Yeah just to add more to the pile...

industry veterans with years (and sometimes decades) of experience have major trouble getting funding / permission to go ahead with their ideas.

Even when they do, their idea is often modified by other designers and the whim of the people providing the funding.

So, I'm sorry but no, you aren't going to be able to go from playing games to pitching game ideas / designing games for a living hehe.

It's kind of harsh but it is the reality that is, Sorry! ):

Edit: also on the subject of indie teams, it's unlikely you'll be able to find artists and programmers who will make your idea for you! They have ideas of their own that they wanna make too but also have more of the means to make them!

Are there any well known game designers who are not developers?

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Original post by TheBuzzSaw Are there any well known game designers who are not developers?

Do you mean "game designers who are not programmers?" Because I can't seem to think how anyone would design games and never develop it BUT still earn some popularity.

I was referring to software developers. I'm not sure what other kind of "developers" there are. I'm not referring to the generic dictionary definition. >_>

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Original post by TheBuzzSaw I was referring to software developers. I'm not sure what other kind of "developers" there are. I'm not referring to the generic dictionary definition. >_>

"Developers" are:
- Game programmers
- Game artists
- Game designers
- Game audio engineers
- Companies that create video games but don't publish them themselves
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson28.htm
http://www.igda.org/games-game-may-2008

Quote:

Original post by TheBuzzSaw Are there any well known game designers who are not programmers?

Sid Meier, Will Wright, Ken Levine...

Shigeru Miyamoto started off doing graphics if I understand correctly. Do what you can to get in with a team, once you're part of the process things will start making sense.

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Original post by Hodgman Quote: Original post by TheBuzzSaw Are there any well known game designers who are not programmers? Sid Meier, Will Wright, Ken Levine...

I'm pretty sure that both Sid Meier and Will Wright started out as programmer/designers (that is, they were the sole/main programmer on their first games). Not sure about Ken Levine. They might not do much actual programming now, but I don't think that was the point of TheBuzzSaw's question...

Ah, true.

Regardless, those are all positions that require technical prowess. I don't know that anyone went from "nothing" to head game designer where he/she just had a group of developers willing to do whatever.

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Original post by TheBuzzSaw I don't know that anyone went from "nothing" to head game designer where he/she just had a group of developers willing to do whatever.

It has probably happened. That doesn't mean, of course, that a new applicant can expect the same.