2 answers
Joriel
Student
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
1
Question
Asked
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How do I get into the game design industry?
Hi there!
I'm an incoming college freshman, and i'm wondering if anyone has tips and tricks for getting into the game design industry. Would it be best to develop a portfolio of character sheets, or focus more on developing game demos and modding?
Thank you!
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2 answers
Fasi Uddin Mir
17
Answers
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Updated
Fasi Uddin’s Answer
Hi Joriel,
It's great that you're thinking about this before starting college. Early focus can really help you gain momentum.
For game design roles, game demos and small playable projects are usually more important than character sheets. Here's why:
Game designers are judged on how they create experiences, not just visuals. A playable demo shows your thinking—how mechanics work, how players interact, and how you solve design problems.
Character sheets are useful if you're interested in art or character design. But for game design, studios want to see:
- How you create gameplay systems
- How you structure levels or challenges
- How you consider player experience
Focus on simple, playable projects and improve them over time. Here's what helps when starting:
- Build small games and finish them
- Try modding existing games to learn how systems work
- Learn basic tools like Unity, Unreal, or Godot
- Reflect on your designs to understand what worked and what didn’t
Don't wait until you feel "ready." Start small and learn as you go. That's how most people enter this field.
Remember, game design is broad. You might find you enjoy systems design, level design, narrative design, or something else. Early projects will help you figure that out.
By focusing on building and finishing small projects, you'll be doing what many successful candidates do before graduating.
Choose one game engine (Unity, Unreal, or Godot) and follow a beginner tutorial to build your first small game.
Create a simple playable demo (even a basic level or mechanic) within 2–3 weeks.
Try modding a game you enjoy to understand how existing systems are built.
Start a portfolio (a simple website or shared folder) to showcase your projects and what you learned.
Play games actively—take notes on mechanics, level design, and what makes them engaging.
It's great that you're thinking about this before starting college. Early focus can really help you gain momentum.
For game design roles, game demos and small playable projects are usually more important than character sheets. Here's why:
Game designers are judged on how they create experiences, not just visuals. A playable demo shows your thinking—how mechanics work, how players interact, and how you solve design problems.
Character sheets are useful if you're interested in art or character design. But for game design, studios want to see:
- How you create gameplay systems
- How you structure levels or challenges
- How you consider player experience
Focus on simple, playable projects and improve them over time. Here's what helps when starting:
- Build small games and finish them
- Try modding existing games to learn how systems work
- Learn basic tools like Unity, Unreal, or Godot
- Reflect on your designs to understand what worked and what didn’t
Don't wait until you feel "ready." Start small and learn as you go. That's how most people enter this field.
Remember, game design is broad. You might find you enjoy systems design, level design, narrative design, or something else. Early projects will help you figure that out.
By focusing on building and finishing small projects, you'll be doing what many successful candidates do before graduating.
Fasi Uddin recommends the following next steps:
Thanks, can't wait to put this advice into action!
Joriel
Brandon Dang
244
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Brandon ’s Answer
I would say the best way is to develop your portfolio, but it also kind of depends on what exactly you are trying to do. I am part of an indie gaming development group, where the main purpose is to advertise their games but also have challenges where people have a limited amount of time to create a demo game based off of a set theme. With most of the people that I see in that group that job hunt, they mainly show their portfolio with what it is that they worked on. For the people that only say that they have specific skills but with no references or ways to show their work they typically don't have as many people interested. A lot of the time, teams will ask for references for their work.
Thank you so much for the answer! The indie gaming companies are very captivating to me, and I'd like to ask if you have any advice on specifically finding indie studios? Also, how often do you see degrees in your field? I'm currently going for software engineering and game design to have flexibility.
Joriel