Video game careers you can brag about to your friends and family!
If you love games, chances are you’ve fantasized about getting a job in the video game industry. But what exactly are the kinds of video game-related jobs you can pursue? Jobs you can brag about to everyone from your friends to your parents, and that can earn you loads of money?
In this article, we discuss the 8 Awesome Video Game Careers That May Interest You. Some of these you might already know, while some may surprise you. Whatever the case, just remember: the opportunities are endless in the video game industry.
1. Visual artist
Without artists, your game will be nothing but lines of code, or ideas on a scrap of paper.
Video game artists give games their look, sound, and feel. Some artists are also responsible for marketing the game by working on the box art, and promotional material such as wallpapers and commercials.
But what kind of artist do you want to be? In the CG industry, there are several art-centric video game careers to choose from!
First, there's the concept artist, whose job is to provide prototype sketches, images, storyboards, and even sculptures that will form the basis of the appearance of the various elements in the game. They're part of an important process called pre-production.
You can be a 3D modeler, whose job is to create 3D assets such as characters, environments, and other things you see and/or interact with in the game. Modelers also “rig” characters, which is basically the process of giving them “skeletons” that allow them to be animated by 3D animators. Animators, of course, are also responsible for all the motion you see on the screen – from characters walking down a street to a car crashing into a building.
You’ve also got texture artists who use software such as Photoshop to give color and detail to the 3D assets, and those who digitally paint backgrounds. Then there are the special effects experts who create things such as virtual explosions, smoke, fire, rain, tidal waves, etc. Additionally, the video game industry is in need of video editors and cinematic artists to work on those cut scenes and trailers.
As the artist works their way up the company, they can end up landing a supervisory or even a directorial role. The video game artist, in all its forms, is one of the most in demand professions right now, whichever corner of the game industry you find yourself in.
Artists can make up to $75,000 a year.
2. Game designer
The game designer constructs the game’s creative elements from scratch, from the plot to the gameplay. Without the game designer, there would be no game. So you can think of them as the ones responsible for giving the game its soul.
Like the video game artist, there are several types of game designers. You’ve got the content designer, whose job is to create the game’s story and populate it with interesting characters, settings, and histories. The level designer is the one who builds the environments the players, as the characters, will interact with in-game. Other things these designers will have to take into consideration are the gameplay features. For example, the kind of power-ups that the game’s main character can use, how high he can jump, and the dimensions of his hit box, as well as the hit boxes of his enemies.
You’ve also got the writer, who develops the script. He’s also in charge of writing in-game item descriptions and other necessary text. And then, of course, there’s the lead designer, who’s basically the head honcho of the entire team of designers.
As you can imagine, all these people need to have a united front if their game is to ever get out of the door, so they all have to work closely with one another.
Aspiring game designers would benefit from getting formally educated about computer science. Many modern universities also offer game design and development courses. As for those who wish to write for games, you’ll get far with a bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, or other related courses.
A job in game design can earn one over $75,000 annually, making it one of the most profitable video game careers.
3. Programmer
Computer programmers are the masters of the technical side of video games.
Using various computer languages, they write thousands upon thousands of lines of code. These are basically the instructions that tell the game how it’s supposed to function.
How well (or how badly) the game’s artificial intelligence behaves depends on the skill of the artificial intelligence programmers. Thanks to advances in A.I. technology, we can now have in-game enemies and characters who behave realistically given specific circumstances. Similarly, the physics programmer ensures the virtual world behaves like the real world. Thanks to them, cars don’t go flying into the moon if your avatar accidentally bumps into them, and 3D apples fall to the ground should they be dropped. Graphics programmers develop the 3D and/or 2D graphics for the game. Network programmers allow online interactions and multiplay between players.
Don’t forget the programmers who built the user interface, and those programmers who develop the tools that makes the process of developing games easier for the whole team. And the person in charge of the whole gang? That’s the lead programmer, who makes sure everyone’s on point.
Computer scientists and engineers make a load of money – more than $90,000 annually. It’s why a lot of people choose this route for their video game careers.
4. Composer / audio designer
Oh, what a boring, lifeless existence this would be without music.
Thing is, we can say the same about games. Without music, things are just a little less exciting. There’s nothing like a booming, orchestral crescendo to deliver the gravity of a huge space battle into the comforts of your own room… or the staccato tinkling of a piano to remind you that somewhere in the mansion, there’s an evil force lurking in the darkness, just waiting for you to deliver yourself into its arms.
Today’s games boast some of the greatest music ever composed, and we have no one else to thank but the talented composers behind them. The reason video game music is so memorable is because they often capture the essence of humanity’s highest ideals, from valor to sacrifice. And those that don’t attempt to express such lofty messages simply make sure you have a damn good time.
But music isn’t the only way to go when it comes to video game careers. Audio engineers and audio designers also create a variety of sounds for games, from sound effects (explosions, death cries, etc.) to the bleeps, bloops, and other pleasant noises you hear every time you open the menu.
Audio engineers and designers must know how to use various software sound editing and mixing software. They can earn up to $81,000 per year.
5. Actor
A career in voice acting leaves you with a lot of options, and roles in video games just so happen to be some of the most lucrative jobs you can land. Who hasn’t heard of these amazing voice actors such as Nolan North, Jennifer Hale, and Troy Baker?
Aside from lending your voice to games, there’s another type of actor who can find work in the game industry. Ever wondered why modern titles feature 3D characters that move so believably? You can thank motion-capture artists for that. These performers provide the physical motions which CG animators then use to make the 3D characters move more realistically.
Today, it’s not uncommon for the voice actor to do the motion capture performance, as well. So that’s double the duty for you if you’re the one playing a role in a game. Hey, you know what that means: more pay, more exposure!
Two of the most exciting video game careers you can have today.
6. Video game tester
Want to get paid for playing games? Of all the video game careers, the video game tester should be the one most suited for you.
But just because you’re gaming all day doesn’t mean you can slack off. Video game testing is serious business. It’s basically a quality assurance job – so you play games to see the areas where they need improvement. You play games to discover its flaws.
Video game testers don’t limit themselves to finding game-breaking bugs and minor yet annoying glitches. They also have to be able to communicate when they think the gamplay isn’t as good as it’s supposed to be. Is the level design too bland? Is a particular quest too boring? Is a specific ability too powerful or too weak?
As you can guess, being a video game tester entails seeing a game at its worst. So you might not even enjoy it as it’s supposed to be enjoyed. So if you think it’s an easy, relaxing job, think again; the job of a video game tester is real, professional work, and it has all the pros and cons of any other real job.
Video game testers earn an annual income of between $18,000 and $55,000.
7. Game journalist
Hey, you heard the latest news about League of Legends? They’re nerfing your favorite character! Read that Fallout 4 review? Everyone’s raving about how awesome it is!
Without video game news, you’ll never know what’s happening in the video game industry. Without video game reviews, you could end up wasting precious, hard-earned money on terrible games. So we should all thank video game journalists for disseminating information about your favorite entertainment medium. Without them, we’d all be groping around in the dark!
The responsibilities of video game journalists are manifold. They attend and cover special events, such as BlizzCon, the Tokyo Game Show, E3, and eSports events. They bring you the latest facts about video games, video game developers, and the video game industry as a whole. They review popular and obscure titles, and sometimes share their opinions about a variety of game-related issues. They interview important personalities in the industry, such as game directors, voice actors, and writers.
Some like to freelance and become bloggers or video bloggers. This is the more difficult approach, as you’ll have to work a little harder to get noticed. You’ll have to be aggressive in your self-promotion. You’ll have to be active in social media. If you’re lucky, you’ll accrue a readership/viewership, and get the attention of important people in the industry, such as game website editors and even the game studios themselves, who will then offer to use your work. Or companies will pay you to advertise their products on your page. Simply put, the larger your following, the better your opportunities.
It’s one of those video game careers that are increasingly becoming more competitive. So, as video games become more popular, expect the demand for video game journalists to rise.
8. eSports athlete / coach / commentator
eSports is getting huge. As in really, really huge. There are now hundreds of teams worldwide gaming competitively. And we can’t blame the eSports aspirants – organizations are giving away prizes in the thousands and even millions of dollars. Companies are paying teams to promote their brands. Famous players appear in commercials and special events. So yes, the life of a professional eSports athlete can be quite profitable.
To become an eSports athlete, however, you’ll need to work hard and dedicate yourself to your game. This means hundreds of hours of practice every month. It means developing strategy, team work, critical thinking, and the ability to quickly adapt to constantly changing situations. In other words, you will basically be eating, drinking, and sleeping your chosen game. So if you don’t have what it takes to be a professional, don’t even think about entering the eSports scene – because the competition is brutal.
But there are other video game careers in eSports. If you know the game incredibly well, you can be a commentator. If you’re an ex-athlete, you can also be a coach and train the next generation of players.
As big as eSports is right now, it’s getting even bigger. So expect more and more job opportunities in the arena of eSports in the coming years!
So those are the 8 Awesome Video Game Careers That May Interest You. Feel we left something out? Share your opinions with us in the comments section below!
You might also be interested in the following articles:
How to Become a Video Game Tester in 8 Steps
How to Become a Pro Gamer in Less Than 2 Years
10 Interesting Gaming Industry Facts You Probably Didn't Know About
5 Really Cool Women in the Gaming Industry
Top 15 eSports Teams in the World
Esports: 11 Interesting Facts about the Rapidly Growing Industry
