asking from anyone who has already got or knows
> anybody who has a job in a game design company is:

There are no such thing as game design companies, there are developers and publishers.

> When I finish my (3 Year) Game Design Course in Lincoln University,
> (UK) how would I become a Game Designer? (Finding a job
> wise/applying?)

Make a website, have a good portfolio and demos and start sending CVs to every game company you would like to work for.

> Is there any way at all to make sure you only work on RPG games?

Start your own company. Do you really want to "work" in the industry or just make your own pet projects. Sound slike you need a reality check. Being a designer might mean you have to figure out how a pool game should work. Do you really know what a game designer actually does? Sounds like you should go to amazon and buy a game design textbook, and a good one at that. Have a look at gamedev.net for some sound advice too.

> No matter what I become from programmer upwards what will be my
> minimum salary?

That depends on location etc. etc. but it'll probably be between 16 and 20k per annum.

> Would It help to be employed as a game designer by being able to
> speak and read japanese?

No, not unless you want to work in Japan. I did a year and a half of Japanese at uni, didn't count for anything to me getting a job in Scotland.

> (NOTE: It may sound like I'm bad mouthing Game Programming but I
> don't mean to.)

Sounds like you don't really know what's involved in the games industry to be honest.

www.gamedev.net
www.gamasutra.com

Go there, start reading.

First of all I hope I win a game through game day LOL

I may have read wrong but from what I read it sounds like, after a Game Design course it might still be very slim to get into a game company as a Game Designer and I would most likely have to be a low level programmer then work my way up to become a Designer?

I always figured that after a Uni (3 Year) Game Design Course I would instantly be employed and help work on a game. So is it that after this course I may just be a simple programmer with no say in a game what so ever?

I guess what I'm asking from anyone who has already got or knows anybody who has a job in a game design company is:

When I finish my (3 Year) Game Design Course in Lincoln University, (UK) how would I become a Game Designer? (Finding a job wise/applying?)

Is there any way at all to make sure you only work on RPG games?

No matter what I become from programmer upwards what will be my minimum salary?

Would It help to be employed as a game designer by being able to speak and read japanese?

(NOTE: It may sound like I'm bad mouthing Game Programming but I don't mean to.)

BY Eseer

Icarus is going to work at Sony Soho I believe.

EA is based near London somewhere.

A guy I know moved from them to Sony Soho though, apparently he likes working there a lot better. But again, I'm talking about programmers I know in the industry, not any other job :).

I am a big fan of Ubisoft.
They've made some top-quality games recently, which were original, exciting and innovative. More power to them.

Yea, don't forget prince of persia 1 and 2...the third will be great. I can't wait for it actually.

Buy more Ubisoft games then.

Although they make the occasional slip-up Ubisoft are very consistant at making intricate, intelligent and fun games whilst churning them out year after year.

And they've started moving into sports in retalliation to EA's share offensive.

More power to the Ubi!