Tips on Becoming a Video Game Designer in Chesapeake, Virginia

Thousands of career seekers in Chesapeake,Virginia are landing jobs as animators and video game designers.  With a population of well over 220,000, the city offers many such employment opportunities.  Numerous companies throughout the state of Virginia hire video game designers.  A great many of these jobs are in Chesapeake.  

Chesapeake Schools and Training Programs for Video Game Design

Residents of Chesapeake, Virginia have many options in the fields of animation and video game design.  Some aspiring designers are computer science majors with emphasis on digital graphics.  Others earn programming degrees with special focus on animation.  Some are math majors minoring in game theory.  Chesapeake locals earning degrees in interactive game design typically attend DeVry.  Similar training and degree programs are also available online.  The largest schools with online degree programs in animation and video game design are University of Phoenix, The Art Institutes, ITT Tech and DeVry.

Working as a Video Game Designer in Chesapeake

Animators and video game designers in Chesapeake, Virginia can amass considerable wealth doing work they truly enjoy.  The pay rate for these high-tech jobs will vary depending on experience, effort, talent, ability, productivity, networking and geographic location, among other factors.  The reported 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, although this data does not account for the unreported incomes of self-employed professionals. 

Employers in Chesapeake, Virginia hiring animators and video game designers include software publishers, mobile phone service providers, colleges, graphic design firms and animation studios.  Some designers work for top local ad agencies like Auto Traders, Cahoon & Cross, Press Pass Agency and WSKY Channel 4.  Other designers team up with Chesapeake motion picture producers like First Frame Productions, Allied Video, Bumblebee Productions and Broadcast Group. 

Entry level positions in animation and video game design typically require a degree and related experience, although exceptions are frequently made.  Employers generally will hire whoever they think will get the job done well.  Many video game designers don't work for firms, thanks to the virtually infinite supply of start-ups with websites featuring (or wanting to feature) their own video games.  Video game designers often are freelance professionals, setting their own pace and telecommuting from anywhere.  They contract independently with corporations.  Some invent and sell their own games.  Some design game-related websites.

Recommended Skills for Video Game Design

The primarily job of a video game designer is to create a game with logical rules and a plausible scoring system, then enhance the player experience with puzzles, booby traps or other clever challenges aimed at keeping players engaged.  The designer also either creates the artwork or hires a professional animator, and selects color schemes and visual styles appropriate for the game.  A designer also runs play-testing sessions, hoping to gather some insight regarding a game's potential for commercial success. 

Professional animators and video game designers study communications, math, computer science, engineering, graphics, game theory, story lines, character development, marketing, promotion and other topics.  Their best efforts are trained on developing realistic, action-packed interactive products infused with mainstream popularity.  Video game designers crave mass market appeal, in hopes that their games become best sellers.