107: Video Game Design – A Career for Boys



Photo by Ryan Quick via Flickr

Can your video game-loving boy turn his passion into a career? Perhaps, says our special guest, Greg Wondra. Greg is a veteran game designer who worked on the MLB 2K series, Wizard 101, Lost Planet 3, and Monkeyquest, and currently teaches video game design to high school students at Kern County Regional Occupational Center in California.

 

Greg directing a motion capture session with Derek Jeter for the MLB 2K baseball game.

 

 

Jen & Greg. Notice some resemblance? (They’re brother & sister!)

In this episode, Jen, Janet & Greg discuss:

  • Why video games aren’t a waste of time
  • How a “grand curiosity” can lead to a lucrative career
  • Viable career opportunities for gamers
  • The educational background necessary to work in the gaming industry
  • Low-cost ways to nurture boys’ interest in game design
Links we mentioned (and more!) in Episode 107:

USC Games Program

Entertainment Arts & Engineering at the University of Utah

Intro to Game Design — Greg’s Udemy course

Unreal Engine 4: Create an Arcade Classic — another Udemy course by Greg