In this lecture you will learn:

• What a Game Design or Level Design Portfolio is for
• Who the Target Audience is for Your Design Portfolio
• The Components of a Portfolio
• What the Right Mindset is for Success
• How to Gain The Edge With Your Portfolio
• How to Get “The Call” for an Interview

To get the most out of this course I highly suggest that you take time to thoroughly research and review the design portfolios in the attached "Design Portfolio Examples" document. It is organized into demo reel format types and by design role specialization.

In this lecture you will learn:

• The Role of Game Designers
• The Role of Level Designers
• Game Design Specializations
• What Game Designers Do
• What Level Designers Do
• Number of Designers on Game Teams

Please see the attached additional learning resources (and the external website links provided) to learn more about the game industry as a whole and the various roles and careers that exist.

• Video Game Industry Resources (Industry Stats and Reports)
• Video Game Industry Roles

In this lecture you will learn:

• The Role of Hiring Managers
• Hiring Risk Assessment
• How to Be a Strong Design Candidate

In this lecture you will learn about the:

• Video Game Industry Knowledge You Need to Have
• Game Company Knowledge You Need to Have
• Importance of Personality & Team Fit on Game Teams
• Game/Level Design & Development Knowledge Required to Succeed
• Work Ethic You Need to Have to be Successful

In this lecture you will learn about:

• The Soft Skills You Need
• The Hard Skills You Need
• What You Need to Show in Your Portfolio (an Introduction)
• What Your Resume & Cover Letters Need to Communicate (an Introduction)

In this lecture you will learn:

• What a Brand is
• What an Authentic Brand is
• What a Brand Identity is
• What Brand Identity Characteristics Are
• What a Brand Image is
• What a Personal Brand is
• Why You Should Have a Personal Brand For Your Portfolio Work
• How to Communicate Your Personal Brand
• Writing Your Own Career Essence Statement
• Career Essence Statement Examples

Please see the "Bonus: Portfolio Preparation Exercises" section to to create your personal brand identity:

• Career Matrix - Personal Brand

In this lecture you will learn:

• The Importance of First Impressions
• How to Create a Winning Reputation in the Game Industry
• How to Research Brands Effectively

In this lecture you will learn:

• The Value of Documenting Your Game/Level Ideas & Designs
• How to Go Above and Beyond With Your Game Design & Level Design Documentation

In this reading lecture and exercise you will learn the best practices and process for designing, building and publishing your portfolio video games or levels in a step by step fashion.

In this lecture you will learn:

• What a Demo Reel is
• What the Goals are for Your Game Design or Level Design Demo Reel
• High Level Demo Reel Content Requirements
• Demo Reel Text Requirements
• Demo Reel Video Requirements

In this lecture you will learn:

• The Different Demo Reel Types/Formats That Exist And When You Should Use Them

Demo Reel Examples: I suggest that you take some time to research and review the various game design and level design demo reels that are provided as links in the attached additional learning document below so that you can become more familiar with all of the various demo reel formats that are out there. The research goal here is to identify which demo reel types are more suited to your particular career goals, as well as see what each one is doing well or not so well so that you may incorporate these learnings into your own portfolio work.

In this lecture you will learn:

• Demo Reel Game Showcase Guidelines
• Demo Reel Gameplay Showcase Guidelines
• How to Wow the Hiring Manager & Get Their Attention With Your Demo Reel

In this reading lecture and exercise you will learn the best practices and process for designing and building your Demo Reel in a step by step fashion.

In this reading lecture and exercise you will learn the best practices and process for designing and building your portfolio website in a step by step fashion.

In this lecture you will learn:

• What a Resume is
• The Purpose & Goals for a Designer Resume
• The Different Sections Your Resume Needs to Have
• All of the Content Requirements Your Resume Needs to Account for
• Resume Formatting Requirements
• Resume File Export Requirements
• Resume Address Requirements
• Things to Avoid so that Your Resume Will Be a Success

In this lecture you will learn about the following resume types:

• Game Designer Resumes
• Level Designer Resumes
• Quality Assurance Tester/Analyst Resumes

Please see the four additional learning examples of each type of resume in the attached documentation for this lecture.

In this reading lecture you will learn:

• What a Cover Letter is?
• What a Cover Letter's Purpose & Goals are
• How to Prepare to Write a Winning Cover Letter
• How to Write a Cover Letter
• All of the Cover Letter Requirements You Need to Account For
• Things to Avoid When Writing Your Cover Letter
• Bringing it All Together (Your Resume & Cover Letter)

Please see the four additional learning examples of cover letters for each type of design or QA role in the attached documentation for this lecture.

In this lecture you will learn:

• The Purpose of a Business Card
• The Key Goals For a Business Card for Game Designers and Level Designers
• The Requirements Your Business Card Needs To Meet

In this reading lecture you will learn about the following Business Card paper and printing requirements:

• Paper Quality
• Card Stock Type
• Print Resolution
• Print Colour Space
• Card Printing
• Proofing

In this reading lecture and exercise you will learn the best practices and process for designing and building your business card in a step by step fashion.

In this this lecture we learn:

• What the Right Organizational Mindset Needs to be for You to be Successful
• Portfolio Planning & Scheduling Tips
• Quality Rating Definitions to Help You Set Meaningful Portfolio Development Targets
• The Step-By Step Scheduling & Organizational Recipe for Creating a Great Design Portfolio

In this lecture you we will discuss the following topics:

• Your Pre-Final Design Portfolio at a Glance
• Completing The Last Round of Feedback & Iteration on Your Design Portfolio
• Going Live With Your Highly Competitive & Professional Quality Design Portfolio!
• Portfolio Maintenance (Post Launch)

Learn about how to setup Live 1 on 1 Mentoring Sessions with the course instructor to professional advice and guidance on your portfolio work. Please note that this is a separately offered paid service.

Learn about how to contact me for any course related questions you have or to setup Live 1 on 1 Mentoring Sessions (A seperately offered paid service).

I suggest taking some time to read through many of the industry research documents that have been linked to in this "additional learning document' as they will give you much deeper knowledge of the game industry as a whole, as well as its various sectors (like Console, PC, Mobile, Free-to-Play, AAA, Indy, etc.).

I suggest reading through the Game Industry Roles document (and its attached links), provided for 'additional learning' to get a more in-depth understanding of the various game design roles that exist.

In this exercise you will learn how assess yourself effectively from a career standpoint so you can choose the right career for you.

In this exercise you will learn how to profile yourself as a "gamer" to find out what target audiences you belong to in the video game industry.

In this exercise you will learn how to profile yourself as a Game Designer to find out what area of design specialization, (Systems Designers, User Interface Designer, Level Designer, etc.), sector of the game industry, game companies, and game genres make sense for you.

In this exercise you will learn insider tips on how to research your target game industry sector effectively so that you can make a stronger more competitive design portfolio and be more knowledgable, articulate and successful in interviews.

In this exercise you will learn insider tips on how to create an personal brand that showcases the best of who you are from a design career standpoint and resonates with your target employers as a great cultural fit for their team

The goal here is to build your personal brand into your portfolio games, website, demo reel, resume and business card so that you are broadcasting a clear message about who you are and what you have to offer that is incredibly valuable to your target employers in the video game industry.

In this exercise you will learn how to create a career development strategy and plan to maximize your chances of landing your target design job in the video game industry.

I suggest that you take some time to research and review the professional portfolio website examples that are provided as links in this additional learning document so that you can become more familiar with the different styles of portfolio websites that designers use.

The research goal here is to identify which style of website is most suited to your particular career goals, as well as see what each one is doing well or not so well so that you may incorporate these learnings into your own portfolio website.

I suggest that you take some time to research and review the various game design and level design demo reels that are provided as links in this additional learning document so that you can become more familiar with all of the various demo reel formats that are out there. The research goal here is to identify which demo reel types are more suited to your particular career goals, as well as see what each one is doing well or not so well so that you may incorporate these learnings into your own portfolio work.

I highly suggest that you review this Game Design resume and cover letter example,
as well as several resumes found on professional game designer portfolio websites (see the Designer Resume Examples PDF in Lecture 39). Keep an eye out for what sections and information are present as well as how they are organized in a written and visual format.

I highly suggest that you review this Level Design resume and cover letter example,
as well as several resumes found on professional game designer portfolio websites (see the Designer Resume Examples PDF in Lecture 39). Keep an eye out for what sections and information are present as well as how they are organized in a written and visual format.

I highly suggest that you review this Quality Assurance Tester/Analyst cover letter and resume example. Keep an eye out for what sections and information are present as well as how they are organized in a written and visual format.

I suggest that you take some time to research the professional game design and level design resumes provided via the online links in this document.