Start Your Career as a Video Game Art Designer

If you are a lover of video game graphics and have a bit of talent for artistic design yourself, you can validate your hobby by participating in a video game programming online college and developing your career as a video game art designer.

It is no secret that video gaming is big business. Computer and video games appeal to all ages with simplified games and oversized keyboards now available even to two year olds. As people “beat” their games, they seek out newer and more complex ones. Often the computer graphics play as big a part in the purchasing decisions as the actual workings of the games themselves. continued below »

Schools that offer online courses:

The Art Institute Online offers a Bachelor of Science in Game Art and Design degree program. Coursework includes character development, set design, game-design strategies, visual storytelling, 3-D animation, texture mapping, and more. Graduates of this program learn how to develop a personal digital portfolio that showcases their talent to prospective employers.

Westwood College offers a Bachelor of Science in Game Art and Design program online. The program utilizes hands-on teaching methods and allows students to acquire real-world gaming skills. Coursework includes cinematography, color theory, 3-D modeling and animation, and more. The program is designed for individuals seeking careers in video gaming software industries, education, military simulation, and more.

Kaplan University offers a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology/Multimedia and Animation degree online. The curriculum includes animation behaviors, animation for gaming, website development, graphics and multimedia for web design, and more. With this program, students learn how to use animation and develop cutting-edge interactive media.

Devry University offers Bachelor's in Game and Simulation Programming. The program is designed to prepare students for such careers as programmer, project coordinator, software engineer, and game designer. Coursework includes physics of games, game design, programming fundamentals, 3-D graphic programming and simulation, and game engine design. In addition, students learn about massively multi-player online game programming (MMOG) and game modifications.

While software developers frequently contribute to or design the graphics, you can now get a Bachelor of Science in Game and Art design which concentrates on the graphic or artistic side of the game rather than on the programming. A design development degree will provide you with the know-how of designing game play and background, creating characters and applying your knowledge of computer games to evaluate game products. Your degree will allow you to seek out an entry-level position as a character animator, level designer, 3D modeler, game-play tester and more.

A salary overview for the gaming industry reveals a shortage of animators along with jobs—for those who are “good”—starting at $50,000 to $60,000. If you are able to develop a design that becomes a “hit,” you will begin receiving offers in the six figure range.

How to become a video game designer
Like many of today’s degree and certificate programs, you can become a designer through online education. You do not need a four year degree to get started. What you do need is a natural passion for video games, good problem solving skills and a LOT of patience, and a sense of perfection. That’s because game design involves complex problems or “bugs” that always have to be resolved along with a continual need to improve and update the game. For a person who gets frustrated easily, the potential problems can be a prescription for ulcers. However, if you have the patience to work on a problem, resolve it quickly and creatively, you are likely to be sought after by gaming companies and studios.

Before you can actually get a job as a game designer, however, you need an understanding of today’s use of graphic design, computer animation and software development—even though you may never do actual programming. Since nearly all of the game design is done on computers these days, this is an ideal career both for online education and for developing as an independent entrepreneur, should you so desire. You can start here to research some of the best schools in the country.

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