Quickly, answer without thinking, what do you want to do with your life? I'd imagine a healthy portion of ye faithful gamers out there said something along the lines of, "Designing games would be like totally rad!"...Maybe not in such a stereotypical 80's surfer way though. But the point is, we've all dreamed about it as gamers. How many times have you been playing that FPS you love so much and thought, "I really think I could design some pretty sweet maps for this."? Or how about when you're sitting around and enjoying a classic RPG and think to yourself, "I love my RPG's and all, but how many times has this story been used? I could totally write a better one."? Or maybe you're playing a certain party game starring an overweight plumber and his friends and you say, "I could make a set of mini-games that would blow this crap to high heaven!" The point is, every last gamer has had a thought on how to make a game more fun. Whether it be simple game mechanics, new gametypes, more engaging stories, or just a different look, we all think we have something to bring to the table. And we do...er wait, no we don't.

I'm very serious about getting into the gaming industry when I leave college. Games are my most cherished and enjoyed pastime, and I can't think of any other way to spend the rest of my life but to actually make them. So I started taking steps to achieve that goal last year(my junior year in high school) by taking some basic computer programming classes. From what I have heard, there are only two paths into the gaming biz. Either you're a good programmer or a good artist. Enter the problem...I just recently found out, I'm neither. Could it be true? Is there no other way? My dream, is crushed?

So after this revealation I started thinking about the qualities I do bring to the table and if there was any chance they could get me in. When I think of designing games, I envision a few things as my strong suits.

1. Story Writing- I like to believe I'm a pretty damn good writer and I think that's mainly because it's such a passion for me. When I write, I can just keep going and going because it never gets boring. I plan on majoring in English when I enter college so I can hone my raw skill more. And lastly, I believe I'd know how to write for a game. Writing for a game is not like writing a movie or book, you have to write a story that the player can dictate. Through my experiences of "game mastering" for several pen and paper RPG's, I believe I possess this skill.

2. Creative Game Type Design- When I look at most mainstream FPS's today, I see a sore lacking of creative gametypes. I love Halo as much as the next guy, probably more, but is Juggernaut really the most innovative gametype Bungie can come up with. I realize there's a limit to how radical a gametype can be, but there's no way Juggernaut is the most creative thing the public will accept. Some recent games that have done a decent job of offering exciting, different gametypes are Perfect Dark Zero and the fantastic Time Splitters series.

3. Implementing Balance- When it comes to FPS's, I think I could be good at level design but wouldn't really know, the only game I've ever played with a map designer was Time Splitters 2...and it's been so long I don't even know if that statement is correct. But as for weapons, one only has to use common sense. When designing a level, you don't put a plasma pistol with well over 60 degrees of tracking ability and a leathally accurate long range battle rifle together. You don't make a sniper rifle so easy to use that said sniper can fire four shots without pause, miss two, and still notch a kill. And you certainly don't make power weapons so scarce that they end up determining the victor of the match. I really think I could make balanced and fun gameplay that rewards the more skilled player, not the one with the best weapon.(All smg's! Haha, just kidding.)

4. Honing the Fun- Any gamer can claim this attribute. Simply take what's fun, expand on it, and drop what isn't fun. Tweak the little things that really propel a game from good to great.

As it stands now, I'm under the impression that most games are written collectively by the top dogs of the staff, but I could be wrong. I know some games hire authors to pen a script(Supposedly Gears of War, but it's got to be a hoax. A real author could not have possibly written such a...well, it's kind of hard to insult something that isn't there.) but I think that's the exception, not the norm. However, I do think this trend will change over the next decade, as games will be forced to mature if they are to survive and therefore story will be pushed to the forefront. As for the other three attributes, I'm not really sure who would address those issues because I've never really been informed much on how a game studio works internally. I'd imagine QA testers have a lot to do with the balance, but maybe not.

So from what I can infer, I'd say my best shot is to wait ten years and maybe if I have a good enough reputation as a writer I could be brought on to pen a script. But is that really smart of me to let my hopes and dreams rest in the hands of assumption? Surely there must be another way to get in. Do they offer gaming school's that teach more than programming or art design? Could quality assurance testing really ever lead to a higher position? Please, if anybody has any knowledge regarding the struggle to get into the business, inform me!

P.S. How hard is it to get a job as a game reviewer like the wonderful fellows here at gamespot? I'm starting to think that could be a great way to utilize my love of games and writing ability, while at the same time avoiding the weaknesses that are holding me back from actually creating games.