What's a game designer's job all about?

I'm super interested in video games and thinking about becoming a game designer after school. What do they actually do day-to-day, and what skills should I start picking up now?

As a game designer, you would be at the heart of the video game development process. Your main responsibilities would include defining the game concepts, mechanics, storylines, and character biographies. Game designers often work in collaboration with artists, coders, sound engineers, and other game development personnel to bring a game to life, so it's a job that involves a significant amount of cross-functional communication and teamwork.

On a day-to-day basis, your tasks would vary, ranging from designing unique game characters and their environments, creating different levels of a game, writing design specifications, or collaborating in team meetings. You might also be required to adapt to changes in the game design based on player feedback during the testing phase.

As for skills, a strong foundation in computer science and programming languages such as Unity or Unreal Engine is fundamental. Additionally, being familiar with various software tools for 3D modeling and animation, such as Blender or Maya, is beneficial. However, game designing isn't only about technical prowess but also about creativity and storytelling. Developing your narrative skills will enable you to create compelling stories for your games.

Moreover, you should aim to regularly explore and play different types of video games to understand varying game structures and mechanics. This could provide you inspiration for your own designs and allow you to stay in tune with emerging trends in the gaming world.

Lastly, critical thinking and problem-solving skills are important as well, since the development process can involve many technical challenges that must be navigated to create a successful video game. This could include brainstorming ways to improve player experience or troubleshooting design related issues.