Info on Working as a Video Game Designer in Orlando, Florida

Professional animators and video game designers all over Orlando, Florida are landing high-paying jobs in these popular, high-tech fields.  With a resident population well over 200,000, Orlando is ideal for people who seek careers in video game design.  Thousands of companies throughout the state of Florida hire for these positions.  A good portion of these jobs are in Orlando. 

Orlando Schools and Training Programs for Video Game Design

Some aspiring animators and video game designers major in computer science with emphasis on digital media.  Others earn programming degrees with special focus on animation.  Some are math majors with a minor in game theory.  Others design their own individualized curricula.

Orlando residents seeking degrees in interactive game design can attend Florida Technical College, Herzing University, Orlando Tech, University of Central Florida or the International Academy of Design and Technology, among others.  Similar training and degree programs are available online.  Among the largest schools offering online degree programs in animation and video game design are University of Phoenix, ITT Tech, The Art Institutes and DeVry.

Working as a Video Game Designer in Orlando

Incomes for video game design jobs vary depending on experience, education, effort, performance, productivity, networking and geographic location, among other factors.  In any case, animators and video game designers in Orlando, Florida can earn noteworthy paychecks working at jobs they like. 

Orlando businesses hiring for these positions include software publishers, mobile phone service providers, colleges and graphic design firms.  Some Orlando video game designers work for top local advertising firms like Cramer-Krasselt, Fry-Hammond-Barr, Push or Y-Partnership.  Other local designers work for Orlando movie producers like CDI Studios, Magnetix Group, Octane Entertainment and Transit Television. 

In many cases, a degree and related experience are prerequisites for professional work in animation and video game design.  However, many designers don't work for a firm, thanks to the never ending internet start-ups featuring (or wanting to feature) their own video games.  Professional animators and video game designers are often contracted for freelance consulting work.  They telecommute, make their own schedules and sometimes earn more than corporate designers with “real jobs.”. 

Recommended Skills for Video Game Designers

Video game designers conceive an idea for a game, make up the rules of the game and calculate a plausible scoring system.  Then they add special features like puzzles, mazes, traps, detours, bonus opportunities and other unique challenges aimed at keeping players engaged.  The designer then does the artwork or consults with professional animators and other graphic artists, in an effort to capture the visual style that best fits the particular game. 

Professional video game designers study math, engineering, computer science, communications, graphics, game theory, story lines, character development and many other related subjects.  The overall aim is to create realistic, action-packed interactive games, bursting with mainstream popularity.  The best of these strike a chord among gamers and achieve mass market appeal.