The video game industry is a multibillion-dollar business. It’s also a competitive one. Many studios are looking for new talent in order to create the next big game, but sometimes those looking for jobs don’t have the qualifications needed. If you’re an aspiring game developer with no degree, don’t worry—there are still plenty of roles available for you! Here are five video game career choices where the companies will pay you to play games without needing a college education:
Animator
An animator is someone who creates the characters and animations for video games. They also create visual effects, such as fire or rain. Animation is a great video game career for those who are creative and passionate about computers because it can be rewarding to see your work come to life on screen.
An animator needs to be able to animate characters, objects, environments (like forests), and anything else that moves in a game world. An animator might also do some modeling work if they’re creating 3D models from scratch rather than using pre-existing ones from another company like Blizzard Entertainment or Rockstar Games Studios (the creators behind Grand Theft Auto).
Audio Engineer
If you’re interested in working with sound effects and music, an audio engineer can be a great video game career choice. Audio engineers work on video games, film projects, and many other forms of media.
The job of an audio engineer is to create and edit sound effects, which includes recording live sounds from things like musical instruments or nature (e.g., birds chirping) and modifying them digitally so they can be used in games or movies. They also compose original pieces of music for video games or movies using software tools such as Pro Tools or GarageBand. The latter being software that comes pre-installed on Mac computers!
In addition to having technical skills related specifically to editing audio files on computers at home or work stations at studios where people make movies/TV shows/video games etc., it’s important that all good candidates also possess problem-solving skills since every project has its own unique challenges when it comes down.
Game Tester
Video game testers are the people who play games and report bugs, glitches, and other issues. They may also be responsible for creating user guides and documentation and testing the game’s performance on different platforms. The job description includes the following:
- Playing through all levels of a game, looking out for any problems or errors with gameplay or graphics
- Reporting these findings to developers so they can fix them before the release
Game testers must have good communication skills as they often work closely with other staff members developing the game (such as programmers). A good eye for detail is also important, as this helps you notice problems that might otherwise go unnoticed by others.
Level Designer
Level designers are the people who create the maps and worlds that players explore in video games. They’re responsible for a level’s aesthetic and gameplay aspects, which means they need to be creative and detail-oriented.
In order for players to enjoy their time playing your game, you need to make sure that each level is fun and challenging enough so that players don’t get bored too quickly or frustrated with it if they fail at certain tasks. At the same time, though, you also want each stage’s difficulty curve to be gradual enough so that new players can learn how everything works without getting overwhelmed by too much information all at once (and we know from experience just how frustrating it can be when someone dies because they didn’t understand some basic concept).
Game Writer/Designer
Game writing/design is a video game career that doesn’t require a degree. Studios can pay you to write and design games, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. You’ll need to know how to code, draw, and create music and sound effects. And if you want to work in the video game industry as anything other than an artist or musician (which are more common), then you’ll need some great skills in those areas too.
You might think this means that becoming a game writer/designer is out of reach for people who don’t have college degrees. However, options are still available!
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand what it takes to become a video game designer or writer. While many people think you need a computer science degree or programming degree to enter the industry, that’s not always the case. Plenty of other options exist for those who want to enter this field!