How to Become a Video Game Designer

Becoming a video game designer isn't something you can speedrun. But accumulating the right skills, knowledge and experience can set you on the right path.

From building a pause-worthy portfolio to networking with industry professionals, it can take time and intentionality to forge a career in game design.

What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Game Designer?

The role of video game designer requires "considerable preparation," according to O*Net OnLine.

The 3 main components are skills, education and extracurriculars.

What Skills Do You Have to Have to Be a Game Designer?

If you want to become a game designer, foundations in all aspects of game development are important. That includes game art and game programming, according to Brandon Crose, an assistant professor of game design and coordinator of game and interactive technologies at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

Crose, who is a creative professional, educator and lifelong gamer, noted that because the field is so cross-disciplinary, game design often involves:

• Analysis
• Math
• Public speaking
• Reading
• Writing

But the skills beneficial to game design aren't limited to that, either. Crose said some game designers focus on business areas, such as management and marketing.

Soft skills related to communication, teamwork, feedback and project management are also key, according to Crose. Game designers are responsible for seeing a game through from start to finish — and that can mean working with a lot of different people.

Although a good background in the arts or math is helpful to video game design students, Ed Brillant, an instructor and chair of game art at SNHU, said there is no substitute for hard work.

“The number one thing any game student needs, whether it's game art or programming, is a strong work ethic,” Brillant said. “Making games is incredibly hard work, and it takes a lot of dedication and passion to push through projects.”

In addition to more than a decade of experience in the 3D industry, Brillant's portfolio includes published games for the iPhone, iPad, PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

What Kind of Degree Do You Need for Game Design?

The education needed for video game design often begins with earning a degree in game design and development.

This type of program will likely ask you to choose a concentration in one of the primary aspects of game development:

• Game Art: Artists pursuing a game development career need to blend technical design skills and a strong artistic sensibility. Traditional art skills are not mandatory, according to Brillant, but he said they can help you transition into the digital space.
• Game Design: Taking courses in worldbuilding and interactive storytelling, game designers help guide a project through the development process. They're often responsible for defining the concept and intended experience of a game.
• Game Programming: After completing foundational programming courses that support a video game's mechanics, programming students move on to topics like algorithms, artificial intelligence for games and game engine development.

At the end of a bachelor's program in game design and development, you may have the chance to simulate the game development process with project-based studio courses. At SNHU, these courses bring students from each gaming concentration together to create a video game as a team.

If your schedule allows, you can also choose to take elective courses in areas such as creative writing or business. Depending on your interests, you might consider working with your academic advisor to declare a minor to diversify your degree.

Read more: Major vs. Minor vs. Concentration: What’s the Difference?

What Extracurriculars Are Helpful for Game Designers?

Completing coursework is only a piece of the puzzle for new graduates looking for game design jobs.

Brillant said game design students must build a portfolio. The world of video game design jobs is very competitive and candidates need to clearly set themselves apart.

“We tell our students they should always be working on projects outside of what they are working on in class, as well as participating in game jams and hack-a-thons every semester,” he said. “This work can become published titles for students before graduation, helping them build an amazing portfolio and resume.”

Brillant said that a good portfolio should show some versatility, but demonstrate deep expertise in a specific area.

“Most definitely have something in your portfolio that is above and beyond everything else. You should be able to specialize in one area and be able to confidently navigate other areas in your field. You don’t want to be a jack of all trades and master of none,” he said. “Work hard and always create new art, projects and games.”

Brillant said networking is necessary for new game designers — and you can start making industry connections well before you graduate.

Attending gaming conventions is one way to start building your network.

"If you can afford to attend a major industry gathering like the Game Developers Conference or PAX, that is an excellent way to network with industry professionals as well as fellow aspiring game developers," Crose said.

Video Game Design Jobs

Some of the job roles or titles you might have with a background in video game design, according to O*Net OnLine, include:

• Design Director
• Gamemaster
• Game Designer
• Level Designer
• World Designer

If there's a role in game design that most interests you, know that you might have to work up to it, given how competitive the industry can be.

"Be open to starting out anywhere in the game industry," Crose said. "QA (Quality Assurance) is an excellent foot in the door, but game studios also need interns, administrative assistants, community managers (and more)."

What you might not realize is that the knowledge and skills needed for game design also translate well to other industries and job roles.

“One of the things that helps us stand out is that while students are learning game programming or game art, they are building a core set of skills that translate to many other industries other than games,” Brillant said. He noted that graduates have gone on to work in a variety of technical industries in addition to game design.

Examples of other job titles for game designers, according to Crose, include:

• Educators (Note: A master's degree may be required to teach)
• Instructional Designers
• Product and Project Managers
• Technical Writers
• User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Designers

Technical experience built in game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine, for example, have applications beyond the gaming industry — including in other types of media, architecture and defense, Crose said.

Will AI Replace Game Designers?

Not according to Max Callahan, an associate dean of game design and development at SNHU.

There's no question that artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay, though, he said. And he noted that it's already used in many areas of game development.

Like many other industries, game design is evolving.

While creating a new bachelor's in game design and development program at SNHU, Callahan said internal and external subject matter experts worked together to identify what the gaming industry is looking for right now, what tools are being used and how they are being used. That includes AI.

"We really designed this program to give students a value proposition that will survive even as AI becomes more heavily used in the industry," Callahan said. "It's going to be a tool that students will need to learn how to use, but it won't replace the creative process and the collaboration ... between humans."

Rebecca LeBoeuf Blanchette '18 '22G is a writer at Southern New Hampshire University, where she fulfills her love of learning daily through conversations with professionals across a range of fields. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing at SNHU’s campus in Manchester, New Hampshire, and followed her love of storytelling into the online Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing at SNHU. Connect with her on LinkedIn.