Create Lifelike Video Games in Game Design and Development

You’re driving your brand new Porsche at top speeds through a crowded city. You know there are police cars after you, but you don’t glance back as pedestrians scatter to prevent being hit. The sound of the engine changes as you push on the gas and suddenly…you crash. There’s a fiery explosion and the words “game over” flash on the screen. It’s just a video game. However, today, game design and development has evolved to a movie-like state where the characters, environments and concepts are more real than ever before. Imagine being one of the creative minds behind these innovative video games.

At Toronto’s Centennial College, you can take the Game Design and Development program to begin your exciting career. The program is 4 months and results in an Ontario College Diploma. To be eligible, applicants must present at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. Applicants must also complete the compulsory English 12C or U credit, a skills assessment or equivalent. Another requirement is a portfolio assessment. Pieces may include 10 to 15: life drawings, sketches, paintings, sculptures or digitally produced artwork. Preference for the Game Design and Development program will be given to applicants who can demonstrate some familiarity with one or more graphics applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, 3DS Max or Maya. Applicants who do not submit digital artwork will be tested to determine their level of computer proficiency.

Once in the program, students participate in courses that are balanced between game development and creative story skills. In fact, industry professionals and instructors developed the curriculum with a forward-thinking approach towards the next wave of interactive games. Courses include: Game Theory and Story Development, Environment Art Design, Integrated Media, Game Animation and much more. Small class sizes and a hands-on approach in labs that simulate real-world production prepare students for their final semester field placement. Students, as potential candidates for field placements, are expected to send their portfolios to a company of their choice. This is an important part of the professional experience that the Game Design and Development program teaches students. Once at the field placement, students use what they have learned on-campus and apply it to being part of the design team. Placement is also a great way to network and build a database of contacts.

Graduates of the Game Design and Development program, are ready to enter the field in a variety of positions. Common job titles include: game animator, character designer, environment and effects artist, level designer, 3D modeler/texture artist, character modeler, character animator and game concept artist. Of course, daily tasks for the positions vary, but they all involve creativity and innovation. For example, the primary role of the character animator is to be the “actor” behind the performance. Character animation is artistically unique from other animation in that it involves the creation of apparent thought and emotion in addition to physical action. Character animation is augmented by environment and effects artists, who create anything that is not a character, most commonly vehicles, machinery and natural phenomena such as rain, show, lightning and more. But an equally important aspect of video games is the “levels.” In Game Design and Development, the job of the Level Designer is to create levels that build upon the skills that the gamer has developed, while still offering enough difference to give the gamer variety and complexity. The level designer must carefully plan how the player will interact game. Clearly, all of the positions in this field are intertwined and depend on one another.