Thinking about a possible change in college majors

[Bravofiveone]

I have been thinking about changing my major from Game Design to Creative Writing for Entertainment for awhile now. But I am stuck at a crossroads and having difficulty at the moment. The deeper I get into Game Design the less I see of narrative media being applied. It is seen as window dressing to game mechanics and dynamics. If I want to do narrative media or Game Writing then I need to look at Creative Writing.

This is where I am stuck...Do I want to tell stories and create game worlds or create games?

[KaNtSt0PMeH]

I am at a similar crossroads. I will complete my Bachelor's in a couple months and I am wanting a Master's in something different but I am having a hard time narrowing it down to something specific.

My thoughts are if you are second guessing yourself you may want to see what the jobs are that those jobs involved with that degree. It may not narrow down your choices but it will give you an idea of a day to day job.

I would like the more literal side myself rather than the creative side but that's just because the way my mind works.

[Bravofiveone]

I had the same idea a looked on Indeed to see what jobs are open in the area for both.

GAME DESIGNER job available in HUNTSVILLE, AL.

JOB DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Army Game Studio (AGS) is in need of a Game Designer to collaborate with artists, programmers, government clients, subject matter experts and other game professionals to create interactive games, simulations, and training exercises. The successful applicant will have a strong passion for playing and designing games in Unity and/or UE3/UE4 and have the ability to create games for PC, console and the mobile space. Must have strong writing and comprehension skills for creating GDD's, evaluations, and reviews.

Development Responsibilities may include: I added the bold Black are skills I have and Red are skills I will have if I stay in Game Design

- Working with Unreal Engine 3, Unreal Engine 4, or Unity

- Creating visually compelling levels

- Developing game concepts and gameplay prototypes

- Design/document level layouts to aid gameplay design

- Terrain Sculpting and texturing

- Scripting and technical setup via kismet

- AI path and scenario setup

- Matinee, cinematic, and camera setup

- Lighting and other environmental effects

- Developing and testing next-generation assets in-game

- Supporting ongoing game production

- Testing, refining, and providing feedback for existing levels

Design Responsibilities may include:

- Creating, documenting, and communicating all elements of game design and mechanics

- Collaborating on story and design with subject matter experts to create challenging encounters within believable and exciting environments

- Maintaining and adapting design documents to reflect changing customer requirements and community feedback

- Working well in an agile development project cycle with an iterative approach to design and developmental milestones

- Effectively receiving and giving constructive criticism

- Maintaining effective working relationships with area leads, producers, project leads, stakeholders, and the development team as a whole

- Identifying design risks early in development and providing proactive solutions

- Creating game-play test plans for internal test-group and external beta-testers

- Leading play-testing and balancing. Working with QA to ensure that design is implemented as intended and army values are upheld.

Qualifications:
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Gaming Design or a related field(equivalent experience accepted in lieu of degree) and at least 4+ years of industry experience are required.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

- Strong analytical thinker who can communicate with peers as well as stakeholders

- Solid understanding of game design principles

- Excellent communication and team skills

- Proficiency with standard office software packages

- Exemplary written and verbal communication skills

- Able to write clear and concise documentation

- Self-starter with the ability to contribute to a team environment

- A passion for video games and willingness to support the US Armed Forces

- Some experience with game editing programs such as Unreal Editor, VBS2, Sandbox, or Hammer as well as 3D applications such 3ds Max or Maya

DESIRED SKILLS:

- Extensive experience the UDK and/or the Unreal Editor

- Software development experience and/or QA experience

- Published/distributed game level (Professional or Mod)

- Game industry experience including shipped title

- Familiarity with Unreal technology and art pipeline

- Working knowledge of 2D art tools, such as Adobe Photoshop

- Working knowledge of 3D art tools, such as 3ds Max or Maya

SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENT:
Ability to obtain & maintain a DoD Secret clearance is required. Candidate selected will be subject to a Government background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information and/or facilities.

SAIC Overview:SAIC is a leading provider of technical, engineering and enterprise information technology services to the U.S. government. Our 13,000 employees deliver systems engineering and information technology offerings for large, complex government programs, as well as a broad range of higher-end, differentiated technology services. The company is headquartered in McLean, Va.. For more information, visit www.saic.com.

Job Posting: May 22, 2015, 1:42:03 PM
Primary Location: United States-AL-HUNTSVILLE
Clearance Level Must Currently Possess: None
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Secret
Potential for Teleworking: No
Travel: Yes, 10% of the time
Shift: Day Job
Schedule: Full-time
Nearest Major Market: Huntsville
Job Segment: Engineer, Security Clearance, Graphic Design, Secret Clearance, Testing, Engineering, Government, Creative, Technology

[Bravofiveone]

Contract Fiction WriterDivision: Battlecry Studios (http://jobs.zenimax.com/locations/view/47) | Department: Design (http://jobs.zenimax.com/departments/view/4) | Location: Austin , TX, US
Responsibilities:


Implement engaging written fiction for BATTLECRY’s IP and backstory
Prepare internal documentation of history, characters, backstories, and world events
Prepare public-facing stories about the world of BATTLECRY
Work with creative leadership to drive forward the story and vision of the game’s world


Requirements:


Minimum of 5 years’ professional writing experience
Exceptional attention to detail
Strong self-management and self-editing skills
Ability to be successful and comfortable working with remote creative leadership
Ability to communicate across various creative teams within a game studio
Passion for gaming and wordsmithing
All applicants must submit writing samples to be considered


Pluses:


Experience developing story for new IP
Passion for historical, fantasy, and science fiction comics, movies, and other media


How to ApplyTo apply for this position you will be redirected to the job submission form at Taleo.com, our third-party applicant tracking system. While Taleo.com is not hosted by ZeniMax Media and does not fall under our Privacy Policy, only employees of our Human Resources department will be able to view your submitted information. Information collected via the job submission form is subject to Taleo.com’s privacy policy.

[Bravofiveone]

NARRATIVE DESIGNER
FableLabs - San Francisco, CA


Tired of writing narratives that are an afterthought? Or having to craft battles and boss fights into every story you write? Most free-to-play gaming studios treat stories and writers as afterthoughts; bolted on late in the development process. Get ready to have an opinion as our writers get an equal seat at the table and have tremendous influence over game design and product development. It’s a tough job; structuring non-linear stories that branch, converge and adapt over time. But when we succeed, we will have created characters and worlds that players felt they had a hand in creating. These stories will live on in their minds, other media channels and last far beyond our lifetimes. We love the fact that Vince Gilligan rewrote the Season Finale of Breaking Bad to keep Aaron Paul’s character alive after hearing the fan reaction in the first few episodes. If you don’t care what your fans think and purely want to create a piece of art that will appeal to an audience of one (yourself), this won’t be the place for you.

Your Responsibilities

Create interactive stories through episodic storylines, gameplay-driven narratives, cinematics and character dialog. Weaving gameplay into storytelling is a HUGE part of what you'll be doing day to day
Rapidly storyboard ideas in close collaboration with artists and not be afraid to adjust and start over
Be aware and sensitive to what resources are available and work within those constraints
You will own ALL text that touches players

Your Skills

You must play video games and understand interactive storytelling
College degree in screenwriting, creative writing, or similar
5+ years of professional writing experience, at least ONE in interactive
Ability to elicit player emotion and express complex topics in concise language
Ability to write punchy and engrossing dialog in different voices
Bonus points for comic book or episodic television experience and ability to write for the camera
You MUST have shipped at least 1 game

Application Details

Position is located in SOMA district of SF (close to Bart, Muni and Caltrain)
Top of the market salary, equity and full healthcare/dental/vision benefits
Please send us ( j obs@fablelabs.com ) one pdf of your resume, cover letter, and tell us about 1) a great storyline in a video game or 2) a story you could tell without using combat game mechanics. Did you know that 85% of applicants mention The Walking Dead and 75% will mention Journey? True story.

[Starfoxy32]

Can you double Major.?

[smoke]

If you can get a idea of several companies that offer interesting position for both sides, you can look at Glassdoor (http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm) to get an idea of salary ranged..

http://www.glassdoor.com

[Bravofiveone]

It seems that Narrative Designer is the job title they are giving for what I want to do now instead of Game Designer.

Job DescriptionWe Are EA
And we make games how cool is that? In fact, we entertain millions of people across the globe with the most amazing and immersive interactive software in the industry. But making games is hard work. Thats why we employ the most creative, passionate people in the industry.
Rebuild Springfield with the Simpsons. Score the winning touchdown. Fight Alien Invaders.
Yup - its the coolest job on the planet!
NARRATIVE DESIGNER
What A Narrative Designer Does At EA:
The Narrative Designer will bring the player's experience to explosive life in its story-telling mode, championing story to the team and ensuring that script, speech and story-telling devices are tuned to achieve a gripping emotional narrative experience.
You will create characters that game players fully embrace and bond to, and will capture emotional experiences that drive the story forward through non-linear storytelling techniques.
You'll work closely with other designers and producers to create game worlds where story is core to the player experience and will drive an innovative story vision that is central to one of EAs AAA titles.
The Challenge Ahead:
Your charter as a NARRATIVE DESIGNER at EA will include:


Partnering closely with other designers and producers to create game worlds where story is core to the player experience to drive an innovative story vision that is central to one of EAs AAA titles.
Collaborating with the creative, design, and production teams to conceive and develop fully realized, compelling characters and impactful story arcs.
Writing, developing and editing all narrative content, understanding story requirements and delivering on script goals.
Assembling story components including storyboard animation, sound design and music
Working with marketing to ensure a consistent tone for the IP and aide with marketing copy, trailers, and related assets.



Designing and aiding in the production of story-related gameplay/UI systems.

The Next Great EA Narrative Designer Needs:
Experience developing both linear and non-linear narratives in well-received, published games. You should deeply understand interactive storytelling and believable character development. Additionally you should have:
· 5+ years of experience on game development teams in narrative design, creative direction, writing and/or other aspects of design
· Deep experience with multidisciplinary teams, including art, engineering, production, audio, and marketing.
· Excellent writing skills with prose and screenplay/dialogue formats.
· Experience as a collaborative team player who understands good story ideas can come from anywhere on the team.
· Should not only be open to feedback, but have a tendency to seek it out proactively.
FinallyPASSION FOR SPORTS is a big advantage!

[Bravofiveone]

Job DescriptionHave you nearly thrown your controller through your TV when you hear the same four lines of mission dialogue every time you die repeatedly in a difficult section of a game? Do you get excited when an encounter is over, wondering what narrative is going to unfold before the next gunfight? Do you have an embarrassing, secret obsession for radio plays? If so, we have the job for you! Bungie is looking for a passionate, creative, and hard-working Narrative Designer to help us tell the story of Destiny.

As a Narrative Designer, you will be responsible for implementing in-game narrative experiences. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of audiovisual storytelling in an interactive medium and a deep technical understanding of game scripting. Youll be working closely with the Story Experience Director and Design Leads to implement systems and content to meet the needs of the narrative experience.

Responsibilities



Collaborate with the Story Director and Design Leads to implement in-game narrative sequences using Bungies scripting language and tools.

Work with animators, FX-artists, designers, spec-ops, and level builders to integrate narrative scenes into the flow of the gameplay.

Work with Engineers to improve our scripting language/tools to suit the needs of the Story team.

Push the boundaries of the player experience through the use of a variety of story-telling channels.

Iterate with directors and leads to meet quality and story goals.

Implement narrative sequences where the player retains control, understanding and avoiding the pitfalls that brings.




Requirements



Minimum 3 years game industry experience or one, shipped AAA game which had significant narrative components.

Prior in-game scripting/design experience.

Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python/Lua.

Functional understanding of Max/Maya.

Strong content debugging skills.

A natural ear and eye for pacing and drama.

Good understanding of narrative storytelling.

Good communication skills.

A willingness to take design direction when it is offered and collaborate with team members from different disciplines.

The focus and motivation to work independently when needed.

[iamthesgt]

I'd point out that most game designers make peanuts - it's better than it used to be but they tend to work a lot of hours for comparatively low wages. From what I've read, they tend to be the low wage earners on a game dev team.

[Bravofiveone]

Woot! It's official the VA approved my degree change from Game Design to Creative Writing for Entertainment.

[Brian]

Congrats!


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