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CareerFocusFeatureGaming is fun, and it canopen up career options!SPCC introduces Game Design CertificateSouth PiedmontCommunity Collegewill begin offeringa Game Designcertificate in the fall,but the Simulation andGame Developmentclasses that make upthe program can lead to a widerange of careers beyond gaming.Computer Information TechnologyInstructor Oscar Gonzalez saidthat career options will includejobs as designers, animators,engineers and administratorsin entertainment, health care,engineering, forensics, education,NASA, the military andgovernmental agencies.Estimated entry-level salaries forgame design range from $29,000 to$51,000.The simulation aspect, he said, iswhat makes the knowledge usefulin careers beyond gaming. Forinstance, Gonzalez said, pointingthrough his office window towardOld Charlotte Highway, supposethere is an auto crash out there.The police are not there, so they donot see it. But, through simulationtechnology, the accident can berecreated. “NASA does the sameSPCC Computer Information Technology Instructor Oscar Gonzalez works withstudent Richard Bates.thing, the military does the samething,” he said.Still, for many the gaming aspectwill be the attraction and Gonzalezsees that industry continuing togrow for the foreseeable future.Gonzalez said he went to aconference in Charlotte about ayear and a half ago and one of theparticipants was the president ofMicrosoft. “The whole conferencewas about gaming, how Microsoftis trying to keep the gamingproduction developing in theUnited States,” he said. “And theywere talking about this area - theTriangle and Charlotte.”Another aspect was that moregames will be created that can beused in an educational setting.“Not only to play games, but toeducate students,” Gonzalez said.“Games for math class, games forhistory class. The bulk now …is entertainment type of things.They’re telling people that theycan push students to math andscience. It was an interestingconference.”Gonzalez said there are already 30simulation and game companiesin the Triangle area, and morecoming. The opportunities arethere, he said, for those whopursue this certificate. He expectsthose opportunities to continue togrow because many adults, whohave more disposable income thankids and teens, are also fans ofgaming.“It’s not just about young people,”Gonzalez said, recounting hisexperience working at Best Buyone Christmas. “Xbox came outwhen I was working there. Therewere 30-, 40-year-old guys linedup to get Xboxes when it first cameout. It’s not just young people, it’sadults. It’s very addictive.”Statistics back him up. Accordingto the Entertainment SoftwareAssociation, the average gameplayer is 35 years old and has beenplaying for 12 years. The averageage of the most frequent gamepurchaser is 39 years old. In 2009,25 percent of Americans over theage of 50 played video games.Gonzalez noted that for the pasttwo to three Christmases, gameshad surpassed movies and musicin sales. “This past Christmas,” hesaid, “games passed toys for thefirst time.”Brian Mangum, an SPCCgraduate who is co-owner of alocal gaming company, VendettaStudios, welcomes the addition ofthe program at South Piedmont.“I think there could be a biginflux of students if they offeredsomething trendy like gamecreation, game design,” saidMangum, a member of SPCC’selectrical/electronics advisoryboard. “ … I would have signedup right out of high school if I hadknown I could take 3-D modelinghere. I’ve been pushing that veryhard.“As a business owner now, I needit for a different reason,” he added.“The talent pool I’m pulling from isvoid. … I could see myself offeringinternships. … That’s a mutualbenefit for students coming rightout of college. You get to add agame to your portfolio if you helpout. Until then, I’ll just continueto search the Internet for my nextintern.”The classes required for theGame Design Certificate are:Introduction to Computers;Introduction to Programming andLogic; Introduction to Simulationand Game Development; JAVAProgramming, Simulation andGame Development Design;and Simulation and GameDevelopment Programming.“We know this is not going to goaway any time soon,” Gonzalezsaid. “There’s money there. There’sgoing to be opportunity there.” CF4I Summer 2010 I CareerFocus South Piedmont Community College I www.spcc.edu I 704-290-5100 or 704-272-5300