Are you a gamer with a budding interest in game design? It’s natural to wonder, is a degree in game design worth it? Before beginning a degree program, it’s wise to make sure that the investment of time, energy, and money will be well-spent. What can I do with a game design degree? What will the career options be upon graduation?
The good news is that plenty of opportunities will be available once you have a game design degree on your resume. Potential employers will know that you have basic knowledge of the development and programming of video games. There are video game design programs that hone in on a particular aspect of game design such as graphic design, programming languages, design theory, marketing, gaming theory, and others.
What can I do with a game design degree? Well, it really depends on how well you network professionally. Answering the question, is a game design degree worth it, is impossible because it really depends. But when you choose a program from a reputable school and are a go-getter, there’s no limit to where you can take your video game design career. Is a degree in game design worth it? It really depends on your career ambitions, but if you plan to on working in this industry, starting with a bachelor’s degree in game design is a smart choice.
Accreditation for Game Design
It’s the perfect time to enroll in a game design program, especially if you prefer to be at home. Just about every school has gone entirely virtual! Game design colleges are abundant – the only tricky part is picking just a few to apply to. Choosing among the best game design colleges is dependant upon which variables are most important to you. Perhaps you want to focus on game development colleges with well-established reputations. Maybe you’d like to virtually attend one of the top game design colleges so that you’ll be able to network with other alumni upon graduation.
One of the most-recognized accreditations for video game design is ABET accreditation. You may be wondering, what are the ABET accreditation requirements? You can check out the full list of ABET accreditation requirements here. There are 6 criteria that must be met for a program to be ABET accredited. The ABET accreditation process involves a thorough review of the program, and may involve a readiness review. To be considered for the ABET accreditation process, the program must have at least one graduate and meet specific ABET accreditation requirements.
Students who enroll in ABET accredited online schools can be confident that they will gain the skills necessary to be successful in the video game industry. There are plenty of programs that aren’t ABET accredited, so the question might pop up in your mind, is ABET accreditation important for computer science? The answer is yes. ABET accreditation is only awarded to high quality programs. Before investing your time, energy, and money into a program, make sure it’s one of the ABET accredited online schools. Is ABET accreditation important for computer science, you ask? If you want employers to know that you have received a high quality education, then the unequivocal answer is yes. A degree from one of the game development colleges with an accredited program will take you far in this industry. All of the top game design colleges are ABET accredited.
Online Associate’s Programs
Why pay more than you have to? Affordability is an important factor for many prospective students. It’s not difficult to find a game design associate degree online program. There are many schools that offer online game design associate degrees, including College Consensus’ top choices, University of Toledo, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, and New Mexico State University. Choose wisely which online associates degree in video game design you will pursue. Select which criteria is most important to you when evaluating online associates degree in video game design programs and narrow down your options according to it. Soon, you’ll be well on your way towards gaining the skills needed to be competitive in this booming industry.
Associate’s Jobs and Salary
After completing your associate’s degree, what kinds of entry-level jobs in game design do graduates qualify for? The good news is that entry-level jobs for game design are relatively abundant these days. Entry-level game design job titles include junior-level designer, freelance gaming writer, and full-stack java developer. Entry-level jobs in game design can be done from anywhere in the country, especially now that most people work remotely during Covid. Whether you can secure one of the entry-level jobs in game design upon graduation will be determined by your savvy networking skills and video game design aptitude.
Wondering how much you can expect to make in your new job in video game design? Like anything else, it depends on a host of factors – your chosen area of concentration, location of the company, specific skill sets, and more. Junior game designers don’t usually make a huge salary, but it can be a stepping stone to the more coveted video game designer role down the line. A game design associate degree salary varies depending on the size of the company and the specific needs of it for various game projects. A game design associate degree salary isn’t too exciting to start, but once you put your time in, video game professionals can look forward to making great lives for themselves with handsome salaries.
How about game art and design associate degree jobs? What kinds of game art and design associate degree jobs are available? The national average salary for a game artist is about $68K. Jobs with an associate degree in game design aren’t hard to find in major cities. Do a quick Google search and a bunch of jobs with an associates degree in game design will likely pop up. Can you get a job with an associates game design? Of course. It might not be easy, but qualified candidates who market themselves well won’t have a problem securing employment. Jobs with an associates degree in game design can be found in just about every major city in the US.
Online Bachelor’s Programs
Are you considering bachelor’s programs in video game design? Video game designer education requirements vary from program to program. A thorough list of game designer qualifications can be accessed here. Game designer qualifications include being able to tackle just about every aspect of video games including game development and computer animation. Game design skills include a moderate fluency with 2D and 3D graphics packages as well as an understanding of gameplay theory. Other important game design skills include basic visual design skills, drawing skills, and strategist thinking skills. High-quality video game designer training programs also impart information about game platforms and the latest technological advances. The best programs for video game designer training also include lessons regarding gameplay theory and legislation that relates to video games. Video game designer education requirements rely on a variety of different skills to enable the designer to be able to serve in a multitude of capacities. Versatility is very important when it comes to working in the world of video games design.
Bachelor’s Jobs and Salary
Those who wish to work in video game development would be wise to consider which potential jobs will be available to you upon graduation from a high quality video game designer program. Game development jobs are highly competitive, but they can be secured by qualifying, astute candidates. In the Boston area, for instance, there are some great game development jobs hiring now. Video game design jobs’ titles include Technical Game Designer and Associate Producer. Finding competitive video game design jobs is pretty simple and easy, though securing one may prove to be more difficult. Conduct a quick game designer job search in your city to see a few positions hiring now. Upon graduation, you’ll know which game designer jobs you’ll be most interested in applying for.
Online Master’s Programs
Looking to take your video game design career to the next level? Pursue a game design master’s degree online. You’ll be amazed by how well it makes your resume stand out from the crowd. Some of the best include College Consensus’ top picks: Columbia University, University of Southern California, and Northeastern University. The are many game design masters online programs to choose from, especially now because of Covid. Selecting a few masters in game design online programs to choose from doesn’t have to be stressful. First, decide what criteria is most important to you. Then narrow down the options for masters in game design online programs depending on your preferences and apply today.
Master’s Jobs and Salary
Before investing lots of time and effort into a program, it’s wise to determine what an average video game designer salary is. A video game design salary is, on average, about $70K nationally. Bigger cities will naturally see an increase in salary offerings, and smaller ones may see decreased salary ranges. The high end of averages for a game development salary is around 90K. No matter how you slice it, a game development salary affords a comfortable standard of living. Even the lowest-paid workers who earn a video game designer salary make around 40K, which is respectable, especially in smaller US cities and towns. Investing in a high-quality education prepares video game professionals well to earn a solid video game design salary.
Video Game Designer Job Outlook
Experts are always trying to forecast how the job markets in a whole host of industries will fluctuate in coming years. Before beginning your video game design career, you may be wondering, what is the video game designer job outlook? Will getting a game design degree worth it? Game design and development salary averages are pretty stable these days, and competitive in today’s tight market. Video game management jobs are expected to proliferate in the coming years. Game design and development salary parameters are often in the 60s, but they can be higher depending on the specialty, company size, and a bunch of other factors. Those who Google “game design degree worth it” will find a wide range of opinions on this subject. Ultimately, each individual has to decide for themselves.
Working in Management
No one wants to be the lowest person on the totem pole. Are there advanced video game manager jobs available these days? Yes. The production of video games requires the coordination of a whole team of people, so video game manager jobs are essential for maintaining order and efficiency. Video game management jobs aren’t super abundant, but they can be found through networking with other professionals in this competitive industry. Responsibilities in video game manager jobs include coordinating all of the specialists whose work is necessary for producing excellent video games. Strong interpersonal skills are necessary for video game manager jobs.
Video Games and Project Management
The skills necessary to be successful in the project management field can be used to secure video game project manager jobs. There’s a Project Manager, Game analytics job currently hiring at Rockstar Games in Carlsbad, CA. Other titles for video game project manager jobs include Project Manager – Player Support Video Games, Senior Stategic Program Manager, and Associate Program Manager. Wondering what’s often included in a video game project manager job description? Just as a point of reference, check out this video game project manager job description. It includes plenty of aspects that are common to these types of positions. Is getting a project management job in game design easy or difficult? That’s a good question to ask before beginning this degree program. Getting a project management job in game design can be easy or difficult – it’s all about what you bring to the table and how much of a go-getter you are.
Online Certificate Programs
Thinking about signing up for a video game design certificate program? It can be a great way to gain familiarity with game design concepts and test the waters in this industry. Obtaining a game design certficiate online is easier than ever thanks to the pandemic. Game design education has always been easy to conduct mostly or completely online, and pretty much every in-person program has moved to the virtual realm. This online game design certificate is divided into 8 modules that cover all kinds of essential topics including programming languages and 3D graphics.
Signing up for game design certificate programs are great ways for people who are just starting out to gain skills for this industry or switching careers. Game design certificate programs can often be completed at one’s own pace and time frame. Depending on how many hours you have to spend studying each day, you can study at your own pace. Online video game design certificate programs are available from a whole host of schools – just make sure you pick a specialty to focus on so that your certificate will prove to be useful for finding a job. This ranking is a helpful page to start your search for excellent video game design certificate programs because lots of the variables are listed for quick reference.
Certificate Jobs and Salary
Are you wondering, can you get a job in game design if you have a certificate? There is no unequivocal answer. Of course, it is possible to get video game design and development certificate jobs. It’s wise to apply to programs where people who work for the studios where you’d like to work got their degrees from. Having the school on your resume will be a great “in” to lock down top-notch video game design and development certificate jobs. There are jobs that only need a certificate in video game design, though they are always entry-level jobs. Obtaining your certificate and getting your foot in the door of a top company is often a smart path to take. Jobs that only need a certificate in video game design don’t pay super well, but they can be jumping-off points for a career in this exciting industry. Can you get a job in game design if you have a certificate? Of course you can. Getting a certificate isn’t like receiving tortillas off the press, though – a job won’t simply be handed to you. You’ll have to work for it by hustling, networking, presenting yourself in the best possible light, and making sure you have skills employers are looking for.
Wish you could join the enticing world of video game design? Stop pining for it and start working for it by researching and applying to a few video game design programs today. You’ll be well on your way to starting a career in the video game design industry. As the articles referenced above indicate, it is very possible to have a lucrative, fulfilling career in the video game industry. Stop simply appreciating the video games you play to pass the time each day and start getting education about how they are created. It’s absolutely fascinating and you’ll be so glad you learned about it to begin your career in the video game design industry.
Related Rankings:
Best Online Associate’s in Game Design
Best Online Bachelor’s in Game Design