Many gamers from a very young age have always pondered on possibly one day creating their own video game for the masses to enjoy. As they grow older however, some gamers fail to gain a sense of direction to get to their supposed dream job. Others have a distorted view on how the process goes, and what does go into making a game.

“A typical day starts with arriving at the office at 10AM,” Game Designer Matthew Fahey said. “Then my machine and all the needed programs for the day start up.” 

Fahey works for a studio called KingsIsle Entertainment, the same studio known for Wizard101, a very popular Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG for short) known for being marketed towards a younger audience but still being  interesting and entertaining to older audiences. Being a game designer for nine years, Fahey’s days are filled with both tedious tasks, and exciting experiences.

“I spend the first hour or so going through emails, answering questions via messenger and just getting organized through the day. We use a tracking software called JIRA which has all the tasks I need to do for the next milestone. Looking through all my tasks, say I have 50 to do, I look at the ones that are ready to be worked on, based on priority, and start outlining a planning process on what the task entails, how will I achieve it and what I actually want to do. Some days are definitely more exciting than others but some of the tasks I handle are participating and/or running planning meetings to discuss new system implementation and future tasks. Essentially what we want to add to the game next. Implementing finished art into data including monsters, spells, animations, fx and all the icons and secondary art included. Building boss fights, creating the mobs, setting up the stats and building combat logic of what we want the fight to do. Balancing all the math with the systems in our game ranging from equipment to spells to progression of growth as player. This is all documented and handled in Excel and then imported into our game. Handling, troubleshooting issues as they arise. Example: This set of equipment is dyeable, but when you try to dye it pink, it appears as turquoise. My day ends around 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM as long as I meet the goals I set aside myself for the day. If there is a pressing issue, or something I want to get done before a weekend break, I may stay later than usual, ” Fahey said.

As for salary, the price tag for a game designer varies from state to state, to compensate for the price of living in different states.

“The industry has a wide range of salary based on where you live/cost of living and your actual position. An entry level designer (associate) realistically has an average salary of around $35,000. If you lived in California it might be much higher due to the cost of living. A mid-level can see an average salary of around $50,000 a year. Senior Designer can be anywhere from $70,000 to $120,000+. This industry is fun and rewarding but I recommend NOT going into this industry if you are very money motivated. You can make a living no issue, but you may not be swimming in money as quick as you would like,” Fahey said.

Inspiration for getting into any career can come from anyone and anything, and in Fahey’s case his friends showed him the possibility of game design.

“The one thing people don’t tell you after graduating college is most people still have no idea what exactly they want to do for a career. When I graduated, all I knew was that I needed a job so I started asking all my friends who had been out and working for 1+ years. I contacted a good friend and told him I was out of school and looking for work if he knew anyone interested. He was currently working at Turbine, a game company that made Asheron’s Call, Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons online. He remembered that throughout college I was a big gamer and told me to apply for a Quality Assurance (QA) position to test the game for bugs. It was a great way to get my foot in the door and I was lucky to nail the interview and get the job. From there I worked my way into design and upwards. As an avid gamer, the prospect of working in the growing gaming industry was something I could see myself doing forever. I loved games and there was no doubt it was something I was interested in exploring. They always say ‘Do what you love!’ and I definitely agree,” Fahey said.
Matthew Fahey is just one example of a gamer who took their hobby and did something great with it. Many others just like him have gone through similar means to get into an industry that they can stay in for years to come. All it takes is the right connections, and the right drive to get a job worth doing.