Keep working up the chain, ironing out kinks, until you think you’ve ‘fixed’ the game into a more acceptable state. So you’d want to fix that – but how would that affect the next layer up? Perhaps you didn’t like having to hold X to run. Think about how you fix the core issue you have with the game. Fixing Bad Video Game Designįixing bad game design is sort of the same process as identifying bad design, but backward. Now you’ve identified what you’ve done wrong, it’s just as important to identify how it could be fixed.
Keep asking questions until you can’t ask anymore, and you’ll have got to the root of the problem. To start with, this can just be a simple reason, like “character X is boring”. Now when you want to be a designer, it’s not enough to just think “I don’t like this game”, you need to think about why you don’t like it. Talking About Bad DesignĪs I already said, talking about bad design is easy we all do it, all the time. This section is all about learning to talk about design in an insightful and helpful manner, and it will become a vital skill – both for interviews and for explaining your ideas to your design and development team. You probably already talk about bad design a lot, if you’re a fan of video games, but it’s a lot harder to talk about good design because sometimes the design is so good you don’t notice it’s there. One of the most important things an aspiring game designer can do is to talk about design.
This guide is about the game design though, so let’s get to it. What you decide to make the focus of your career will depend on your talents and interests, but you still need a good understanding of what the other career path does in order to be the best you can be. So you can see the two differ in subtle ways, but are in fact two distinct paths through the games industry. And for that reason, it’s good to have a strong understanding of the other career path to the one you choose. They both need each other to develop the best game possible. The designer gives input and direction to the developer, and the developer feeds back with their improvements to the game. However, whilst the two roles are distinct career paths, they feed into each other continuously. You should always bear in mind that both are equally important in the overall process of making games. The driver/designer’s job is pointless if there’s no one to engineer the car or develop the game.Īnd there is no point in the developer/engineer building something that no one is going to use.
#VIDEO GAME SYSTEM DESIGNER DRIVER#
In this example, the driver would be the designer, and the engineer would be the developer. Without each other, the tasks are useless (what’s the point in being able to drive if no one is making cars), so you need both to make a functional vehicle. It’s a bit like the difference between the driver of a car, and the engineer who builds the car. Game development tends to refer to the making of games, from the animation through to engine programming. Game design often includes the creation of: The two are often used interchangeably, but they are two distinct career paths.
#VIDEO GAME SYSTEM DESIGNER HOW TO#
Video game design is a competitive business, and in order to secure a position as a junior designer, you’ll need to put yourself above the rest.Ĭheck out the sections on work experience and education to find out how to give your resume an edge, and then read about the hiring process to find out exactly what you can expect on your way to landing your first job.