Video games have been part of this generation’s whole life. From Atari to Mario, from the Nintendo SNES to the Nintendo Wii among other competing consoles, they have been part of entertaining children and adults alike. But in the past few decades, there has been a huge leap from what a video game was before and what it is right now. No longer is the video game a simple toy for kids, it is now a major form of media entertainment. It has grown so large that it rivals even the movie industry in income revenues. Because of the rapid growth of this industry, even movie and music giant Sony has joined the bandwagon in the gaming industry along with Microsoft. This can be accredited to two things; the advancement of technology that can be used for games is the first.

The three major players in this industry are Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. They have raised the level of what a gaming console can do, and along with that they gave designers more freedom in creating games for their consoles. The current consoles for these media giants are Wii, Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 respectively. From what was before and what the game consoles are now, the technology used has evolved by leaps. No longer do you play with simple moving shapes following glowing dots or a platform games in two dimension; what today’s consoles offer are more realistic than ever. Water flows in rivers just like in real rivers, hair from the characters move from the wind realistically; you can now even see facial expressions and distinguish one player from another in sports video games. The other reason for the evolution of these games is due to the designers themselves.

Before, if you wanted to become a video game programmer or designer, one would take up information technology courses or any computer related course. The problem with that is inadequacy of the tools needed by the aspiring programmer. Hence, the idea of a gaming college came true. Some of the gaming colleges available today were game developing companies who transformed into the former because of the lack of game developers available. These gaming colleges are the opening the aspiring designers need, this is their gateway to the gaming industry.

A good gaming college could land the student to one of the top companies in the industry and enjoy good financial benefits. A game designer could earn as much as $50,000 a year to $100,000 a year depending on what game they were involved in developing. But the biggest pay off for the student who graduates from a gaming college is the opportunity to work with what he or she loves. It is a matter of passion for what they do. That is why not everyone can be admitted to a gaming college because this requires great passion for their work to be able to get thru the rigors of their curriculum. But after all is said and done, these students can say that it was well worth it.

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Today, the media entertainment industry has been suffering some losses due to piracy and the fact that the economy is going down. More and more people have no money left to spend for entertainment nowadays. However, there is one media entertainment that sticks out like a sore thumb because of its rapid growth; the gaming industry.

The gaming industry is growing, and fast. Compared to the 80’s and 90’s, the market for videogames has grown significantly. More people have become obsessed with videogames. For the past few years we have experienced, and still experiencing, the so called videogame boom. This is the revolutionary period of videogames. No longer do you see a few dots and lines that move, you see practically a whole new world. Let us take sporting games as an example in this revolution; whenever you play or watch someone play a sports video game, you could see the improvement as it is almost like watching the real thing. The movement of the players are smooth and believable. The advancement of the videogame industry has been so strong that movie and music producer giant Sony, has joined in the fray. They own the largest selling console recorded in the history of gaming.

With the videogame boom, demand for computer designers and programmers with skills in making video games is very high. Nintendo, the largest gaming company in Japan, is constantly looking for programmers to help in developing games. Where did they find the programmers they are looking for? Graduates from videogame schools.

Creating videogames is not as simple as some may think. This requires knowledge in advanced computer programming, dozens of math courses, good understanding of physics and animation skills among others. A good blend of these skills cannot be attained in conventional curriculums or courses, but by entering videogame schools, you can achieve these skills. Companies who develop games prioritize hiring graduates of videogame schools because their mindset and skills are shaped primarily for creating videogames. Plus, the companies can rest assure that they have the heart and passion in creating games which is very important for them. Unlike programmers from conventional schools, they are not focused in creating games, but are developed for general programming.

Fresh graduates of videogame schools can earn $60,000 a year; this would double if they are part of the team which produces a hit videogame. But for videogame programmers, it’s not always about the money, it’s for the love and passion for the job they do. It is true that videogame schools equip their students with the tools for game designing, however, not anyone can enter these schools. Videogame schools prefer those with real passion for the job. Contrary to the product they create, designing games is not simply playing around. A student from one of these schools has even commented that you have to be a little crazy to get there.

With the emerging of videogame schools, we can rest assure that videogame programmers would become better and better; the gaming industry would be stronger. Sooner or later, it wouldn’t surprise me if the gaming industry becomes the top media entertainment everywhere.

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