Take Your Taste for Tech and Consider a Game Design Careers

by Vicki Salemi

If you think that game design careers entail sitting around the office and playing video games all day, think again. "It's a serious business. It's not all fun and games," explains Sean Soucy, senior designer at Pandemic Studios LLC, a developer of entertainment software for the Playstation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and PCs. Though Soucy admits that people in game design careers get to play the games they're working on, they get paid to make video games. Playing them is just a part of the job.

As senior designer, Soucy works on projects in level designs, gameplay mechanics, and overarching story lines. He also helps the lead designer oversee all aspects of design by ensuring the design team's work is consistent with the overall vision of the game.

Such attention to detail, he admits, means being very critical. "My patience for video games has dropped," he says. "A game really has to grab me to keep me playing for more than a couple [minutes]."

Get into Game Design Careers
When Soucy attended the University of Conneticut (Storrs-Mansfield, CT), his major was psychology and music, a far cry from his passion for video games. When he started working on an existing game on the market, he was able to begin building a portfolio for future employers. Next, he worked on the game "Quake," and after honing his game design skills, he was able to attract the attention of Electronic Arts.

"It's a very diverse industry and someone could find a job doing almost any kind of work in it," he advises, noting that with video game careers, you can specialize in the art, programming, design, or business aspect of the industry. "Go to school, learn the necessary skills for your field, and get involved to gain some experience. Even if it's game testing, you'll make valuable contacts."

Live It, Love It: Passion Required for Game Design Careers
Soucy, whose favorite games are "Half-Life 2" and "Metroid Prime," absolutely loves his job. "I never dread going to work. Instead, I wake up and wonder what kind of cool things I'll get to do today."

The worst part? The long days that comprise a 60-hour-per-week schedule when a game is close to completion. Overall though, he says you'll be successful in game design careers if you're "self-motivated, and work well on a team and under deadlines."