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Video Game Designer

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AVG. SALARY

$66,060

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EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree

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JOB OUTLOOK

Stable

Interviews

Insider Info

Time is running out. You put the pedal to the metal in your intergalactic rocket. You have to get to the next planet to unload a shipment of moon ferns before the market changes -- you don't want to be left with wilting plants that no one wants to buy.

Also onboard your ship are 100 tons of sand, lava lamps, diapers and toasters. If you can make it past the Monty-Python style aliens and swindlers at the loading docks, you may just make a profit.

This game, called Gazillionaire, is a big hit created by Naomi Kokubo, a designer at an independent company. Because the company is so small, Kokubo and her partner designed, developed and produced the game by themselves.

"We came up with the idea, designed the game, programmed the game, created the graphics and manufactured the CD-ROMs," she says.

The company's small size forced some limitations on the game. "Because it was only two of us doing 90 percent of the work, we had to focus on the type of game we could actually complete within a reasonable time," says Kokubo. "After all, we couldn't afford to spend 10 years working on it."

They decided to turn their limitations into strengths, and made their game so that it could easily be expanded. Gazillionaire has a modular feel because Kokubo plans to add new functions, such as stock markets, planets and ships to it. "This way the game is always a work in progress."

After Kokubo and her partner come up with a design for a new game, they write a design document and then proceed with programming. However, another important aspect of their design process is testing the games with friends. "They give us feedback and we make changes and add new features. The game evolves over time."

Kokubo loves having people go over her work. "The most enjoyable part is probably having our friends drop by and playing the game together. That's a blast."

When Kokubo designs, she thinks about the graphics, the sound and artistry, and she concentrates on how people will react to the "playability" of the game. "You have to observe people using the software and be able to make the code reflect their needs and desires. The hardest thing is finding out what people like and dislike and adapting the design to reflect that."

Kokubo or her partner will go back and adapt a design after talking with game testers. "We feel passionately about what we do and couldn't imagine handing it off to other people," says Kokubo.

Designers working at larger companies are in charge of general design concepts and design documentation, but don't usually program the games. "Personally, I couldn't stand to work this way. It would become frustrating, but that's reality for a lot of larger projects in larger companies."

It's a reality for game designer Rick Marazzani. He works for the computer game company that designed Sim City and Sim Town, and new products such as Sim Tune, a game where children can add music and graphics into their own artistic creations.

Marazzani enjoys coming up with new ideas for these types of games. "The most fun is researching and developing a new idea," he says. "Realistic physics, statistics, art and historical content make a game more enjoyable."

Marazzani also likes to take a new idea and show it to others. "I enjoy explaining the idea to others, and getting their feedback and letting them play with the models and mock-ups. It all helps make the finished product better."

Once he has come up with a design concept, such as simulating the management of a factory or exploring a dungeon, Marazzani adds in the game-play and the story. "The story adds much of the color to the program, but should never get in the way of game-play. Remember, it's a game and should be fun."

Marazzani has had fun playing games ever since he was a young child, and has also enjoyed creating them. "I started as a kid with simple board games drawn on paper with crayons, then moved to adventure and role-playing games. Computer games require more skills and talent, but teamwork makes this easy."

But teamwork can also make some projects disappointing. "It's sometimes a bummer when a brilliant idea sits on the shelf or hits a hurdle that couldn't be overcome at the time," says Marazzani. "As with anything, some ideas are home runs and others aren't."

Another difficult aspect of game design is keeping up with market trends. "A lot of reading must be done to ensure that developers stay on top of hardware advances, important changes in operating systems and current market trends," says designer John Cooper.

Cooper keeps up with market trends by reading magazines. "They allow developers to get a glimpse of their competition and allow them to watch where the gaming industry as a whole is headed."

The most enjoyable moments of game design come when a project is headed towards final production. "Once you reach such a stage it's always a nice feeling," says Cooper. At that point you can start to dream about the game's success on the market. A game is still a game but designers always dream of having a successful one.

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