HOME

MEDIA CAREERS

by krisie <3

Different media industries

CREATIVE MEDIA

Creative industry sectors are fairly new to the millennium; with the rise in demand of art and design, and the rise of technology in the new age- artists.

More creative people alike are given the opportunity to create a career and build wealth in something they are truly passionate about.

The creative industry is made of 16 major sectors

Creative Sectors

CULTURAL EDUCATION

Cultural education is personal development using forms of cultural expression, arts and playing. It is a prerequisite for cultural participation. It is general education because it enables children and young people to relate to themselves and to the world through playing, arts and culture.

computer games cs

COMPUTER GAMES CREATIVE SECTOR

I decided to research the gaming industry because gaming is a fairly large part of my personality and was a big part in me deciding to become a software engineer in the future.

The video game industry is rapidly growing and the jobs in this industry are extremely varied- they range anywhere from marketing to publishing, design and coding, animation and even tech support! However, even though this industry is still growing and developing, it is highly competitive to get into.

COMPUTER GAMES CREATIVE SECTOR

qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

All job roles in this industry requires the following skills (some more than others);

Creative thinking
Attention to detail, especially in finding faults and bugs in new video game systems
Ability to stay up to date with current gaming trends
Excellent verbal communication
Ability to write code and understand computer programming
Initiative
Analytical thinking skills for software testing
Ability to use a computer and related software
Passion for games and the gaming industry
Complex problem-solving skills

And one or more of the following qualifications;

Computer games technology
Computer games development
Games design
Programming
Computer science
Interactive media
Mathematics

You must also have 2 or more A levels in order to apply for university to study these courses, and you must have one or more A levels in order to apply for a higher national diploma or foundation degree if you wish to go this route.

You can also do college courses;

A level in computing
T level in digital production, design and development
Level 3 diploma in creative media

To study these you need at least 4 GCSEs grade 4-9 including the core subjects and a creative subject.

Or an apprenticeship in;

Software tester higher apprenticeship
Software developer apprenticeship
Junior 2D artist apprenticeship

In order to gain experience in the gaming industry you can start at entry level jobs such as a quality assurance (QA tester), these jobs normally require someone who spends a lot of their free time playing video games and also has an extensive knowledge on how games work, different platforms and the basic technical and computer skills. As they are entry level jobs they tend to pay around 20k-25k a year.

There are many jobs that contribute to the gaming industry and a vast majority of them work together in order to create an easy experience for the consumer, however I will be talking about the 5 job roles that most people think of when referring to the gaming industry.

jobs

COMPUTER GAMES CREATIVE SECTOR

games designer

A GAME DESIGNER

A video game designer creates additional features for both new and existing video games. They work closely with the development and testing departments to think of new concepts, characters, settings, storylines and gameplay. Game designers use their creative thinking to develop different scenarios that keep games interesting and to attract new customers. They also write and code to create different games.

This job role is one of the most important, they plan and think out almost every element of the game, making sure that they are all interactable with each other, going back and forth between teams to ensure the ability. Many workers’ weeks consist of around 40-70 hours, with crunch periods going up to 80-100 hours a week- unpaid overtimes are expected here as well.

Speaking of paid time, game designers tend to make around 40k-80k a year, with the higher salaries being reserved for the more experienced. Once gatheri this experience you could of course apply to the higher paying job or potentially get promoted to a senior designer or the lead designer. The difference between the two being how many projects they oversee, the lead designer tends to overview only one project- whereas; the senior designer oversees more than one.

comp prgrammer

COMPUTER PROGRAMMER

The computer programmer designs, builds and maintains software systems and computer infrastructures. Other responsibilities are using coding languages to build and debug programs, testing and building computer structures, writing computer instructions, editing source-codes and applying updates to systems according to users' needs.

With covid 19 more and more programming jobs have the ability to be remote, however many still require the employee to show up at the office- possibly for meetings, group discussions etc. It’s very common for a computer programmer to work typical 9-5s with the weekends of which average around a 40 hour work week, with the crunch periods averaging up to around 60 hours a week; which in comparison to the game designers, doest seem all too bad.

Computer programmers tend to make around 60k to 120k a year! With, of course, the higher salaries reserved for the more experienced. Entry level programmers may earn a salary of 55k-70k which may seem high, however; many programmers must be fairly experienced in the coding languages, unity and other game (making) platforms, shaders and parts of the pc in order to acquire a job in this sector.

soft dev

APPLICATION DEV / SOFTWARE DEV

An application developer, also known as a software developer, creates and modifies coding for software or mobile applications. Their main duties include customising software systems for certain computer or phone programs, designing prototype applications, testing source codes and troubleshooting current software or mobile applications to add updates.

With software development becoming increasingly hard as the years go on and with more and more coding languages being released by the day, being a software developer means that it’s a week of endless stress despite working very average hours. Once again the average software developer works around 40 hours a week, a typical office 9-5, but unlike the programmer; a software dev’s hours during crunch period can increase to up to 80 hours a week!

With software development being a highly sought after role in many workforces and the general complexity of the job, software dev’s make around 60k (entry level) to 170k (experienced) a year.

audio engineer

Audio engineers use different types of sound equipment to enhance, record, create and edit sound on various media forms, such as radio, television, video games, music or film. Other responsibilities are assembling sound equipment for events or studio recordings, selecting the right mixing and sound equipment according to client needs and preferences, designing various audio systems and troubleshooting sound equipment regularly to ensure it operates properly.

Audio engineers are a very important but very overlooked part of the game development team. They construct the music, sound effects and other noises needed for the game that create immense amounts of immersion that would not be felt if the game was played on mute. This part of the team spends around 10-15 hours working a week, however this can increase to around 40-45 hours during crunch periods due to the changes made in the game that require a complete overhaul of the already pre-recorded audio, or the addition of extra elements that need to be worked on.

AE’s make an average of 40k-115k a year give or take depending on the game and the complexity of the audio needed.

animator

ANIMATOR

An animator uses computers, software systems and other technical devices to design moving images that relay certain messages, information or stories. Their main duties include creating storyboards, reviewing writers' scripts to accurately tell stories, altering animations according to clients' needs and presenting final designs to clients.

Animators also play a major role in game development, without them the game would be still and not moving at all. With the complexity of blender and other model making programs, animators have around 40 hour work weeks and 60-65 hours during crunch period.

Animators make around 50k to 150k depending on the amount of animation needed for the 3d or 2d aspects of the models and of course the experience of the animator.