Video game designer isn't all play

Such is the day in the life of a video game designer: In other words, it’s not all fun and games, but a lot of planning, tinkering with technology, and debugging.

“It’s the one downside to my job,’’ said Fernando Paiz, executive producer of Dungeons and Dragons Online, a game produced by Turbine. “I see all the messiness that goes into creating these games, instead of being able to just enjoy them,’’ Paiz said.

Also on Paiz’s plate: 15-hour workdays; juggling budgets, and visualizing long-term game updates; meeting the needs of engineers, artists, and marketing. “It is difficult to get your foot into the door, but it’s not impossible,’’ said Paiz, who looks for candidates as passionate about gaming as he is.

Want to enter the video game industry? Paiz recommends having a demo project to show, whether you’re a programmer, artist, level designer, or musician. Some disciplines are in higher demand, such as programming, a specialized skill easily transferable from other industries. And no matter what the position, antisocial techno-geeks need not apply.

Gamers are going to love this one prerequisite for a job: “If you woke up tomorrow and decided you wanted to work in the video game field, you need to play a lot of games,’’ said Paiz. “It may sound silly, but you have to know what makes a great game, and in order to do that, you have to play them.’’