I have wanted to make video games since I was a kid, though there have been many other things--movies, books, acting, writing--that have intrigued me immensely enough to want to be part of them. When I was a kid, I used to come up with all kinds of ideas for games. I wrote down an idea for an alternative sports stunt game with Nintendo characters, Spider Man, and tons of other creations, a couple beat-em-ups with Looney Tunes characters and the old cartoon series Darkwing Duck, and an idea for what could simply be called the longest friggin' RPG ever conceived. (Okay, maybe not, but that was the idea. :) )
As all this should suggest, the most natural fit for me is a position as designer. I love coming up with unusual ideas that haven't been done before. I also believe this would work better because I personally have a great deal of trouble doing programming on computers, and the designers--though I'm sure they need to understand programming to an extent--don't need to program nearly as often as most of the other professions call for. I'm also a very good writer. At least, if those around me are to be believed, and narrative is an essential part of being a designer. In general, being able to create my own ideas for games is something that just makes my mouth water, so yeah, designer is definitely the position I would choose if I could.
That being said, the chance to participate in making a commercial game in almost any fashion is one that I'd happily embrace. Being able to do artwork for a game as an Artist is something I'd enjoy participating in, as is the Level Design and the Sound Design. In fact, as a designer of the game, I'd probably insist on helping in the other departments as well, just because I consider those aspects to be such a necessary part of creating the designer's vision. The only two positions I think I'd be hesitant about--though not hesitant enough to refuse--are the Programmer and Tester. The programmer's job is one that I hear is not very pleasant in the gaming industry, as they tend to be worked to the bone to get code written. Furthermore, the programmer has little to no say in what the actual content of a game is, effectively making him/her a very secondary position to the creation process. Instead, the programmer pretty much just takes orders from the designers and then has to find a way to please them. There is little time for the programmer to "play around." The Tester, meanwhile, might not be quite as difficult or boring a job as the Programmer's, but as before, testers tend to get worked extra hard and they tend to have very little say in the creative process, though they DO at least get to provide input on whether a game is fun to play.
I love entertainment to death, especially gaming, and the chance to create something that will give people the goosebumps, adrenaline rushes, senses of wonder, and joys that I've experienced so many times is one that makes me glad I'm in college taking this course and working towards a degree that will hopefully employ me in the industry some day. I hope I can become a designer, but if I can become ANYTHING in the industry, that will be enough to satisfy me. BOTTOM LINE: I'd love to be a designer, but I'll take any position you're hiring for, sir! :)
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