Game Design and Development

Several certificate and diploma programmes in game designing are offered by various institutions. Advanced Diploma in Game Design; Diploma in Game Design and Gaming; Video Game Design and Development Certification; Video Game Design and Development etc. are some among the courses. The minimum eligibility required for most of these courses is 10+2 or its equivalent. For becoming a Game programmer, one should have B.E/ B.Tech degree in computer engineering. Online programs are also available in game design and animation. Those with an inborn desire to learn gaming and excellent technical skills can excel in this field.
Good working knowledge of the game designing software's is a must for a career in game industry. Once you decide on the platform - I.e 2D or 3D you want to pursue, you should get familiar with its applications - 2D designing software's such as OR 3D applications like 3D Max/ Maya/ XSI, Light wave 3D, Cinema 4D etc and computer graphics, data structures etc. They should also be exposed to art, literature, philosophy and history as it helps to create games with specific cultural touch to a particular region/country or people living in various parts of the world.

Game programming involves taking the design specifications of the game designers, integrating the art and sound, and translating it all into a playable game. Doing this requires a lot of mathematics, logic and computer skills, particularly in the area of programming languages like C/C++, scripting languages and application programming interfaces or APIs.
The programming of a game is a complex endeavor and includes the following:
Mapping the terrain of the game environmentImplementing artificial intelligence for non-player charactersConnecting player input via the controller to the events happening onscreen
Its no wonder that programmers account for a huge proportion of employees at any given game studio. There are also a number of sub-specialties within game programming, which may include these (among others):
Graphics programmingNetwork programmingAI programming
A game designer differs from a programmer in that this is a much more holistic and creative career than a programming career. Game designers have an innate knowledge of what gamers want in a game, and they possess the ability to see the big picture as far as a particular game goes. They study how the game will work and flow from start to finish. Some designers have experience as programmers or as software developers, but not all have knowledge of graphic design. On the job game designers accomplish the following:
Create the structure of the game, how it will be played and what its rules will beCollaborate with all members of the team to successfully bring the game to marketDevelop the games layout, concept and gameplayCreate and manage product documentationEntry-level designers may focus on simpler tasks, such as level design or object placement in the game