Many kids ask their parents this question, or simply state “I want to design video games.” Luckily it might mean that something good will come of all those hours spent in front of the television, controller in hand. However, many children don’t realize how hard it is to become a video game designer or developer or how competitive the industry really is.  So, if your kid is serious about pursuing and interest in video games, make an effort to nurture the skills that she or he will need to be successful. Many of these skills are not taught in most schools, but this interest can be a very productive and rewarding extracurricular activity.

CodeRev is a wonderful California organization which specializes in teaching children to code and love to use the computers while developing skills that will be essential professionally in the near future. Your child can take part in Spring or Summer Camps along with wonderful afterschool programs. Younger kids can start with learning to make Minecraft levels to gain an understanding of visuals and design. They can then work up through a variety of other programs along with older children in both coding and video game design, along with classes on related subjects like robotics and web design.

When it comes to school itself, make an effort to encourage a number of subjects in your child’s learning. Visual art and music classes will develop your kid’s creative mind while math and science are needed to develop an advanced and competitive understanding of computers and games. As it is not often taught in schools, try to encourage your child to continue to learn coding on the side. Again, continuing education at places like CodeRev is a great way to accomplish this. To design video games in this day and age you have to develop a large amount of experience before most companies will hire you. The industry is often too fast-paced to train people in it. Summer internships are a great way for your kid to develop skills in making video games in between college semesters. These experiences will keep your child’s mind active while preparing them for a potentially lucrative field. What’s more you can rest easy knowing that if you child does lose interest in video games as a career, the skills that they learned pursuing it will be helpful in a variety of other paths that they may choose.