Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

Building Game Worlds
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U L T I M A T E G A M E D E S I G N
or thousands of art assets: every little icon, cursor, or screen element, every single
power-up, projectile type, and projectile effect.
It can be very hard work to create all of these elements and still meet your deadlines.
Game artists regularly work very long hours. Being a game developer can take
its toll on personal relationships. Artists tend to get paid less than programmers.
Some artists start working for a developer for free. Some start with a salary around
$25K and can earn up to $75K. Some may earn even more. There are many factors
involved in the pay allocated for an artist. Are they creating assets and managing a
team? Are they helping train others? These kinds of “soft” factors enter into perceived
value.
It can be a volatile world with frequent layoffs. Outside of entertainment companies,
which can be seriously affected by a bad economy, where will you find work? You
might find a few opportunities, but it could be very difficult. This is why I dedicated
an entire chapter to keeping your skills and your mindset diversified.
Being a game artist can be a very rewarding and fulfilling endeavor, if you balance
your passion with an understanding of how to dig in for the long haul.
D ESIGN
As games escalate in scope, someone has to watch out for design flow issues and
game play issues, and provide design-productive content. The game design role for
most game developers is an interesting beast. Generally, game designers are not hired
straight away into the game industry. More typically, you move into the design track
by having worked in another area of game development first. In some capacity, you
will probably have to demonstrate your design abilities before anyone will pay you
for the position.
A level designer builds game levels. The best way into level design is to showcase
the levels that you’ve learned how to build on your own. Many developers regularly
or occasionally troll the sites dedicated to creating levels for their titles, looking for
the best of the best from the level-design talent pool available. I won’t kid you; it isn’t
easy to get noticed. Demonstrating that your levels have become popular in the mod
community is one good way to get noticed. The pathway into level design is pretty
straightforward—just build great levels!
Getting a job as a game designer, on the other hand, involves showing your previous
design work. This can take the form of completed games, design documents, design
materials, and so forth. There is some specialization in this area, since developers like
to use designers who have a real passion and love for the kind of game they are
preparing to build. If you are a die-hard sports designer, you may have little interest
in designing a hardcore RPG, and vice versa.