Angry Birds---a Career??

Do you think you'd like to work with a company that makes video games? It can be done.

Consider what has to happen before that game is in your hands:

What kind of game is it?

A goth race-to-escape kind of game?

Something more in the line of saving a princess?

A children's video game?

• First, someone has to imagine the game---what is the goal, what are the rules, how difficult is it going to be, how do you 'outsmart' it?

• Engineers create the software, working out any bugs
• Graphics for the game are drawn: characters, obstacles, actions, settings
• Music and sound effects are added
• Instructions have to be clear and easy to follow in order to play the game
• A copyright or patent has to be requested so no one else can claim he or she created the same game
• The game has to be packaged
• The game has to be marketed: who is your target audience, in other words: who do you think will want to play the game? How do you get them to buy it?
• How much will it cost?
• How will the game be sold? Online, in stores, or both? Who will sell it?
• Manufacturers also hire people to test the game, looking for pros and cons for customers
• How will you update the game so that people want to buy the newest version?
• Can people buy add-ons for the game?

                    Sound effects and music are added to the game with the right timing

The people who have these jobs will need degrees in the following fields:

• Computer Science
• Engineering, specifically electrical engineering or computer engineering
• Finance and Accounting
• Human Resources
• Computer-Aided Design
• Law
• Marketing

                  Designers switch back and forth between completed and early stages of graphics


Many video game manufacturers are based in California, or even in other countries. Here are some websites for video game companies that have careers listed. You can check them out and see what degrees they are looking for:

Nintendo (Wii)  https://nintendo.taleo.net/careersection/10000/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en   

LucasArts (George Lucas, creator of Star Wars--the company is now owned by Disney):  http://www.lucasarts.com/  click on 'careers' at the bottom

Microsoft Game Studio (Xbox) 

http://careers.microsoft.com/careers/en/us/collegehome.aspx

nSpace--games like Toy Story 3, Heroes of Ruin, Call of Duty, and apps for smaller devices (Golf Ranger):   http://www.n-space.com/n-space.com/Games.html

 

Impress your parents and friends: Get paid to invent video games!