What laptop in an office somewhere, inventing intricate levels that take months to build. Or maybe you see the same person at home, drawing sketches on paper and scribbling notes. In reality, however, most video game designers work in teams of anywhere from three to fifty individuals. They work with artists, musicians, and programmers to create one of the most spectacular entertainment mediums ever invented.
The designer’s job is to work towards making the game become a reality. Designers are responsible for soliciting ideas from all over the production team, examining these ideas, and then implementing them into the game to make it what he or she envisioned. The designer is responsible for making sure that every aspect of the game is headed in the right direction towards making an enjoyable experience for players.
Mastering techniques such as brainstorming and storyboarding can help designers keep track of what everyone is doing at any given moment. Many designers also have a lead role in the development of the story. It is their job to make sure that every element of the game fits into the overall plot. They also look for any loopholes or plot holes and fill these holes so that the story makes sense from beginning to end.
Intelligence is an important asset to video game designers, but the skills needed to do this job vary greatly depending on the specifics of each project. Some roles require individuals who can juggle multiple responsibilities at once and think on their feet. Other roles require people who can master complicated programming languages fast and figure out problems as they come. The best designers are able to figure out the best places to put in-game rewards such as free Bingo credits when you have an accomplishment.
The designer’s day begins with a large, fluffy breakfast. After eating, the designer may work for some time to catch up on emails and other administrative duties. Then, he or she usually begins working on the level design portion of the game. This part is always a challenge to any designer.
The designer sits down at his computer and starts creating some art that will eventually be put into the game. Using a program called Maya, he or she creates the various buildings that are meant to be in the level. The designer also draws in details such as trees or bushes for areas of the levels that don’t involve combat.
For a few hours, the designer will work hard on perfecting his or her artistic abilities so that the level looks exactly like he or she envisioned it. Once the level is finished, it heads to the artists for some tweaks and changes so that it meets their high artistic standards. They may add in a few extra effects or tweak the look of a few buildings. Then, they send it back to the designer for approval.
With his final design approved, the designer then puts together all of the objects into an internal file that’s shared with the rest of the team. The levels are then created using this file and the level builder software. If the designer feels there is something that should be changed, he or she will go back into Maya and make these changes.
Once the designers are finished with their work on levels, they may move on to working on character designs for enemy characters in the game. The designer sits down at his computer and begins drawing up ideas for a character. These ideas are passed to the artists, who begin drawing the specific enemy that needs to be designed. The designer works with the artists to get this design as close as possible to what he originally envisioned it would look like. This process is repeated until all of the necessary characters have been designed for production.
Coffee break
At this point, the designer and other team members begin thinking about the overall game design. They ask themselves what type of enemies will be in the game and how they should be programmed. One idea that is suggested is to make some of them hard to defeat and make them worth bragging about when a player beats it.
The designer will continuously check his or her email inbox for more ideas or questions from other parties involved in building the game. This keeps him or her on top of everything that is happening with regard to actual game development. The designer can also check out various tools for making games, such as an online programming tool called Game Maker.
The designer will also spend time adjusting details in the game, such as a character’s walk cycle. If one of these characters is supposed to run slowly, but they appear to be running at full speed, it isn’t a good sign that the designer doesn’t know how to adjust the animation correctly.
Creative design When you’re building a game, you don’t know everything that will happen with regards to some code or graphic art. The designer has to be able to handle surprises and keep the overall game on track. If a programmer is stuck at creating some code, the designer may need to help resolve the issue and see if there is anything that can be added in to make things easier for the programmer.
When it is getting close to the end of development, video game designers spend time in the code room helping out with various issues that are coming up during testing. This process can include watching a game play or helping test the game by playing it themselves. If they find a situation that is broken or needs more work, they will go back and change it so that things are running smoothly.
When a game is released, the designer will spend time listening to feedback from players about what they think of the game. They will look at user reviews and other comments and decide if things are running smoothly. The game’s creators can then do more testing so that issues can be fixed.
Many video game designers start their career by working in a studio environment like a developer or an art department rather than as a freelancer. This allows them to learn more about different aspects of video games so that they can become good at their craft when they move on to independent projects.
