Gaming industry
"The gaming industry is estimated to be worth $ 100 billion globally and is the largest segment within the entertainment industry; standalone, it exceeds the movies or music segments. The Indian gaming industry is currently valued at over $300 million or approximately Rs. 2000 Crores. With a population of 1.3 billion people and two-thirds of them under the age of 35, India has the world's largest youth population. With this distinct advantage, India has the potential to become one of the world's leading markets for gaming.
Gaming as profession
Gaming is not only one of the fastest-growing markets in India, it is also becoming a career option of choice for a vast number of talented young students from diverse backgrounds. Game Art professionals are in great demand across the globe. The result is that there is huge employment potential for young aspirants within India as it develops as an outsourcing hub for international gaming companies.
Career options in the gaming industry range from Game Animation, Game Art Creation in 3D and 2D, Game Design, Game Testing, Game Programming, Project Management, as well as General Management positions.
Courses for Gaming
Students looking to make a career in the field of game art should consider applying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program from a good university followed by a good training program that is taught by professionals who can share their knowledge and give hands-on training on tools, techniques, and processes.
Since there are so many different fragments of this industry, it takes a while for students to discover what field is suitable for them and this usually comes through trial and error therefore it makes sense to enroll in a generalized game art program that provides fundamental training and exposure to each of the areas to enable the student to get a more thorough understanding of what skills are required to work in that area.
College / Institute –
- Era University, Lucknow
- Gujarat University, Ahmedabad
- Arena Animation, Bangalore
Job Roles –
GAME DESIGNER
Game Designers are responsible for devising what a game consists of and how it plays. They plan and define all the elements and components of a game: it's setting; structure; rules; story flow; characters; the objects, props, vehicles, and devices available to the characters; interface design; and modes of play. Game Designers are employed by development studios, both independent and publisher-owned. The current industry climate means that most conventional publishers and developers are increasingly risk-averse. There are no specific entry requirements for Game Design roles, but most new entrants to the industry are graduates.
LEVEL DESIGNER
A level designer is a game designer who creates environments and scenarios using a level editor and other tools. Level designers will usually work on a level from pre-production to completion; working with both incomplete and complete versions of the game. Game programmers usually produce level editors and design tools for the designers to use. This eliminates the need for designers to access or modify game code.
GAME PROGRAMMER
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebases for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines all of which fall under the umbrella term of a game programmer. A game programmer should not be confused with a game designer, who works on game design.
CONCEPT ARTIST
Concept Artists produce the illustrations that help Production Designers to realize their vision for games. They usually work on big-budget games. Concept Artists may also be involved in the development process, producing a series of illustrations that help to sell the product.