Animation is a filming method where still pictures or objects are connected together to appear as visual motion in animated films such as Beauty and the Beast or cartoons such as Family Guy.

Similarly, a career in gaming involves creating computer games like Warcraft or Resident Evil on various mediums such as gaming websites, gaming consoles, smartphones, portable gaming devices, and so on. Both careers involve education, various jobs, and networking techniques.

Which educational path to choose?

Animation and gaming education is categorized into formal or informal education. Most people are familiar with the formal process of enrolling in a trade school or college to learn animation know-how. However, you could obtain an internship at a specific animation studio and work your way up to becoming an animator instead. Your selection should be based on the availability of funds, support, and time.

What is the career outlook for animators and video gaming?

Animation employment is projected to grow by 4% from 2018 to 2028 and requires a bachelor’s degree. The minimum salary for animators is $30k a year, which is around $15 per hour. Since this is a creative occupation, animators will need to develop a portfolio of their work that is usually digital in nature. Moreover, by networking with classmates, teachers, professors, and professionals, you can market yourself and your skills for internships.

Likewise, a video gaming career also benefits from using unique business cards. One gaming career, video game design, is expected to grow by 8 percent within the next 10 years. However, other video gaming careers have been in decline since 2004. Another consideration in pursuing a gaming career is that most gaming jobs are located in California, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York.

Important entry-level video game jobs

Video game testers or beta testers are an excellent way to get your foot in the door of the video gaming industry. This a one of the better ways to learn how video games work from the inside by working closely with the development team.

Customer Support Agent is another way to get gaming insights and earn a living. With customer support, you learn about games, consoles, developers, and other parts of the gaming industry. Another overlooked entry into the video gaming industry is through composing or playing music. You can really stand out in this capacity by playing three or four instruments.

Major video game careers

Multimedia artists and animators work for the video gaming industry as well as in films, television, and cartoons. Specifically, there are many job titles for both animators and video games. Let’s continue to focus on the video gaming industry for now:

• Video game designer – The game analyzer, designer, communicator, and project person works with business and gaming software as well as gaming producers, programmers, and artists to create a popular game that will be a hit.
• Video game Q&A tester – They play an unfinished build of the game until it’s ready for beta testers. They debug the build with reports and coding to complete the game and increase its quality.
• Video game programmer – You will use programs like C++, C#, or Java to code the various parts of the game into a usable video build. You will also be part of a larger team of programmers with several programming sub-specializations like:
  • Server code
  • Combat characters and AI
  • Player input and movement
  • Physics
  • Graphics
  • Tools and pipeline

• Video game animator – This is a very large field that includes many different types of art besides animation. Some of the jobs are:
  • Environmental artist – Creates gaming worlds.
  • Character modeler -Creates 3D models of gaming characters.
  • Character animator – Creates animations from the 3D models of the character modeler.
  • Concept artist – Envisions and plans the game’s world and characters.
  • User interface (UI) artist – Designs and draw the menus and other navigational features of the game.

• Video game audio engineer – Usually a self-taught artist, there are music schools available to jump into this career path. They usually obtain contract positions from contract audit firms and staffing agencies. They use specialized hardware, software, audio libraries, and live music recordings to supply the game’s sounds.
• Video game producer – As a video game producer, you’re responsible for the project management of the gaming production. You’re the link to the stakeholders of the gaming project and company and will work with studio directors, publishers, the marketing department, accounting, the legal team, and so on.

You can enter the animation and gaming industry through many channels and activities. You can graduate from an accredited college, obtain an internship, or even by being self-taught. No matter what way you choose to enter the animation and gaming industry, networking with unique business cards will help you impress your potential co-workers and managers.