Interactive Simulation and Game Technology Career Information

Interactive computer simulation is a versatile technology, with 3-D animation a dynamic medium that can illustrate complex ideas in a short time. Applications include:

• Video game design 
  
• Television and film production
• Medical and scientific simulation
• Industrial animation, particularly in the aeronautic and transportation industries
• Engineering
• Education and government 
• Forensics and law
• Architecture and landscaping
• Business and government

Why is This a Good Career Bet? 

A wide range of industry applications, including in high-growth sectors such as health care and IT, gives 3-D animation wide-ranging job possibilities. CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, projects an increase of 17 percent in positions for multimedia artists and animators through 2024, and animation is a part of many computer design jobs.

To be successful in the lucrative interactive simulation and game design industry, you’ll need:

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to put your ideas into speech and design
• A teamwork-based work ethic
• Conceptual skills to bring a story from idea to final design
• The capacity to work in a group setting with a collaborative team spirit
• People skills in order to work well with various personalities and a wide variety of ideas
• Willingness to adapt to technological challenges and constant change in industry trends

Job Opportunities

The Dallas area has been a hotbed for computer game development since the late 1980s. It was the birthplace of the first-person shooter genre; Wolfenstein 3-D, Doom and Quake were all created by Mesquite-based id software. id software is just one of 80 game development companies in Texas. The industry provides more than 2,000 full-time jobs in the state, according to the Texas Film Commission, which details the computer and game industry in Texas.

Interactive computer simulation is a versatile technology that goes far beyond its most well-known applications of video gaming, film and television. 3-D animation is a dynamic medium that can illustrate complex ideas in a very short time, with uses in:

• Medicine, making videos that educate both medical professionals and patients
• Education, creating understandable visuals of complicated theories
• Forensics and law, recreating incidents and crimes for investigators and attorneys
• Advertising, illustrating products and services with sophisticated visual effects
• Engineering, from design through production in fields that range from aerospace to manufacturing
• Architecture and landscaping, visualizing buildings and outdoor areas
• Business and government, from marketing and websites to employee training and presentations

Game Design Companies in the D/FW Metroplex

• Gearbox Software, Plano  
• id Software, Mesquite
• iStation, Richardson
• Janimation, Dallas
  
• Terminal Reality, Lewisville
• 3D Realms, Garland