Entertainment and devices.

[kanadajin]

So i've been trying to discover which jobs fall into the Entertainment and devices category. And I've had no luck.

I was researching different types of jobs at Microsoft, because they were intriguing to me. And a SDE(software design engineering) isn't my thing, all that SLOC is to confusing.
Game testing would be a dream job, however seemingly hard to obtain at a place like Microsoft. However is still one of my options.

I attempted to ask my friend but his answer was quite pitiful. After a long discussion it basically ended with me saying "I'm not going to go to college and study
"Entertainment and Devices."

Anyway the Entertainment and Devices division is what attracts me however besides Marketing Manager I have no idea what types of jobs fit into that category. So if anyone has any idea could you please shed your knowledge

Thank you.

[Dehitay]

Entertainment and devices is so broad a category that almost any kind of job can be jammed into it. You're going to have to be a bit more specific about what particular items from this category interest you. Video games? Animation? Motion Pictures? Singing? Robots? AI? Remote Control? Virtual Reality?

If video games are your primary interest, game testing certainly would be fun as hell, but a difficult job to get. I'm sure you can imagine how many people want that job. There's another number of jobs related to them though. Marketing, graphical design, programing, plot and writing, mapping and technical design, evaluation, debugging and troubleshooting.

[kanadajin]

Yes Basically video games is what I'm aiming for.
I know VG testing would be a really hard job to get, and that's why I'm straying away from that area however if I ever did have the opportunity I would jump at it. I was also reading how video game testing at Microsoft is hard to get in particular because their game testing team is fairly small.

The real question is can you live and support a family by testing games. Obviously you're only going to get paid while testing a game, do you get paid hourly? Or do you get paid a certain amount after testing the game. What happens when there are no games to test(I'm sure that happens very rarely, but It could, right?)

I would like to, create the story line(or help), make the characters(not designing them, just creating their identity). Basically just all the ideas for the game, like which level is which, all the secret areas, what the maps will look like without actually having to make them, etc... I guess that would be plot & writing.


I'm going to search up what exactly the other jobs are, I know their basic responsibilities but I'm sure there's more to them than my knowledge of them. Also the job category's such as virtual reality. I have no idea what Al is, I've guessed what remote control is but I'm uncertain. So I'm going to do some research right now.

Thank you very much, by the way.

[richvh]

It sounds like you're interested in game design... most of the things you mentioned fall into that category.

[kanadajin]

Don't game designers just program characters and levels?
Basically all the visuals.

[two_heads_talking]

Don't game designers just program characters and levels?
Basically all the visuals.

simple answer? no that is not all they do.

game designers are responsible for all the of game development. so, within this department are lots of different sub departments.

they design the maps, character development (from their background, to their skills, looks, sounds, etc) storyline arcs, npcs, boss mobs (the big guys at the end of each level or story arc.) etc. etc...

[kanadajin]

Don't game designers just program characters and levels?
Basically all the visuals.

simple answer? no that is not all they do.

game designers are responsible for all the of game development. so, within this department are lots of different sub departments.

they design the maps, character development (from their background, to their skills, looks, sounds, etc) storyline arcs, npcs, boss mobs (the big guys at the end of each level or story arc.) etc. etc...

But are they the ones who decide what the boss is going to look like, what the maps are going to look like, etc... Or do they just create what they were instructed to create?

[richvh]

But are they the ones who decide what the boss is going to look like, what the maps are going to look like, etc... Or do they just create what they were instructed to create?

The designers design all those things. The artists and programmers implement the designs. The testers try to find out what isn't working as designed - usually on far from completed projects.

[Harisenbon]

And just as a little note, people do not get to be game designers (at least for large companies) right out of college.
Most people in the games industry want to design their own games, but it doesn't work like that. You have to go through the rank and file, prove yourself in other areas before some company is ready to take you on as a full designer.

The designer has to know about all aspect of a game's design, from the visuals to the interface to the physics to the programming rules itself. If the designer doesn't know what can / cannot be done, he's not going to be able to correctly lead all the people he has working with him on the project.

It might be best to research this more on a game design forum than on a Japanese one.
There are also a number of really good books written on the subject, including a huge 800 page tome called "The Art of Game Design" that I used to use back when I was in the gaming industry. I don't know if it's still around, but it was a good starting place for me.

[kanadajin]

Lmao, it's not necessarily game design i'm interested in, it's just an option, and I'm aware you're not going to be at the top as soon as you're done University or college. Similar to all (or most) jobs.

I've been searching for game design sites, to tell em more about it... But I can't find any. I haven't thought of searching for forums, perhaps i'll do that now.

I would love to work in the games field or "Entertainment and devices" However my options seem somewhat limited. Not that there isn't many jobs, just many I'm not interested in.

Anyway i'm off to look up some forums
Thank you.