Game Design as Career

Amy BultenaStanislaus County Office of Education

[email protected]

Gaming. . . As a Career?

Do you play any type of digital game?

•Did you know that you are developing career skills by playing digital games?

•The #1 requirement to become a game designer is to be a gamer.

Game Designers. . .

• Play games

• Must be able to work as a team

• Can Be• Artists• Designers• Programmers

• Have a bachelor’s degree• Computer Science• Software Engineering• Graphic Arts / Design• Multimedia Design

• Make on average $70,000.00 / a year

3 main roles for a Game Designer

Lead Designer-team leader / management-usually good at computer

programming, storytelling, and art

Level Designer-Creates level by level play-usually good at computer

programming and art

Content Designer-creates story, backgrounds, & characters

-usually good at storytelling and art

A Day in the Life: Video Game Designer• https://goo.gl/v7uQKk

Digital Gaming Then & Now1986 2017

What is 8-bit animation?

• 8-bit refers to color

• Each pixel is represented by one 8-bit byte

• The maximum number of colors that can be displayed is 256• Less colors = less detail

• Images are often blocky or pixelated

• It was one of the first methods used to put color on computers and in video games

• 8-bit animation uses 8-bit colors and makes the images move

The original Legend of Zelda uses 8-bit animationhttps://goo.gl/VWPFb8

The original Legend of Zelda uses 8-bit animation

Today, you are a Content Designer• Legend of Zelda is doing a reboot to

the original, 8-bit design• New levels

• New villains

• New lead characters

• Goal is still to rescue Zelda

• Design a new lead character (in 8-bit style) for Legend of Zelda• Things to consider

• Size?

• Appearance?

• Weapons?

• Vulnerabilities?

• Health?

Today, you are a Content Designer

• Design a new lead character for Legend of Zelda

• Must be in 8-bit style

• You CANNOT copy an existing image from the internet etc.

• You CAN look at other images for ideas.

• Coloring will help!

Animate a new lead character for an 8-bit animation reboot of Legend of Zelda

It can be simple or complex.

Let’s watch a demonstration!• https://goo.gl/sZmQWG