Computer game industry careers

During the Industrial Age, iron and coal dominated the U. So where have all the jobs gone? When the Information Age swept in during the late 20 th century, our economy was met with swift change, transitioning from a dependence on traditional industry to a reliance on computers and digital information. As the demand for automation and enhanced technology continues to rise, paths have been paved for an influx of technology jobs for which we need skilled digital natives—computer enthusiasts like you.

Growth of computer and technology careers is becoming more and more industry-agnostic. From high tech and business to healthcare and even manufacturing, there are plenty of computer-related jobs to choose from. Keep reading to get a taste of the types of computer jobs out there. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS projects employment of professionals in computer and information technology careers to increase much faster than average, with 12 percent growth projected through Big data engineers spend their work days communicating with business users and data scientists with the goal of translating business objectives into workable data-processing workflows.

These positions require a robust knowledge of statistics, experience with programming and the ability to design and implement working solutions for common big data challenges.

Digital pros who land a position like applications architect are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise while also excelling in areas like planning, coordination, communication and teamwork. These professionals are tasked with designing major aspects of the architecture of an application, providing technical leadership to the development team, performing design and code reviews, ensuring enterprise-wide application standards are met and more.

A web developer is the person responsible for the building and maintenance of a website. Put simply, database administrators use specialized software to securely store and organize data, ensuring that data is both available to users and secure from unauthorized access.

Additional duties include identifying user needs to create and administer databases, testing and making modifications to database structure as needed and merging old databases into new ones. Because many databases contain personal and financial information, database administrators make security a top priority. Computer hardware engineers are tasked with designing, developing and supervising the production of computer hardware like keyboards, modems, printers, computer systems, chips and circuit boards.

Their duties are similar to those of electronics engineers, although they focus exclusively on computer technology, with tasks like designing blueprints of new equipment, making models of new hardware designs, upgrading current computer equipment and supervising the manufacturing of new hardware. Conversely, computer software engineers focus their work on designing and developing software used to control computers by utilizing the principles of computer science and mathematical analysis.

Data security analysts use their thorough understanding of computer and network security, including aspects like firewall administration, encryption technologies and network protocols, to perform security audits and risk assessments on behalf of their organizations, make recommendations for enhancing system security, research attempted breaches of data security, rectify security weaknesses and formulate security policies and procedures. Quality information systems security managers provide leadership, guidance and training to information systems security personnel.

This requires a strong technical background in tandem with excellent interpersonal and management skills. Typical duties include reviewing, implementing, updating and documenting information security policies and procedures within an organization, in addition to ensuring that legal and contractual security and privacy mandates are adhered to.

While jobs in technology continue to rise in prevalence, so too do jobs in the healthcare field. Health information technology HIT is an excellent way to blend the two, launching your career in the midst of rapid growth. That comes down to the system designer…. System Designer Career Path: Given the already advanced nature of modern consoles and the lightning fast rate at which they continue to advance , system designers these days almost always hail from a computer-related engineering and industrial design backgrounds.

Pros: If you dream in circuitry and have no qualms about spending hours reading up on semiconductor theory just to get 0. Game Designer Right at the bedrock of the production process is the game design itself, with one or more designers working tirelessly to devise concepts and bring them to life to form a playable experience. Game Programmer The designer dreams it up, and the programmer makes it happen… in theory, at least. Creative Game Director The chief in charge of shaping the artistic vision for the entire game, and one of the most senior positions on the development team in terms of responsibility for the overall quality of the game as a whole.

Game Artist Working directly under the creative director, the hierarchy of artists mainly comprised of a lead game artist and those working beneath him or her collaborate with the designers, programmers, and animators to create the visual elements of the game. Pros: A good entry-point to a further career in programming or game design.

That comes down to the system designer… System Designer Career Path: Given the already advanced nature of modern consoles and the lightning fast rate at which they continue to advance , system designers these days almost always hail from a computer-related engineering and industrial design backgrounds.

Summer Camps. Camps for Teens Camps for Kids. They give voice to characters, create sound effects, and record background music. Writers fill multiple roles within the video game industry. Scriptwriters create the stories upon which games are based and write dialogue for the characters. Technical writers create the accompanying documentation and instructions.

Interpreters convert characters' dialogue into other languages. Translators change instructions and other documentation from their original languages to others. Their work is what allows companies to market games to an international market.

Game testers provide quality assurance QA for the companies that produce video games. They make sure games function correctly, and that instructions and documentation are clear. They identify problems and bugs and report their findings to designers and developers. Technical support specialists are the link between video game companies and the public. They staff call centers where they help customers who have problems operating games and related equipment.

Support specialists answer questions via phone, online chat, and email. Video game producers tend to the business and financial details involved in developing products and getting them ready to be marketed to consumers.

They oversee all personnel and keep production of games within time and budget constraints. Marketing managers coordinate video game publishers' marketing activities. They formulate a strategy for selling their products to consumers, including deciding where they will sell them and how they will promote them. Market research analysts design surveys that they will use to determine prospective customers' buying preferences.

Animation creates the personality of the character through facial and body movements. Background artists create the background and draft it out on paper. Game artists need visual imagination.

They find their inspiration by observing, studying movies, comics, and fine art. They love to experiment with new ideas. Most have formal training in fine arts or an arts-related field. They may study drawing painting, color theory, sculpture, and graphic design. To create the right mood for the game, sound designers must work very closely with the game designers to provide the right music and sounds to enhance the players' enjoyment of the game.

To be a designer you must possess excellent communication skills, have a strong ability to write, and be able to communicate ideas clearly. Sound designers must be musically creative and have some familiarity with all kinds of different music. Sound designers must also understand the basics of computer hardware and software and understand the work of the programmers working on individual projects. A degree in music and a basic understanding of music theory and composition are also very helpful if not a requirement for the job.

At the end of the entire process, the game will need to be tested. Testers are the people who play the games for a living yes there are those kinds of jobs. Testers begin by looking for errors in the overall design and are responsible for working out the bugs prior to the game being sent to production. To be a game tester, there are no major requirements. Of course, an interest in playing video games for hours on end with an ability to spot errors that occur in the game is the minimum of qualifications.