Info on Working as a a Video Game Designer in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Many thousand job opportunists in Albuquerque, New Mexico seek careers in animation and video game design.  With more than half a million residents, the city offers limitless opportunities in this lucrative, high-tech field.  In fact, most jobs for animators and video game designers in New Mexico are located in Albuquerque. 

Albuquerque Schools and Training Programs for Video Game Design

Some aspiring professional animators and video game designers major in communications with special focus on digital media.  Others learn programming languages with emphasis on animation.  Some are math majors with a minor in game theory.  Many more are self-taught. 

Colleges in Albuquerque offering degree programs in Animation and Video Game Design include Art Center Design College and University of Phoenix.  Many more training options are available online.  The most prolific colleges with online degree programs for video game designers are University of Phoenix, ITT Tech and DeVry.

Working as a Video Game Designer in Albuquerque

The salary of an animator or video game designer varies depending on the experience, effort, talent, ability, performance, productivity, networking and geographic location of the designer, among other things.  According to a recent employment statistic, an animator or video game designer in the United States earns anywhere from $35,000 to more than $200,000 per year.  Unfortunately, the study that came up with this result failed to factor the salaries of those who are self-employed. 

Albuquerque businesses hiring animators and video game designers may include software publishers, mobile phone service providers, colleges, universities, graphic design firms and animation studios.  Some designers work for local ad agencies like Comcast Spotlight, Edithouse Productions, Crossroads and Esparza.  Others team up with local motion picture producers like Film Yard, Trident Media and Alpha-Omega Broadcasting.

A good video game designer will increase a company's revenue by developing successful, high quality, innovative video games.  Business owners invest time and money in choosing designers from a growing pool of qualified applicants.  Although employers prefer a degree and related experience even for entry level positions, they do occasionally hire self-taught professionals and gifted, highly motivated beginners.

Designers who are born self-starters can be their own bosses, thanks to an infinite bounty of start-up companies and websites seeking interactive game features.  Video game designers work as freelance professionals, setting their own pace and telecommuting.  Some of them contract with corporations and private businesses.  Some design and sell games independently.  Some build game-related websites. 

Recommended Skills for Video Game Designers

The role of the average video game designer is to devise a well-structured set of rules, calculate a playable scoring system and enhance the game with sounds, special effects and unique challenges.  These might include puzzles, mazes, traps, maps, detours, obstacle courses and other surprises.  Designers will often program a game with a time limit and ever-increasing difficulty levels, along with specifying the speed and motion of the images. 

The designer also creates the artwork (or gets a professional animator to do it), then chooses a color scheme and visual style appropriate for the game.  Mechanical Engineers manufacture a prototype of the completed design, so the game can be presented to investors.  The prototypes is used by the designer in play-testing sessions to help determine a game's potential for commercial success. 

Serious animators and video game designers may study math, computer science, fine arts, digital media, communications, game theory, character development, commercial trends and many other relevant topics.  The aim is to create top-quality, fun-filled, action-packed best-sellers, exploding with mass market appeal.