Key career takeaways

  • Salary of A$1,596 for all game and multimedia developers (median rate per week)*
  • Very strong future growth is expected in this industry with low unemployment among game developers and game designers
  • Retention is high among game designers/developer meaning those in the role tend to stay for long periods of time
  • In 2017, the Australian video game industry was worth A$3.23b (up 9% from the previous year). Globally, it is predicted that the industry will be worth over A$180b in 2021. 

Designing and developing video games is a creative’s dream — you get to mix storytelling, art and design with the technical craft of building new digital worlds. Now add to that, the rapid and accelerating growth of the gaming industry and you have a powerful combination that could lead to an exciting career.

*Data sourced from JobOutlook.gov.au, TechJury, and IGEA.

Get your game face on: learn how to become a game designer

There are a few pathways you can take to become a video game designer/developer. The most common ways are:

Option 1: Study a Games and Animation bachelor degree 

There’s a lot you can learn from playing games such as game strategy and character development but to give yourself the foundational skills you need to be a game designer or developer you should think about completing a bachelor degree. Through our games development courses, you’ll gain a strong understanding of the industry and learn how to make video games, apps and computer games that engage and challenge users — and have them coming back for more.  

At Swinburne, we offer a variety of degrees that will help you to build a successful career in the gaming industry.

If you’re more interested in dreaming up new digital worlds, storytelling and character building, our Bachelor of Games and Interactivity might be for you; however, if you’re the one who wants to make it come to life, check out our Bachelor of Computer Science with a major in Games Development.   Or why not both?  Become the all-rounder with the double degree: Bachelor of Games and Interactivity/Bachelor of Computer Science. You may even get to showcase your work at PAX Australia!

Option 2: Study a Digital and Interactive Games Diploma/Certificate IV

If you already have relevant experience in the industry, and want to take steps to becoming a game designer, you can enrol in the Certificate IV in Digital and Interactive Games. In this course, you will learn the principles of game development, 2D concept art, animation, and scripting with the Unity video game engine.

To advance your skills in the games and animation industry, we offer the Diploma of Digital and Interactive Games. In this course, you’ll develop the industry-relevant skills to bring your ideas to life. You’ll gain vital experience in a variety of industry programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk 3ds Max, Unreal Engine 4 and Adobe After Effects. 

  • "The opportunity that Swinburne provides for our final year games teams to showcase their projects at PAX Australia and conferences like GCAP is a huge boost to their confidence and career ambitions. We now have graduate teams who’ve participated in this go on to form studios with those same projects, hiring newer Swinburne graduates to help them grow."

    Andrew Trevillian , Games and Animation Lecturer

Interested in becoming a video game designer?

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