Monthly Archives: May 2012

Studying To Be A Video Game Designer


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Studying To Be A Video Game Designer

In the mid-1980s, video game consoles became commonplace in homes all across North America. By the mid-1990s, as personal computer usage increased in the home, video games became even more popular on that medium as well. Today as smart phones and other hand held devices become more popular, there are more and more video games available on them.

According to NPD group, the leading American market research company, approximately 2.7 billion dollars has been spent in the video game consumer market, in addition to the 3.7 billion on physical sales of PC and console video game software in the first half of 2010. With all this consumer cash being spent on the video game industry, employers more than ever are in need of qualified game designers. The video game industry has performed better than even the movie industry.

Turn a Passion for Gaming into a Career

The past 30 years have shown that there is a huge market for video games that only gets bigger each year, and as this market grows stronger, the demand for video game designers and programmers is likely to increase, as well.

Many students who are interested in gaming are taking their hobby and turning it into a career, thanks to video game design colleges.

There are many different positions that are required for the creation of video games, which means there is a wide range of options for people who have a game design degree. Positions include programmers, engineers, sound engineers, and animators.

Typical programs include instruction in both traditional and digital art forms including drawing, compositions, deign, color, and computer applications. They then move on to teaching 2D and 3D modeling, storyboard creation, animation, etc. A video game degree program should include as many aspects of the game design process as possible in order to prepare graduates to work in the field. Researching the schools computer programs beforehand can also tell you how up-to-date the school is and whether or not they are keeping up with the constantly changing technology in the game design industry.

Taking a passion and turning it into a career is part of the American Dream. Thanks to many computer and art schools, gamers are able to turn their hobby into a career with a video game design degree.

It is possible to turn a hobby into a career only through the video game design colleges. With a game design degree, the gamers out there can turn their pass time into a great career with huge earning potential.


How to Write Good Video Game Guides?


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How to Write Good Video Game Guides?

Video game guides are necessary for you to play games successfully. But writing video game guides are not easy though you know to play video games or how to write essay. This article will help you understand and make a good video game guide.

 

It takes a special breed of person to be able to do both. You need to have a passion for writing, a love f video games and a dedication to helping others. You need to be able to explain complex details in a step by step manner that others can understand. You need to be able to describe visual things with your words. It’s not as easy as you might think once you have tried it for yourself.

 

Here are some things that make a good video game guide:

 

- In-depth knowledge of the game

- Great attention to detail

- Step by step instructions on how to do something

- Reference points, markers or other identifying methods that someone playing the game will easily recognize

- Photos, images and/or screenshots used as visual aids

- Able to explain things in more than one way

- Clear, concise instructions and walk-throughs

- Ability to connect with the reader

- Love of games that shows throughout the guide

 

It’s important that the video game guide that you write speaks well to the gamer who is reading it.

It is essential that you know what you’re talking about. If you’re not familiar with the terminology, it’s going to show. The gamer won’t trust your guide when you cannot speak the lingo.

 

Another problem with game guides is when they are too generalized. Anyone can figure out “Go to the zone start point, complete the mission and move to the next zone.” A solid video game guide will tell you the how and the where. What is the best strategy for beating a boss? How do you discover a secret tunnel entrance? How can you unlock a hidden character or ability? These are the things the gamer really wants to know.

 

Now that you know what a good video game guide really needs, you are prepared for writing them well. Don’t even attempt to write video game guides unless you feel confident you can do so while keeping these tips and points in mind.

 

About the Author:

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles and the author of How to Earn a Living Writing for the Internet. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content in her 10+ years as a professional writer.

She enjoys writing about writing, parenting and other things that interest her. See “100 Days to Better Article Writing” to discover how you can write more articles on the topics that you love.