Rising career options in gaming industry

The Gaming Industry is booming internationally. With more than 2.34 billion gamers, this fastest-growing entertainment industry never fails to attract teenagers as well as young adults to get hands-on experience. However, behind the gaming consoles lies the groundwork of game development organizations. There is a rising demand for professionals in this field and if anyone has the right skills and drive, their enthusiasm and passion for gaming can also be turned into a successful career.

Here are 7 career options that can put the gaming streak in young talent to the right use.

Games artist or designer

For someone who is brimming with new gaming ideas and can come up with creative concepts that can eventually take the face of a video game, a Game Artist or Designer is the right role. A Game Designer comes up with the main concept of the game and works in tandem with the development, programming, animation, and audio engineering team to develop storylines and characters. Their KRAs also include doing initial market research to know which concept would actually be unique and at the same time can get the right and desired attention from the audience.

Preferred qualification: A Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Game Designing.

Game developer and programmer

The Game Designer comes up with the vision of the game but it is the Game Developer or Programmer who does the groundwork and converts it into a playable format. As an integral part of the whole team, they write the code as per features and functionality of games and design software keeping in mind the aim to provide a seamless and realistic gaming experience.

Preferred qualification: A Bachelor's degree in Game Programming or Development is the most preferable road. However, a BTech degree in Computer Science would also be good to go.

Game play tester

Although people assume that the job of Game Tester is just to play games all day long, their main responsibilities include quality assurance of games, identifying bugs, and suggesting improvements to the programmers. Their work entails enhancing the quality and gaming experience of their product before it steps down into the market.

Preferred qualification: B.tech/BE in Computer Science followed by a professional certification from the Indian Testing Board or equivalent reputed organization.

Game animator and visual artist

The ability to create gaming characters that comes to life visually can land an individual a successful career in the gaming industry as a Game Artist or Animator. These enthusiasts are in charge of creating realistic 2D and 3D images of characters, scenery, and objects present in the product and use them to create graphics in the game. Specifically speaking, the artists design the characters mostly in raw form and later animators give shape to their mold using computer graphics and create lifelike characters with realistic visuals.

Preferred qualification: Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics or Art or Animation or Illustration.

Audio engineer

From the screechy noises of sirens to the ambient sounds such as car vrooming, they all are created by Audio Engineers or more commonly known as Sound Designers. They add a realistic touch to the in-game experience through soundtracks and effects. While this may sound like a cushy job, it requires lots of research and development from the candidate's end. As each game has a unique plot and genre, the prime job of Audio Engineers is to find that unique essence and encapsulate that through soundtracks in the game.

Preferred qualification: Bachelor's degree in Sound Engineering or Audiography.

Interpreters and translators

Needless to say, to make a game successful in the global market, it is essential to curate it as per international audiences, in short words "localize it". The prime role of interpreters and translators is to make a gaming product available in multiple languages in order to increase its reach. Broadly speaking, Interpreters are in charge of converting the dialogues of gaming characters into languages understood globally. Whereas, translators convert the documentation and instructions presented in the game to other languages so that they can be marketed in the global market.

Preferred qualification: There are no hard and fast rules as of yet as this career option is not very common.

Market research analyst

You don't necessarily need a technical background to grab a job in the gaming domain. Even marketing professionals can find work in a variety of ways within the gaming industry. A market research analyst uses their research skills to analyze the core industry and its key trends and use this data for carrying out various campaigns which are significant for the gaming product's reach and success.

Preferred qualification: A Bachelor's degree in Marketing or Statistics

The Gaming Industry is ever-bustling. Neither the players nor the makers are abandoning this promised land in the near future. With that in mind, here is my take on careers in the gaming industry that put the creative streak to the right use and at the same time help young talent to stay connected to the technical sides of the field.

(The author is CTO at Innovana Think Labs)