Job at Riot

GingaDaNinja·7/27/2015, 12:17:33 PM·5 votes·2,329 views

Right now I am in high school and I am thinking about getting a major in computer science. Right now the job I would want to have in the future is being a technical game designer at Riot because I have a passion for the game, I love discussing the state of the game with my friends, and I love computers. For my last years at high school I am putting the game aside on weekends so I can work harder to pull my grades up. I was wondering if anyone could tell me good books to read on the weekdays or really great websites to learn coding from (especially C++). I know it is kind of odd looking this far into the future for a job at riot, but this is really for any job with game design because I have such a great passion for video games. Thanks, GingaDaNinja.

19 Comments

remeasures27/27/2015, 12:51:22 PM6 votes

Well 1st off contact riot directly. Ask them what degrees they look for and from what schools. Secondly riot does interns every summer so make sure you find a school where interning is allowed in your program. But I will be honest with you loving a game and computers does mean you will like coding. Its not fun unless you are truly gifted at it. If not then you will hate how tedious it is. Especially when you need to find an error in your code. Also you better love math. An associates degree in CS has about 23 credit hours of math. The bachelors has about another 20 and the masters has about another 30. The associates will take you through calculus and analytical geometry (mth173/174) and statistics. The bachelors will take you through linear algebra and Differential Calculus. Not to mention all of the cs programs you have to take. I suggest you definitely pick up a coding book and watch some coding streams to see if its something you would like. Most people who get into coding by the time they finish high school have already written code of some sort. There would be nothing worse then having spent $1000+ on math classes to find out you dont like to code.

imonly4noobcakes7/27/2015, 12:40:01 PM4 votes

Dream on kid...dream on.

Riotmoonstones7/27/2015, 5:01:28 PM3 votes

Hiya!

You'd said you're still in high school, which means you have plenty of time to research and explore the world of game design.

Since you mentioned game design as a whole, I can suggest checking out other avenues as well, such as

Designer - Champion or various other content. Gameplay and balance changes can also fall here.
VFX artist - Creating particles for skins/champions/etc.
Sound engineer - Composing, recording editing and implementing sounds for games.
Concept artist - creating initial designs for content.
Modeler - Modeling/texturing content.

There are, of course, many other options, this is simply a list to get you started.

An awesome resource is the Riot LinkedIn Group. Many Rioters and applicants discuss all kind of things here. You'd be able to get more information regarding the career you'd like to pursue, as well as feedback/advice on applying when the time comes.

If you decide coding/programming is what you're interested in - go for it! Whatever major you decide to go with, work on becoming an expert. Know your content inside and out, and be able to discuss all aspects of it. Obviously, this isn't an overnight process, but it's a great goal to keep in the back of your mind as you're learning.

Internships are also a great opportunity to become an expert in your craft. They're a great real world/hands on experience that can really test the skills you have, as well as help you acquire more. We offer internships in the summer. You can check out the FAQ here.

Best of luck!