What Qualifications do You Need to be a Game Designer in India?
It’s an exciting time for game designers in India at the moment, with statistics showing that the games market industry has grown to $51 billion (US) in the Asia Pacific region, up from $43.1 billion in 2015. One area in which India is shining in particular, is outsourcing; as games become significantly more sophisticated in terms of graphics, quality, immersion and aesthetics, costs are increasing, and developers are turning to countries like India for two reasons: lower costs, and a larger talent pool. Outsourcing also enables companies to have access to a large specialized work force – for instance, in game testing. The median salary for game designers is around Rs 582, 102, though you could earn as much as Rs1M or more, if you overwhelm employers with your talent and skill. In order to attract the very best players in the field, it is important to obtain the right qualifications, either at home or abroad.
A Degree in Game Design
If you want to become a video game designer, talent will only get you so far. Companies are seeking candidates who are knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects, including animation, visual effects, storyboarding, 3D design, culture and languages, project management, and more. The very best colleges for game design teach courses incorporating all the more creative aspects of design, as well as coding and programming, which will enable you to translate your ideas into playable prototypes and use software to achieve desired features, instead of letting the software itself determine the direction of your game.
Being within a college environment will also help you broaden your skills – you are interesting in game design now, but you might wish to get into development or even entrepreneurship in future years. Therefore, many students undertake combined courses, enrolling for business and economics subjects as a way to pursue management levels positions in the company of their choice.
A Future In Industry
Top companies are also interested in hiring college graduates because of the number of team-based projects they undertake in college. As a game designer, you will have to work alongside developers, fellow designers, and clients, and working as part of a team is an important skill you will need to succeed in what has come to be a very competitive environment.
If you have always had an eye for design and coding is a skill that almost comes naturally, game design may be an interesting career choice. With India now one of the top choices for outsourcing, you will have the opportunity to design and test games, but also possibly increase your employability overseas. College will also give you the opportunity to work in a team, and to take up additional subjects which will be useful if you wish to one day start or manage a company.
Jackie Edwards