Professionals, Please help. Going to the game and simulating world

D4N005H

Hello,
I know most people here are artist and not software engineer but I hope both group help and answer the following question. And please do not say that I should google search this or searching it in the Polycount wiki, because I kindly want to hear  from you (professional people) straight from your own mouth.

I live in middle east, I have skills in arts (so much that when I sent my artworks to IAAD and SPD, they pleased with my artworks so much and wanted me to go there - and no, that was not a marketing bullshit, they really found me creative) and I love car designing and blah blah...but the point is I can't be a car designer (and I don't want to) and I am studying my favorite course (Computer Engineering - Information Technology) in a university. After lot of search I found if I somehow mix "Computer Engineering" (which I like and I am studying it and soon I will be finishing my BS) with "Arts" (which I have skills for it and I don't want it to be my future main career ) there would be "Game development".

I do love designing my own cars and then programming them and make them alive in a game, but that is not all, I love making simulator games and also I love creating scenarios and recording and creating artistic videos. I am into car games only,though.

So according to what I've written here, I expect myself if I study "game development" in a good university I see myself as a person who is making a new episode of Forza or Need For Speed or TestDrive Unlimited or hopefully my own title in a group like SpeedHunters or something. But could it be really true? I mean if I study game development , could I be in the Turn10 or EA studios  studio and work there? could I earn good amount of money? Could I get a chance not to be only a programmer there (say game designer or IT Manager) after a while?
Please note that I am asking this seriously and I expect professionals answer this for real. because I am not a 12 year old boy, I am serious because this could be a part of my life.

Eric Chadwick

Game Development is a general term for the process of making games. It is not a role which a game studio will hire you to do.

If you don't want to be an artist, there are many other roles to examine.  The most common game development roles are:

• Programmer
  
• Designer
• Artist
• Technical Artist
• Quality Assurance
• Producer
• IT
• Executive/Manager
• Marketer
  
• Human Resources

If you are into car games only, that strongly limits your ability to get work. Many game developers work on games which they do not personally love to play. They still derive a lot of pleasure from the process though, and are able to make great games. 

Panupat

Here's straight from my finger! Pun intended.

I think the term Game Designer covers more than just setting up a car. It's about how the whole game works, how players progress, how a game is played, and so on.

From what you described, I think you'll fit into 2 roles. Yes car design is 1, that's purely on the art side. Another is a tech artist who takes things into game engine and set them up.

You can give it a go all by yourself. Get the free Unity or Unreal Engine 4 and see if you can get your car to work in those 2.

huffer

I think a job that would fit is a vehicle artist or technical artist on a studio that makes car games...and there are quite a few that only have car (or bike) games in their portfolio; if you land at a small one, you could also take the role of an artist alongside doing the technical parts, so you could model whole cars, then establish rigging workflow, helping scripts, shaders, get them in-engine, etc.

D4N005H

Well thank you for replies, I really appreciate that. This really  opened my eyes.

Eric Chadwick said:

[...]
If you don't want to be an artist, there are many other roles to examine.  The most common game development roles are:

• Technical Artist
• IT

[...]
They still derive a lot of pleasure from the process though, and are able to make great games.

@Eric Chadwick  I do love the process of creating a software,though. According to THIS post, you've actually been a technical artist, would you please say was the salary really around 67K as most online resources say?
And two more question that I was unable to find answers for it:
1) I am studying IT right now. Is it possible to study Technical Arts Master immediately after IT Bachelor?
2) Could it be possible to work as a Technical Artist with an IT Master degree?
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Panupat said:

Here's straight from my finger! Pun intended.

[...]
You can give it a go all by yourself. Get the free Unity or Unreal Engine 4 and see if you can get your car to work in those 2.

Haha okay I see. And I am doing what you've said, actually I've made a game last summer, called "Maghez (مقض)" means "Fly", here is a footage of it:

https://youtu.be/5elR8ZSxQVo

All the 3D models, game play and everything is by me and is my first game ever however some of the files I used for it were not by me. also it is for android devices. The voice is not me, is a friend's voice. But not only that game, I am making another game (something like a very minimal version of Forza Horizon) and I am making its island these years.
_______________________________________

huffer said:

[...] you could also take the role of an artist alongside doing the technical parts, so you could model whole cars, then establish rigging workflow, helping scripts, shaders, get them in-engine, etc.

great,  so it is possible for a tech artist do engineering and also arts stuff. that is good.

Eric Chadwick

My salary was considerably more than that. I was Lead Technical Artist, it was a management role. This usually pays more, but also usually requires more job experience. When I was promoted I had more than 15 years experience as a game artist.

D4N005H said:

1) I am studying IT right now. Is it possible to study Technical Arts Master immediately after IT Bachelor?
2) Could it be possible to work as a Technical Artist with an IT Master degree?

I don't know anything about college degrees for technical art. I think most technical artists learn everything on their own. There may be dedicated degree programs now. But I would advise against this. Schools are almost always several steps behind the professionals. Everything current is online now, and fairly easy to research.

It is helpful to have a college degree if you wish to emigrate to another country, but your IT degree may be good enough. Research this.

Bletzkarn

If you want to make "your perfect game"  then you're going to have to make it yourself.

You could be working on car sims one day but you'd need to work your way up to it.

Also game programmers are not paid that well compared to other jobs you could do for the same job (my brother could be earning 55k as a game programmer or 110k at a tech firm).

If you love art then you could be a technical artist though! You have to do what you love but yea a an established racing game doesn't change its formulae much so whacky ideas wouldn't be happening so much.