TrueStar Staff 
Do you play video games for hours? Would like to make your own video game? Would you like to get paid for the video games you design?
If you answered “yes” to more than one of these questions than a major in video gaming may be the right direction for you. I know that was a very educationconnection.com-like introduction, but it’s all facts. The world of video gaming is continuing to grow every year and the masses are wanting in on this market.
Parents can no longer tell gamers there’s no money in playing video games all day. Even colleges are paying more attention to their video game enthusiasts. They are encouraging all you video game lovers to major in a branch related to video gaming.
This may seem crazy to some, but it isn’t that far fetched. Technology is the face of our world and they’re isn’t much we can do without it. With colleges trying to be relatable as possible and keep up with the times, this was bound to happen. Video gaming has become so popular among students that there are about 20 colleges with Varsity eSport programs.
Those who play video games for hours now have curriculums designed to educate them on the fundamentals behind the video games they love to play.
Curriculums vary from college to college, but there are some common themes among them. As an example let’s use Champlain College as a reference. Hailing as a one of many schools that takes video games super serious, Champlain College, located in Burlington, Virginia, offers students a range of degrees surrounding video games. They offer game art, game design major, game programming, and game production management.
Some of their courses include: game art fundamentals, 3-D modeling, game production, 2-D game art, intro to game programming, python programming, advanced programming, game systems and experience design, game technology, matrices, vectors and 3-D math, game architecture, artificial intelligence for games intermediate graphics and animation programming, intro to game development management, financial management, marketing & the organizational mindset, and project management & team leadership.
After finding the perfect major, the next step is finding a job that aligns with the skills you’ve obtained throughout your college career. A lot goes into making a video game and it takes a team to make a great game. There are several positions to be held from game designer to market research analyst to audio engineer to software developer.
After finding your dream job, the very next thought is how much money can you make in the chosen field. According to Payscale, on average, game designers make $63,666 a year. In comparison, a market research analyst can make $78,825 a year. An audio engineer can make around $49,428 a year and a software developer makes about $70,703 a year. Nowadays it’s even possible to make loot just playing the games, like 16-year-old Fortnite champ Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf who won a cool $3 mill. this past summer.
So, in an industry where there is plenty of money to be made, let your creative juices flow and work towards making your gaming dreams into a reality that pays.
By Triniti Maye, Sophomore, Saint Xavier University
Instagram: @thatssotrin
