What You Need to Know to Be a Video Game Designer in South Carolina

An ever-increasing number of video gamers around the world are landing enviable jobs as Animators and Video Game Designers, which are are among the most lucrative careers in today's job market.  The skills required for this high tech occupation appeal as much to mathletes and competitive techies as to multimedia artists who can now earn quite a decent living at their craft.  Many different businesses in South Carolina hire Animators and Video Game Designers.  Many of these jobs are located in Charleston and Greenville.  However, similar employment opportunities exist throughout the state, as well as in the neighboring states of Georgia and North Carolina. 

South Carolina Schools and Traing Programs for Video Game Design

Several Colleges and Universities in or near South Carolina now offer degree programs in Animation and Video Game Design.  Some game designers major in Computer Science with special focus on Digital Graphics.  Others earn Programming degrees with emphasis on Animation, or Math degrees with emphasis on Game Theory.  State schools offering degrees related to Interactive Game Design include South University in Columbia and The Art Institutes campus in Charlotte.  Commutable out of state options include University of Phoenix in Savannah and Augusta, Georgia and Greensboro, Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina.  Training opportunities and degree programs are also available online. 

Working as a Video Game Designer in South Carolina

Hard working Animators and Video Game Designers can can earn hefty annual incomes doing what they like to do.  As you might expect, the rate of pay for this type of work varies depending on experience, effort, talent, ability, production, networking and geographic location.  The average annual salary for an Animator or Video Game Designer in the United States is reported to range from about $35,000 to more than $200,000 per year.  However, this data fails to account for the unreported incomes of many million self-employed Americans. 

Companies in South Carolina hiring for these positions may include software publishers, mobile phone service providers, colleges, universities, graphic design firms and animation studios.  Some designers work with local ad agencies like Erwin-Penland, Sunday Catalog or Henderson.  Others work for local motion picture producers like PDA, Mad Monkey or Digital Media Communications. 

As a rule of thumb, employers hiring for this line of work require a degree and professional experience.  However, employers are often known to hire dedicated, talented, highly motivated beginners.  Anyway, you don't have to work for a firm, thanks to a astronomically huge number of of private companies and websites featuring (or wanting to feature) their own interactive animation.  Video Game Designers can find ample opportunities as freelance professionals, setting their own pace and telecommuting.  Some secure gigs as independent contractors for corporations and private businesses.  Some create and sell their games independently.  Some build game-related websites.

Recommended Skills for Video Game Designers

A Video Game Designer dream up an idea for an original video game, or perhaps invents a game based on an existing game.  The designer decrees a set of rules and calculates a plausible scoring system, then enhances the game with a series of compelling puzzles, sneaky tricks, booby traps and other surprising audio-visual challenges.  The game is usually programmed so the difficulty level increases with each successive challenge.  The designer then creates the artwork and/or consults with professional Animators to capture the most fitting visual style for the game.  The designer also runs play-testing trials featuring enough players to give some idea of the game's potential for commercial success. 

Animators and Video Game Designers study Math, Computer Science, Fine Arts, Digital Graphics, Communications, Game Theory, Story Lines, Character Development, Marketing, Promotion and other related subjects to create the best high-quality, realistic, action-packed interactive products.  The ultimate goal of a Video Game Designer is mass market appeal.