Video game technology has improved dramatically, but creative games are still hard to come by

 

Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Plato’s Republic. Machiavelli’s The Prince. Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. To many, these works are considered the classics—some of humanity’s most enduring accomplishments.

 

Others, however, look to a different classical canon. Pong. Pac-Man. Duke Nukem. Halo. Grand Theft Auto. These hardcore gamers scorn the scholars of old, embracing instead the pixilated prose of video game designers. Many long to rise up out of their parents’ basements (just kidding…) and join their ranks as creators of virtual worlds.

 

The market is now primed for a new breed of video game developers. An article appearing on CNET yesterday discussed the stagnation in video game development, noting that

As time goes by, we’re quickly realizing that the video game industry is becoming derivative. We’re being washed out by first-person shooters that don’t break the mold and sports games that are barely updated each year.

With a variety of new consoles released over the past two years, game developers will be looking for designers willing to break the mold of tradition.

 

In order to satisfy the demand for careers in video game design, several online and brick-and-mortar institutes have created programs that cater to the ambitions of would-be video game designers. While it is certainly difficult to set oneself apart in such a competitive field, the Art Institutes offer a well-respected video game design program. Other online educators in the field include Penn Foster and ICS Canada. It’s important to shop around and research the reputation and quality of the program in order to avoid ending up with a worthless degree.

Tags: Career Education, Non-Traditional Students, Online Education