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Plugging into the field of fantasy

Hugely popular electronic game industry opens doors to a host of
in-demand jobs

By Diane E. Lewis, Globe Staff, 5/2/04

Globe Staff Photo/Tom Landers David Eckelberry is a games system designer at Turbine Entertainment Software in Westwood. Turbine is relying on a team of artists, engineers, game designers, and computer programmers to create new online games. Globe Staff Photo/Tom Landers Michelle Sullivan at work on an online game at Turbine Entertainment Software in Westwood. Turbine recently opened a development studio in Santa Monica, Calif.

Getting paid for playing computer games is no longer a fantasy.

That's what Kim Payson does. Payson, a content designer at Turbine Entertainment Software, an electronic games company in Westwood, is a part of a team that writes new adventures for Asheron's Call, the company's online fantasy game.

''We rigorously test the product to make sure it works," said Payson, 33. ''We'll play the live version from our computers at home. Then, at work, we'll play the version that we're still working on."

With US computer and video-game software sales in the billions of dollars last year, game designers, 3-D animators, artists, network engineers, computer programmers, auditory specialists, and marketing professionals are all in demand, say industry specialists.

''The commercial game space has become huge," said Steve Bauman, editor in chief of Computer Games Magazine in Vermont. ''These companies now operate a little like film studios, with big budgets. A lot of them need 3-D artists and engineers."

Bauman said the industry should average growth of 10 to 15 percent this year as children, teens, and growing numbers of adults flock to electronic games for entertainment and, in some cases, educational purposes.

The Entertainment Software Association, which represents computer and video game software publishers, reports that sales of computer and video games climbed to $7 billion in 2003, an increase of 8 percent from the previous year.

The hugely popular electronic game industry includes the creation of online interactive fantasies that require a computer and Internet connection as well video games like Nintendo's Super Mario Brothers, which can be played on a television set or console without any online connection.

But while the industry is flourishing, only a handful of colleges offer certification in interactive or electronic gaming, though some offer a combination of courses for IT students, artists, and others interested in entering the field.

One is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which last year launched a comparative media studies degree for undergraduates to complement its existing master's program. Henry Jenkins III, the John E. Burchard professor of humanities and director of MIT's comparative media studies, said students often carry a double major, combining computer engineering or another major with media studies.

As part of their studies, comparative media students develop electronic games for the Education Arcade Project, a consortium of international game designers, publishers, scholars, and policy makers who promote the educational and social value of electronic games. That gives them experience designing interactive games. It also exposes them to potential employers, said Jenkins, codirector of the project.

''Purely technical training in game design would be inadequate," he said. ''We look at the social and cultural implications of media technologies. That has made our students attractive to the games industry."

This fall, Champlain College in Vermont will launch an undergraduate degree program in electronic game design. The program, believed to be the first in the United States to focus exclusively on interactive game development, offers two different specializations: art and animation and game design, said Ann DeMarle, program director.

Art students will be trained in film and animation and will receive art instruction. DeMarle said game designers will study writing, plot development, psychology, characterization, and how to fully engage players so they stay involved. All students must fulfill liberal arts requirements such as English literature, history, and the social sciences. The college plans to offer a computer specialization within a year.

The college said the industry will need 5,000 new hires each year. Salaries for some of those jobs will range from $32,000 to more than $100,000, depending on the position and the candidate's experience. For example, game designers earn between $41,600 and $92,000, according to Game Developer magazine.

Vincent Pugliares, 18, of Rowley, is hoping four years at Champlain College will provide the training he'll need to land one of those jobs. Pugliares, a senior at Triton High School in Byfield, plans to study animation at Champlain this fall.

''Ultimately, I'd like to start my own cartoon," he said. ''Or, if I pick up the electronic aspect of gaming, I could go into building games and testing them."

DeMarle said the industry also needs critical thinkers who can work in teams. Turbine spokesman Jason Wonacott agreed. Turbine is relying on a team of artists, engineers, game designers, and computer programmers to create an online game based on J.R.R. Tolkien's ''Lord of the Rings." Called Middle-Earth Online, the multiplayer game will feature hobbits, elves, and dwarves. Turbine is also working on a Dungeons and Dragons multiplayer online game. Both projects require additional staff.

Turbine recently opened a development studio in Santa Monica, Calif., and it is currently hiring employees for that office, too, according to Debra Waggenheim, director of human resources.

''When I started here six years ago there were just 30 people on staff," said Waggenheim. ''Now, we have close to 160 and we will have close to 200 by the end of the year. We are actively hiring artists, game designers, engineers, people in quality assurance and we will bring in more customer service staff for both offices."

David Cook, manager of design at Impressions Games in Cambridge, said a growing market and an increasingly sophisticated customer base requires employees with experience and solid skills.

''I want to see someone with a couple of years' experience," Cook said. ''On the other hand, you are not always going to find those people. But if an English major walks in, we quiz him about the games he plays. Does he like them? Does he have examples of his work and writing? It's the same way if an artist walks in. You want to see examples of the work."

Impressions Games is a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal Games, a big player in the industry. Impressions Games just completed a strategy PC computer game called Lords of the Realm III for Vivendi. The project took two years to complete.

Cook said a computer game background helps because of the nature of the work.

''You also need to be able to assess problems and figure out solutions while working within the constraints of the hardware," he said. ''Then, you have to be able to see how the whole thing will come together. These are very complicated projects."

Turbine designer Payson would certainly agree. She was in graduate school at Arizona State University and working on her anthropology thesis when a friend introduced her to online gaming.

''I found myself working on the games more than my thesis," said Payson. ''When I heard about a job opening at Turbine, I thought, 'Why not?'"

Payson's anthropology background proved valuable: Turbine decided her knowledge of the social, cultural, and physical characteristics of humans could be an asset, especially for Asheron's Call, a role-playing game where thousands of players can inhabit a three-dimensional fantasy world. Each player designs an online character who battles villains and monsters and creates fast friendships and alliances on a 500-mile journey. Part of the game's allure is that the saga never ends.

''We are always adding new chapters to the game," said Payson.

Diane E. Lewis can be reached at .

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