Info on Working as a Video Game Designer in Irving, Texas

Nowadays, crowds of eager job hunters in Irving, Texas are finding high-paying positions as animators and video game designers.  With a resident population of well over 200,000, Irving is an ideal place to seek these high-tech careers, especially considering its convenient commuting distance to the major city of Dallas.  A large number of video game design jobs in the state of Texas are located in and around Irving.

Irving Schools and Training Programs for Video Game Design

Many colleges in Irving, Texas offer degree programs in animation and video game design.  Students pursuing careers in this field are often computer science majors with emphasis on digital graphics.  Some learn programming with focus on animation.  Some are math majors who minor in game theory. 

Aspiring video game designers seeking professional degrees in Irving, Texas often attend DeVry.  Dallas schools offering similar degree programs include the University of Texas and the Art Institute.  Other training and degree programs are available online.  The largest schools featuring online degree programs for video game designers are DeVry, The Art Institutes, University of Phoenix and ITT Tech.

Working as a Video Game Designer in Irving, Texas

The pay rate for this type of work varies depending on experience, effort, talent, ability, productivity, networking and geographic location, among other factors.  According to a recent statistic, the average annual salary for an animator or video game designer in the United States ranges from about $35,000 to more than $200,000 per year.  However, this data fails to account for the unreported incomes of countless self-employed individuals.  In any case, professional animators and video game designers can potentially earn big paychecks doing something they truly enjoy. 

Companies in Irving, Texas hiring for these positions include software publishers, mobile phone service providers, colleges, graphic design firms and animation studios.  Some designers in Irving work for top local advertising agencies like DG Fastchannel, Marketing Technology Group, Weber-Shandwick and Numantra.  Others work for local movie producers like Berg, CRM Studios, DNA Productions, Provista and Paramount Production Support.   

A great number of animators and video game designers are freelancers who set their own schedules and telecommute.  They often contract with corporations, or design and sell games independently, or build their own game-related websites.

Recommended Skills for Video Game Designers

A video game designer invents a game, creates a set of rules and devises a plausible scoring system.  The designer then enhances the game with puzzles, mazes, booby traps or other clever challenges aimed at keeping the gamer intrigued.  The designer also creates the artwork (or hires an animator), and chooses a color scheme and visual style appropriate for the game.  A designer also hosts play-testing sessions to help determine a game's commercial potential. 

Successful professional video game designers study math, computer science, engineering, graphics, game theory, story lines, character development, economic trends and many other relevant topics.  The goal is the development of realistic, action-packed interactive products with true universal appeal.  The video game designer's highest aspiration is mass market popularity.