Info on Working as a Video Game Designer in Hartford, Connecticut

Lately, hundreds of qualified job applicants in Hartford, Connecticut have landed high paying positions in the fields of animation and video game design.  With a population around 125,000, Hartford has a multitude of high-tech jobs to offer.  Companies throughout the state of Connecticut hire animators and video game designers.  Many of these jobs are in Hartford.  

Hartford Schools and Training Programs for Video Game Design

Animators and video game designers in training often take communications with special focus on digital media.  Others learn programming with emphasis on animation.  Some major in math with a minor in game theory.  Some even design their own degree programs.  There's more than one way to learn the skills needed to be a video game design pro.

Residents of Hartford, Connecticut seeking degrees related to video game design typically attend Capital Community College.  Other schools offer professional training and degree programs online.  These include University of Phoenix, The Art Institutes, ITT Tech and DeVry.

Working as a Video Game Designer in Hartford

Animators and video game designers in Hartford, Connecticut can potentially earn elite incomes doing jobs they actually enjoy.  However, there's more to video game design than playing video games.  Employers invest time, effort and money into selecting top design professionals from an ever-increasing pool of qualified applicants.  Many employers require a degree and some related field experience, even for basic entry level positions.  There are, of course, exceptions to the rule.  Employers are also known to hire self-taught professionals and highly motivated beginners. 

Generally, the salaries for these positions varies with experience, effort, performance, productivity, networking and geographic location, among other factors.  The income for a video game designer living in the United States can range anywhere from about $35,000 to well over $200,000 per year, and this figure does not factor in the unreported salaries of self-employed designers. 

Businesses in Hartford, Connecticut that hire video game designers include software publishers, mobile phone service providers, colleges, graphic design firms and animation studios.  Some Hartford designers work for top local ad agencies like Go Media, Planet 12, Prime Media or Seccion Amarilla.  Other designers work for Hartford motion picture producers like Czar Productions, High IQ Media, Motion Incorporated or Tiger Eye.   

Designers who are self-starters do not always work for a firm, thanks a continuous incoming supply of businesses and websites in need of interactive animation.  Video game designers often work as freelance professionals, setting their own schedules and telecommuting to work.  Some contract with corporations.  Some invent and sell their own games.  Some build interactive websites. 

Recommended Skills for Video Game Designers

The video game designer conceives and outlines a game idea.  The designer then creates a set of rules, devises a scoring system and enhances the game with special features like audio-visual effects and unique challenges.  These might include puzzles, mazes, traps, detours, obstacle courses and other surprising twists.  Most video games are programmed with a set time limit and ever-increasing difficulty levels.  The designer then creates the artwork (and/or consults with professional animators) to capture the  visual style most suitable for the game. 

Video game design specialists study math, computer science, game art, digital graphics, communications, engineering, media trends and other relevant topics.  The aim is to create realistic, fun-filled, action-packed best-sellers.  The video game designer's loftiest goal is mass market appeal.