getting a level designer position?

[dassbaba]

just out of curiosity... what's a way to land a job as a level designer if you have no experience....

in a hypothetical situation where a talented art student and writer would like to eventually have a job like level or game designer, or producer or something...

is there anything in college to study for, for a job like this
art?
business?

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

I would say an ameture project or mod.. just like at Natural Selection's KungFuSquirrel who now works for Raven (which is pretty close to us in madison dass)

to learn I would just do tutorials and practice.. and learn from others on the interweb

 

[ray_MAN]

Yes, working on a successful mod will get you 'discovered'. Or jus tbeing a talented mapper. A friend of mine on another forum got a job offering because they liked his work. He wasn't even on a mod team. No real college degrees are need to be a level designer. I am one and I am only 13. It's just a matter of creativity.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Yes, working on a successful mod will get you 'discovered'. Or jus tbeing a talented mapper. A friend of mine on another forum got a job offering because they liked his work. He wasn't even on a mod team. No real college degrees are need to be a level designer. I am one and I am only 13. It's just a matter of creativity.

I dont understand hammer (im15) or unreal ed. I just tinker around.. not knowing exactly what to do.. which blocks my creativity just a tad

 

[dassbaba]

lol alby u are 15 silly freshman

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

lol alby u are 15 silly freshman

I apologize for being such a lowly freshman scum

 

[dassbaba]

apology accepted

 

[Jammydodger]

You should find my post helpfull, its called "Advice on finding a job in the games industry". It covers all the basics of getting into the indurty and some tips too.
here's my thread - http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=19183

Also keep checking my other thread "Advertising jobs - No discussion - industry vacancies only" I update it every week or so.
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=19061

Both my threads are stickys and can be found in "Help Wanted & Offered".

Hope it helps

 

[ray_MAN]

Unreal ED is so easy. Just find a good tutorial.
www.planetunreal.com/archtectonic
That's where I learned. I hope you know how to use the Sandbox Editor.

 

[clarky003]

you really want to be doing a BA honors at University in either Art and Design, or computer science and games developement. and then go on to specialise in your prefered area.

 

[Dedalus]

find a business minded person, let them deal with contractors/publishers, you do the design work (preliminary sketches/rough level designs/colour palettes/level descriptions/game mechanics/design bible and basically a shitload of stuff.

i'd say make sure you're willing to put up with mounds of paperwork before you commit to design work. sometimes it isn't about how creative you are, but how you can manage your time and conduct yourself in a business manner. you can be the most creative modder in the world, but you'll always be an amateur if you can't raise yourself to the next level.

 

[dassbaba]

You should find my post helpfull, its called "Advice on finding a job in the games industry". It covers all the basics of getting into the indurty and some tips too.
here's my thread - http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=19183

Also keep checking my other thread "Advertising jobs - No discussion - industry vacancies only" I update it every week or so.
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=19061

Both my threads are stickys and can be found in "Help Wanted & Offered".

Hope it helps

thanks a lot i appreciate it, you do the community good =D

 

[dassbaba]

find a business minded person, let them deal with contractors/publishers, you do the design work (preliminary sketches/rough level designs/colour palettes/level descriptions/game mechanics/design bible and basically a shitload of stuff.

i'd say make sure you're willing to put up with mounds of paperwork before you commit to design work. sometimes it isn't about how creative you are, but how you can manage your time and conduct yourself in a business manner. you can be the most creative modder in the world, but you'll always be an amateur if you can't raise yourself to the next level.

sorry if this is a double post... but would something like this be more possible if i got a degree in business or something, AND art stuff?

 

[clarky003]

yes a degree is a must if you want a good chance to get into games development. its a highly specialised field . I know, ive seen :cheers: , and am now taking up a Art and Design degree in order to promote my skills ,, also the University holding your degree course will help you find work in your specialised area when you finish your course .

 

[KagePrototype]

You do not need a degree. Talking with people like KungFuSquirrel, game developers are more interested in your skills and level of commitment. So having a degree or not is irrelevant; it's how much of yourself you are willing to put into something that governs whether you make it or not. Obviously a degree can be used as a sign of sticking to something and making it out the other end alive, as well as picking up skills, but there are other ways to achieve these goals. A degree isn't a must, it's just an option (and sometimes an incredibly expensive one at that).

 

[Dedalus]

EDIT: null post, nevermind.

 

[clarky003]

You do not need a degree

a BA honors degree helps if you want to get into a decent company , they do look at your qualifications as well you know,, you cant just ride on in with skills, its the way of the world. I know,.. im 19. and actually in the proccess of doing it right now at Wolverhampton University in England.

Ive sent letter to games comapnies like Ubi soft in the past, EA, and Discreet who produce 3DS max, and they all ask for qualifications envolving degree courses .. you would have to be stupidly talented to get in without a degree, seriously.

 

[KagePrototype]

Well, this is what I've heard from KFS. He has a degree, but it's not realted to design or video games (I think it's english language or creative writing or something similar), but he said that Raven look for skills and examples of your level of cimmitment to work over actual qualifications. A degree does help of course, it shows you're willling to commit to something over long periods of time and that costs a lot of money, but isn't the deciding factor. Of course, if it came down to a choice between a guy with a degree and another without, both of equal skill, they would go with the person with a degree. But the point is that you don't need one. It certainly helps of course, it's just not the deciding factor.

[EDIT]: Maybe EA, Discreet and Ubi Soft require degress because they have a much larger profile than Raven do, so would demand more from their employees. So it really depends on what you want to do in the industry. If you want to design for a smaller company, chances are they won't be as demanding as the higher profile international corporations.

[EDIT 2]: While this thread is about getting a job in the video game industry, people seem to forget that it's also possible to form your own development team. How about advice on that sort of thing?

 

[PvtRyan]

And if you wanna learn Hammer:

http://cariad.co.za/twhl/wheretogo.php

Some excellent Hammer/Worldcraft tutorials.

 

[clarky003]

While this thread is about getting a job in the video game industry, people seem to forget that it's also possible to form your own development team. How about advice on that sort of thing?

lots of hard work, experiance, money, good ideas,,, and drive ,, and your on your way ,

but I totally agree larger companies will tend to ask for higher qualifications, it depends what your looking for,, I guess you could say that I just want to increase my chances. which if you can do,, I urge you to try