Comments on: What sort of background do gaming companies look for when hiring game designers?

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 04:03:12 +0000

Check out employment postings on some of the larger publishing sites to see firsthand the expectations these organizations have for their staff. Generally, they target candidates with excellent communication skills and a passion for gaming. Positive attributes for game designers are going to include creativity, strong technical skills, and strong analytical skills.
Additionally, consider that these organizations are not just about fun; these are businesses that need staff who can bridge the all-too-common divide between technical experts and business management. Getting a start in such a competitive industry is going to be tough. If you do not clearly fall into the upper echelon of applicants based on an amazing industry-specific rÃ©sumÃ©, build up a mix of applicable skills (for example, a background in both business management and software development).
Also, donâ€™t forget that the work environment will be entirely different between a large shop with dozens of coders, and a small studio. Do some research: there are significant pros and cons to each.

By: razor21

razor21 — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:38:10 +0000

What are the best places to start out? Should you look for a big shop like Blizzard/Activision…or something smaller?

By: terry

terry — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 04:16:57 +0000

i think you definitely have to have a passion for gaming, because there is so much competition. if you can do the creative side of it, good ideas and artisitic talent and you also can do the technical side of knowing programming and the ability to design logical interfaces, then with persistance i think you can get into the game design career.