One of the best things about being a game design student is that you can parlay an idea during your college years into a game in the future. Many investors and design companies notice students’ success and give them opportunities to hatch their concepts. However, many choose to pursue their paths independently.
Yes, true, this will require you to put in some extra work. This can be particularly struggling when you also have to prepare for tests and such. However, thanks to online educational platforms, you can now request to write a research paper to meet assignments that focus on theory. And now, all you need is a bit of inspiration.
So, here are some success stories of game designer students to motivate you.
1. Total Mayhem Games
Total Mayhem Games, a leading indie game design company, is the brainchild of a group of students at the Dutch University. Their first co-op puzzle project, We Were Here, was released for free on Steam, which instantly became a hit. The three games in the series have been downloaded and played by over 50 million users across the world.
Due to this success, the team decided to release a commercial version of the game, and it wasn’t long before it was released on Xbox and Playstation as well.
2. Arvi Teikari, Developer of Baba is You
Arvi is another successful indie designer who pursued a career in game development while doing her master’s at the University of Helsinki. According to Teikari, being a student allowed him to cut some costs, which helped him put more work into the games.
His project Baba is You has been quite a hit across multiple platforms, leading Arvi to find more opportunities.
3. Paloma Dawkins, Designer of Gardenarium
Instead of taking the conventional college approach, Paloma did a residency and got into the National Film Board of Canada. After the success of her game Geranium, she did multiple projects with the Manchester International Festival and the V&A Museum.
Currently, she is working as a game designer in partnerships with multiple institutes and receiving remuneration from them, including UK arts funding.
4. Pol Clarissou, Designer of Vignettes
Pol Clarissou made his name in the gaming arena via his creation Vignette, which stood out with its concept of transposing still life into interactive media. The game garnered the attention of many and led to more jobs.
In fact, Vignettes was a product that Pol designed during his student years. He was a part of the team, and the game was even published on the Apple App Store.
5. Kara Stone, Designer of Ritual of the Moon
In 2013, Kara was a Master’s student when she started designing games. Her academic program was well-funded, which allowed her to work on Medication Meditation as part of her thesis, which is accessible online.
By 2014, she was working on another game, Ritual of the Moon. This won her a Canadian arts grant, which included an award of 10,000 CAD. The game is a 28-day narrative that explores loneliness, power, and healing. It combines a memory game, drawing symbols, and making decisions that essentially track the user’s mood on a daily basis. The game is available to download online.
6. Starcats, Bradley University Senior Project
If you quickly search Starcats online, you will see plenty of mentions, including the platforms on which this game was featured. This popular game started as a senior project at Bradley University. The game was featured at E3, and the team behind the project started their own company.
7. Cardboard Computer, Makers of Kentucky Route Zero
Kentucky Route Zero is the brainchild of the three-man army of Jake Elliott, Tamas Kemenczy, and Ben Babbitt. Together, they started Cardboard Computer, which is currently working on the Kentucky Route Zero series.
The game was first developed when the three founders were Art Institute of Chicago students. The game offers a Southern Gothic Atmosphere and soon takes off. Currently, the team is working on console versions of the game.
8. Alex Beechum, Developer of Outer Wilds
In 2019, Alex Beechum was headhunted by Mobius designs for his game Outer Wilds, which he developed as a USD Games grad student. This indie game developer is now the creative lead at the company, all thanks to his master’s project.
Outer Wilds is an interactive adventure game about a solar system trapped in an endless loop. It was first released for Microsoft Windows, and later found its way to Xbox One and PlayStation, and is awaiting a Nintendo Switch release soon.
9. Undertale, Created by Toby Fox
Indie developer Toby Fox rose to fame among game designers with his creation, Undertale. This game advertises itself as one where you do not have to kill anyone. Instead, you can pacify the monsters by sparing them, further affecting the story and the outcomes.
The notable feature of Undertale is that Toby Fox designed the story, characters, and soundtrack. The soundtrack of this game caught the attention of many in the industry.
10. Celeste, Created by Maddy Thorson
Celeste won the Best Independent Game award at the Game Awards. It was developed by Maddy Thorson, Noel Berry, and others. The game is considered a masterpiece, using trial-and-error platforming with an impactful storyline.
Although released independently, Celeste surpassed expectations and received universal acclaim.
11. Minecraft, Developed by Markus “Notch” Persson
And lastly, if you need a reminder of a fascinating indie game designer success story, you only need to think of your childhood days playing Minecraft. This masterpiece was created by Markus “Notch” Persson, an indie developer at the time.
In 2014, Microsoft bought Mojang Studio. However, Minecraft remains a titan in the gaming space and is the best-selling product in the niche.
Becoming an Indie Game Designer
These days, it is not even necessary that you should graduate from a renowned university to pursue your career field of choice. To become an indie game designer, you have plenty of resources available via the internet and a global platform to showcase them.
One common thing across most of these success stories is that these designers developed projects within limits. Put otherwise, once you start working on a game, it is easy to get caught up in it and try to make improvements, only to leave them unfinished. This tendency is quite common across all artists.
However, it might be in your best interest to keep things simple. Start with a project that you finish. The more games you create this way, the more you will learn. And thankfully, once you have received some input, launching new versions or improving upon them is always possible.
Most importantly, remember that you also need to think like a businessperson and a marketer. You need to get your games out there, even if they are free at first. Always take advantage of jamming events, competitions, and other opportunities to connect with more people, which will get you more exposure.
