Game Design: An update

So I found a few new sites to add to the list here.

Gamasutra - A place to go to read up on what's going on in the industry.

Game Career Guide - A sub-category from Gamasutra. This is the perfect place to go on getting information on how to get into the industry.

Also, you may be wondering, "What about actually MAKING the games?" Well, luckily for you, I have two programs that you can download to help you with that:

Game Maker - You can download a free version of this program and make games similar to Mario with it. It's a bit of a lower-end, easy-to-use program, but you can make some pretty fun games with it! These would be browser games.

UDK - This is more of the 3D graphics engine, used for making better games for consoles and your computer. The type of games you would need to download to play.

Game Design: Where do I get started?

This is a question I've been asking myself since the start of this semester. Sure, the best place to start is to go to school. You have to know what you're doing before you can do it. But what about after, or even during your schooling? How do you get yourself out there and get noticed? Well, I asked my teacher the same question, and she gave me some good starting points:

99designs - A site where you can either commission a design, or you can answer to someone else's commission and actually GET PAID for it!

Women in Games International - A place for all of us women who are into game design.

Game Mentor Online - A place where you can go to get mentoring from people who are in the industry already, or who have had previous experience in the industry.

And, of course,

DeviantArt - A free place to post your artwork. DeviantArt has a large and active community who is willing to critique your art for you.

DeviantArt is also a great place to get links to other sites. There are groups that focus on anything and everything that you can join and share your artwork with, from simple sketches to photography to 3D character and level design. There's even a number of groups based on your love of Pokemon (because we know you love Pokemon. Don't deny it.) Thanks to a few of the groups I've joined on DeviantArt, I've managed to find these forums where you can post artwork as well:

Game Artisans

Polycount Forums

www.ConceptArt.org

All three of these sites have a section for your own online sketchbook as well, as well as job information, ranging from simple freelance work between forum peers to job openings in the industry, like Blizzard, for example.

The real tip at this stage is to just do some searching, and don't be scared to post something, even if you think it's terrible. Put yourself out there, and you're sure to get noticed. There are tons of people out there who are willing to help you reach your potential. And when you're asking for critiques, don't settle for a simple, "That's cool." or, "I can't do that!" answer. Ask them what they like and don't like about the image. Even if they're not artists, they can still offer you good advice.

While we're on the topic of getting ourselves noticed, you can go check out my DeviantArt page and send me commission requests!