Design Schools - Jobs in Video Game Design

You may find it hard to believe but playing video games can be the first step to a career. Thousands of workers who develop video games say their passion for playing video game is what drove them to their career. "I've always loved games", say Hugh Riley, a game artist. "Making them is a dream come true.

A love of games in an advantage in an industry whos stock and trade is fun and fantasy. But game development jobs also require serious skills. Only highly qualified people find jobs.

There are video games for every taste: sports, action, adventure, strategy, simulation, and education. Games are made for personal computers, consoles, arcade and Internet. Game even add excitement to some retail websites and electronic organizers.

Demand for video games is rising, and the industry is growing. Sale of video games accounted for more than $6 billion last year, according to NPD Interactive Entertainment Service, a market research group based in New York. More than 19,000 new games were showcased at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. And according to the Coopers and Lybrand study for the Interactive Software Developers Association, employment in the average development company grew by more than 18% between 1997 and 1998, with 50,000 people working in video game development in 1998.

Most games are developed in small studios and then shipped to publishers who advertise and distribute them. This article describes the developments stage for a video game from concept to completion. Keep reading to find out about different development occupations, some of the advantages and disadvantages of development careers, and how to get started in the industry.

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