Hi, I have a question which might be odd, but I'm curious. Is there a decent chance to start from a scratch and become a game designer. Im talking about pure game design here. Can a new guy really get in without uber assembler skills or artistic skills? I'm not really familiar with the industry, but seems that:

• If you are a programmer, c++, directX all the stuff... You have any experience in it with any background, you can go and be a junior, like a "scripting boy". Then you grow. Yet a lot of ppl will hire you
• If you are an artist, you just draw youself a portfolio, start as a "icon/button" artist then you grow. Again, ppl will hire you and you will have tons of work
• You you a little of both you can start with community level designer and end up making levels and missions for Blizzard (and I dont mean Blizzard North :) But you will move on rails of someone else game system all the time
• You have any skill and interest in business side, you can go management path...

Now, I myself can't program my way out of a 4 door room (have a degree in computer science though) , I dont really draw (yet 7 years of web development) and I wont be managing even a team of 2. But I'm really onto game design, well at least it seems so. And its not that I need a job, just a call or heart:) And I dont really know how can I try it, or even approach. Looks like first thing any ppl have is thier own Sid Meier:) So how could you get in?

I think this is probably the most common question that people have when they first think about getting a career in the games industry. Everyone wants to design games, as it seems like the most fun thing to do.

Unfortunately it is probably the most difficult to get into, due to the fact that everyone wants to do it - and there are only a few junior design positions available to the general public every year.

I'm currently working on an article on breaking into Game Design that I will try and get posted on here and gamaustra.com. I currently work in QA at Codemasters in England and have a lot of resources in terms of potential interviews with game designers, QA managers etc.

For now I would try and find something that you are good at, and work towards getting into the industry via that. Level design would probably be the easiest for you to go through and then switch over to game design once you've been in the industry for a year or so.

It is possible to get a junior design position via QA. But you have to understand that a QA team can be anything up to 200 people, and that out of those 200 people around 80% of them want to be game designers. So if 2 design secondments come up every two years, you have to compete with 160 people to get one.

Saying that - it is possible, and if you show more enthusiasm for the job and work hard then there is every chance you're one of the lucky ones.

Good luck in whatever you decide. :)

Thanks for reply, seems like unfortunately I got the situation right:)

Anyway, say, what could be a good move to get noted? Write a game spec for MMORPG which is "purely theoretical" just to show how your logic flows?

Or try blend in in a game community forums, giving hints on small things for the devs?

Maybe make a startup and build something with some other amature people in hope it will break the ice?

Yeah, yeah, I know "first of all, dont quit daytime job":)

It is not as hard as everyone seems to think it is to get into design relatively quickly but you will need somewhere to start first.

When I was working at QA for local game dev company, one of my Quality assurance co-workers (who had been working for about a year at the time) got picked up by another large local game dev company to do level design.

He had been working on a large scenario using the company's world editor when he saw the job posting. He submitted it along with resume containing a years worth of QA experience, got an interview, and got the job.

So my advice would be:

Jump into QA to get some game dev experience, and work on doing level design using freely available level design tools for specific games. That is not only a great way to get a job, but it gives you the opportunity to see if level design is what you really want to do as a career before you get stuck with it.

I was recently at a game dev lecture and the speaker said something that I think fits here:

"You don't have to get paid to be a game developer"

In context, he was talking about developing games in your spare time, getting good at it, and making sure you like it. Then when your ready, apply for a job, and let your mad-skillz speak for themselves ;)

Quote:

Original post by Nomen Nescio Anyway, say, what could be a good move to get noted?

As the others have said, design is not an entry level position. That means you need to get an entry level position first and then move to design. By far the best way in is via QA/Testing.

If your ultimate aim is design then you should prepare in advance (before going straight into QA/Testing). Check out ...
http://www.obscure.co.uk/faq_becoming_a_designer.shtml
and also read EVERYTHING at
http://www.sloperama.com/advice.html

Ive talked to a few designers who started out doing Level Design and Scripting. A Good level design should be integrated into the gameplay. The levels should be built around what the player can do, how the player should play, and give mood and atmosphere. To me, it seems that Level Design is the prequel to a full Game Design.
So I guess the best thing to do would be to write up design documents of game ideas you have, even if you dont end up making the game. Create a killer portfollio, too. Throw in any maps youve made for other games, any design docs, any 3d art, anything, I guess. At the very least, Itd be your foot in the door and that should be enough to get a development team to at least concider you. Then, I guess its based on your skill at what you do. Just because you like game design, and want to do it, doesnt mean you're neccissarily any good.. But then I guess you could work on those shitty generic games that are made just to make money.