The Games Game

Level Up to Level Design (January 2009)

Dear Tom,

My goal is to eventually work as a game designer, and I've been working to break into the game industry through programming. But it's been very hard. I'm not a stellar programmer. I managed to graduate, so at least my resume's got that going for me. I'm also pretty artistic. Not that great with faces and bodies, but I can draw decent landscapes and cityscapes if I do say so myself. But I've read your previous columns where you said I need to specialize. Design is my passion (but I know that's not entry-level), and there are a lot better artists than me, so programming seems to be my main strength.

While I've been trying (and not succeeding) to get hired as a junior programmer, I've been hearing about level design. Some people have recommended I try to break in that way. I haven't been able to get a clear picture of what that is, but any way I can break in sounds good to me. Question is, how do I go about it?

Triple Threat

Hi Trip,

Yes, it sounds like level design is exactly the right way you should go. A level designer is part game designer, part programmer, part environment artist.

The programmer part of you can deal with scripting languages so you can set up scripted events in your levels, and can conceptualize the more abstract aspects of building levels - materials and lighting, for instance. Materials and lighting tie into the artist side of you too. But the design side of you can lay out a play arena that'll be fun to play. All three (programming, art, and design) come to play in level design.

Since you've already been to college, now all you have to do is start modding. Get some PC or Xbox games that come with editing tools, games created using moddable engines. For example, Half-Life (Quake & Quake 2 engines), Max Payne 1 and 2 (MaxFX engine), Morrowind (NDL 3d), Neverwinter Nights aka NWN (Aurora engine), Quake (Quake engine, of course), Half-Life 2, Left 4 Dead, Portal (Source engine). Basically, most recent games done by Bethesda Softworks, Crytek, Epic Games, id Software, Relic Entertainment, and Valve Software. Check out the XSI Mod Tool if you're interested in making XNA games for PC or Xbox. And learn to do scripting via Lua, UnrealScript, and Python.

I can already hear your next question: "You named a lot of choices. Which one is best?" Don't bother asking that. Just get whatever you can and start fiddling around with it. I once saw a guy on a newsgroup who asked a question, and somebody said "try modding." The guy asked for details, and among the listed options was a game that he'd just gotten rid of! Maybe you already have a moddable game in your software library. If you do, why wouldn't you just dig into that and see what you can do with it?

Then you can build a nice portfolio of mods. Revamp your résumé to position yourself for level design, and you'll be all set to apply for entry-level level design openings in your area. You do live in an area where there are numerous game companies, of course...? If not, you've got some more leveling-up to do. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)