March 2011

VERONICA TUNZI, Staff Writer

Wish that you could play at work? Why not toy with the idea of working in the video game industry? It's full of winning possibilities -- but, beware, it's not all fun and games. Although playing a video game might be a common recreational pursuit, creating one is a complex and laborious task that relies on many different skills sets provided by a host of experts. A career in this field might be the right move for a passionate gamer looking to play and work hard.

The Games Industry in Canada
The Canadian games industry is booming. With games available for computers, game consoles, as well as handheld and mobile devices, players have many options to choose from. According to the Entertainment Software Association of Canada's (ESAC) 2009 Essential Facts report (PDF), entertainment software and hardware sales in Canada make up a $2.2 billion industry. ESAC's report reveals that 96 per cent of Canadian households own a computer and 48 per cent have at least one video game console (such as Xbox 360, Wii or PlayStation). The entertainment software industry in Canada is made up of 247 firms which provide 14,000 jobs and thousands more in related fields. As the first Canadian Video Game Awards were celebrated in 2010, there's no doubt that the games industry is on the upswing.

Canada is home to many video game companies, including two of the world's largest, Electronic Arts in Burnaby, B.C. and Ubisoft, whose main campus is in Montreal. With Ubisoft opening up a studio in Toronto, things are looking up for industry jobs in this city.

Working in the Industry
Depending on the job you do, there are two types of companies you might work for in the video game industry: developers and publishers. Developers are responsible for creating and building the games but typically don't market or distribute them. Publishers, on the other hand, handle the business side of the industry, including sales, packaging and advertising. Occasionally, publishers will hire teams to develop games.

On the whole, games companies offer a casual work environment. Many employees enjoy the informal dress code typical of these offices. Showing up to work in jeans and a T-shirt is perfectly acceptable.

Although the work can be fun and rewarding, these jobs can be stressful since employees tend to put in long hours. A common complaint amongst game developers is the prevalence of "crunch time," periods where staff members are asked to put in overtime (sometimes unpaid) to meet tight deadlines.

Being able to work as part of a team is an essential requirement for any game development job. Games are created and produced by a crew of professionals who need to be able to co-operate and share ideas to end up with a high-quality product. Excellent communication skills are key.

All employers in this sector ask that you have a keen interest in games culture, play video or computer games regularly and are familiar with a range of games and consoles. Additionally, jobs in this field demand a certain level of technical proficiency. It's essential to be familiar with or be willing to learn about specialized hardware, software and programs.

Key Game Development Jobs
Artists and Animators
If you're continually in awe of the impressive images and graphics featured in the games you play on your PSP, Wii or cell phone, you have artists and animators to thank. These specialists create the visual components of the game -- from the city street that forms the setting to the speeding car that zooms down the road to the central character who acts out the scene. Even finer details like lighting and textures need to be addressed to ensure that images are realistic and visually appealing.

Work within the artistic and animation field is usually broken up according to task. For instance, there are 2-D texture artists, 2-D conceptual artists, 3-D cutscene artists, 3-D character builders and 3-D character animators, as well as art directors and technicians. Depending on the particular role, artists and animators may sketch preliminary drawings, create storyboards for movie sequences, translate concept art into 3-D game characters, and create realistic humanlike characters. Some of this work may be done on paper, but the bulk of it will require knowledge of specialized computer animation programs.

There is a real wealth of educational programs available in Toronto for game artists and animators.

• Centennial College features a Game + Art Design Diploma Program.
• George Brown's Game Development Program allows students to specialize in game animation in their second year.
• Humber College's School of Media Studies and Information Technology has a Multimedia 3-D Animation Program.
• Seneca@York offers a Game Art and Animation Program, an Animation Arts Program, and a 3-D Animation Program.
• Located in Oakville, Sheridan College has many reputable animation courses including programs in Computer Animation, Computer Animation – Digital Character Animation and Computer Animation – Digital Visual Effects. They also offer a four-year Bachelor of Applied Arts – Animation and a four-year Bachelor of Applied Arts – Illustration.
• Max the Mutt Animation School, a private college in Toronto, offers two diploma programs for animators: Classical and Computer Animation and Concept Art for Animation and Video Games.

Completing an animation program will not only allow you to develop and refine the necessary skills needed to land a job but will also give you the opportunity to create a portfolio of materials you can show potential employers.

The International Game Developers Association reports that salaries for artists and illustrators range from $57,000 (an artist with one to two years experience) to $68,000 (a lead artist/art director with six or more years experience).

Game Programmers
Game programmers are computer software engineers or computer programmers who use programming languages such as C++ and C to write the computer code for video games. There are several types of programmers who tackle different tasks -- graphics and special effects, audio, artificial intelligence, multiplayer networking, and others. Often, however, programmers breaking into the industry may start off as junior or entry-level programmers and then later work their way up or specialize.

Programming is a very technical job that requires specialized training. Many programmers have a bachelor's degree in computer science or computer engineering. In Toronto, you can pursue studies at the University of Toronto, York University and Ryerson University.

Alongside a solid education in computer science, the best way to land a programming job is to actually write the code for a game. In his article "So You Want to Be a Game Programmer?" Ian Parberry recommends submitting "a fully functional game of about 10,000 lines of C++ code that has at least one and preferably several features not found in commercial games."

According to the International Game Developers Association, game programmers with one to two years of experience earn roughly $55,000, while more experienced programmers with six or more years of experience can earn around $85,000.

Game Testers
Once a game is designed and built, how do you know if it works properly? That's where game testers come into play. Believe it or not, companies hire people to play games that are still in development and provide feedback on their experiences. This might sound like a dream job for the ultimate gamer, but game testing is actual work that requires commitment and skill.

Game testers look out for software defects and glitches by playing every possible option and following every possible avenue in a game. This might mean playing the same level over and over and over again.

Game testers need to be able to pay acute attention to detail as they are expected to notice deviations from design and functionality. They are often assigned to pay attention to one particular minute problem until it is resolved. Excellent written and oral communication skills are a must since game testers will have to write reports and express their findings to other team members working on the game. Well-developed hand-eye coordination is also needed to play all those games.

Other than a love of games and experience playing a wide range of them, game testers do not require any formal training. Starting pay can be as low as $10 to $15 per hour, with salaries ranging around $25,000 to $40,000 per year and the possibility of increasing to around $50,000 with six or more years of experience. For someone who is dying to get into the games industry, starting out as a game tester is a great way to get a foot in the door.