Do you need to be able to draw to be a game designer. I can draw pretty good, not amazing though. I did not go to school for game design, I went for something else, but I am probably going back to get my degree in game design or at least a certificate. I am 23 and really want to get into this field. Also, I have read about some of the programs that are used in game design such as Photoshop, Painter, Deep Paint and vector based applications like Xara and Illustrator. Are these programs correct, if not are there different one's that are better or one's that go good with these. Thanks

Um... no.

You need to be able to do something in the game development process other than design though, unless you're independently wealthy or have a *really* awesome idea.

Program
Artwork
Level Creation
Database

If you can't, then nobody is going to help you (i.e. do all the work for you)

Depends what you mean by "Game Designer". Studios employ game designers for a variety of tasks - creating levels and campaigns mostly, but also for writing plotlines etc.

Basically I am interested in character design, level design, etc. Things along that line.

Perhaps you may want to look into a business degree. Not only with that help in other areas, but those roles typically fall to designers and artists, but producers and business executives are very influential in that process as well, without actually having to do the drawing or level creation.

So, basically having people and leadership skills are a plus in this business. I may be young (23), but I believe I have those skills that are learned when getting a business degree. (My friend got a business degree and he say's it's a lot of management skills). Right now I am a manager for a large retailer which gives me the responsibility over the whole store (not a store manager, but have around 100 people I have to manage). So, I hope this is a plus.

Ideally, a producer (or development manager) would have some kind of background in the many areas of game development in order to better manage his employees: art, programming, design, etc.

Go to the Game Developer's Conference, various Game Summits, and conventions to try to network. A people-person manager should have the skills to network.

Have you looked at the game design forum FAQ? There's some good information and a few good articles linked there.

Generally you'll want a reasonably wide skill base - it's good (but not essential) to know a little bit about everything involved in games production. This doesnt mean you have to be an ace programmer with awesome graphics skills, and three degrees in musical composition or anything, but it's advisable to know enough to be able to effectively communicate with those specialising in certain areas.

If you have the time/will to learn, it can never hurt to know a few more tools, so go ahead and learn photoshop, or whatever else you feel might be helpful.

If you're aiming for a job in the industry, it can help if you've previously worked on mods of existing games, so thats always something to keep in mind.

This thread had a similar question, so the answers to it may also be of use to you.

No, you don't need to be able to draw but it helps. In many development companies there can be a lot of cross over. Artists design levels and designers do concept art - it varies from company to company so before applying for a position you should check the job description.

You might want to check out the following two articles as well ...
How do I get a job as a game designer?
Job Description - Game designer.

Good luck with your quest.

Wow, thanks for all the great input guys. I am very interested in this field and it's good to know that these forums are a great place to get information.

Thanks