Online Video Game Development Degree Programs

For most gamers, a career in video game development seems like the ultimate prize--a chance to get paid for their favorite hobby. The work environment at video game development companies is usually laid back, with flexible hours and no dress codes. But don't let the casual environment fool you: this is a highly competitive industry, and you're not being paid to play, you're being paid to work. Hard. As deadlines approach, the pressure to deliver can grow intense, and working hours will often greatly exceed 40 per week. And most jobs in video game development are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act with respect to overtime pay.

Video Game Development Jobs

All video game enthusiasts are familiar with this scenario: you finish a video game's final level, watch the final cut scene, and then are treated to five or ten minutes worth of closing credits. It probably took fewer people to film Lord of the Rings, but this illustrates both the complexity of producing a video game and the breadth of careers available in the video game industry.

Programmers handle the technical coding that makes games run, a job made more difficult by that fact that video game platforms--and the game code they run--change every few years. Designers provide the creative vision, including game storylines, graphic design, and game interface. Game testers look for faults in the gameplay that would limit end users' enjoyment of their product, as well as evaluate whether gameplay is too easy or difficult.

Degree Programs for Video Game Development

There is a stereotype of video game developers as counterculture nonconformist types who make the jump from high school hacker to high-paid guru. The truth, though, is that the vast majority of people working in the video game development industry, including most of the field's pioneers, are college graduates. But unlike those pioneers, aspiring developers today can get a college degree in video game development.

In addition to the technical aspects of game design--programming and software development--degree programs also include study in writing, graphic design, and art. Many also include coursework in management, as video game development is the result of a large team effort (remember all the names in those credits?). Video game design and development degree programs are now offered at numerous colleges, universities, art schools and technical institutes, as well as via online degree programs.

Career Prospects in Video Game Development

The video game industry is booming, with highly anticipated video game releases now typically raking in more money in the initial week following their release than Hollywood blockbuster films. This boom is expected to continue. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth in the software development industry as a whole will grow at three times the rate of industry as a whole over the next decade, with much of this growth spurred by the video game industry. The median salary for video game developers is $73,000, although competition for these jobs is fierce and jobs are typically concentrated in areas where the cost of living is much higher than the national average.

• Technology & IT