Digital games designer to ICT system architect
A digital games designer already meets 44% of what the ICT system architect role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.7/ 100
1 How much of what an ICT system architect is expected to do is already part of a digital games designer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ICT system architect role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An ICT system architect role treats 6 of its required skills as things a digital games designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse business requirements
- define technical requirements
- hardware platforms
- systems development life-cycle
- use markup languages
- web programming
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 48 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT system architect role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a digital games designer background worth leading with.
- already held hardware platforms information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held task algorithmisation information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held design process communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held web programming information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held use markup languages working with computers
- already held analyse business requirements information skills
All 48 carried skills, including the 6 the ICT system architect role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 44 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn acquire system component required
- still to learn align software with system architectures required
- still to learn apply ICT systems theory required
- still to learn implement ICT security policies required
- still to learn integrate system components required
- still to learn use an application-specific interface required
- optional, not held develop with cloud services optional
- optional, not held plan migration to cloud optional
- optional, not held use object-oriented programming optional
- optional, not held solve ICT system problems optional
- still to learn database development tools required
- still to learn system design required
- still to learn systems theory required
- still to learn digital systems required
- optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
- optional, not held ICT system integration optional
- optional, not held ICT system programming optional
- optional, not held Oracle WebLogic optional
- optional, not held information structure optional
- optional, not held image recognition optional
- still to learn design enterprise architecture required
- still to learn design information system required
- optional, not held design cloud architecture optional
- optional, not held design database in the cloud optional
- optional, not held design database scheme optional
- optional, not held design for organisational complexity optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- still to learn create data models required
- still to learn manage database required
- optional, not held manage cloud data and storage optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- still to learn business process modelling required
- optional, not held Agile project management optional
- optional, not held ICT project management methodologies optional
- optional, not held Process-based management optional
- optional, not held lean project management optional
- still to learn assess ICT knowledge required
- optional, not held manage standards for data exchange optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an ICT system architect role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 acquire system component practise this
- 02 align software with system architectures practise this
- 03 apply ICT systems theory practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 48 skills that carry over
- already held analyse business requirements skill
- already held define technical requirements skill
- already held hardware platforms knowledge
- already held systems development life-cycle knowledge
- already held use markup languages skill
- already held web programming knowledge
- already held ABAP knowledge
- already held AJAX knowledge
- already held APL knowledge
- already held ASP.NET knowledge
- already held Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
- already held C# knowledge
- already held C++ knowledge
- already held COBOL knowledge
- already held CoffeeScript knowledge
- already held Common Lisp knowledge
- already held Erlang knowledge
- already held Groovy knowledge
- already held Haskell knowledge
- already held ICT security legislation knowledge
- already held Java (computer programming) knowledge
- already held JavaScript knowledge
- already held Lisp knowledge
- already held MATLAB knowledge
- already held ML (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Microsoft Visual C++ knowledge
- already held Objective-C knowledge
- already held OpenEdge Advanced Business Language knowledge
- already held PHP knowledge
- already held Pascal (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Perl knowledge
- already held Prolog (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Python (computer programming) knowledge
- already held R knowledge
- already held Ruby (computer programming) knowledge
- already held SAP R3 knowledge
- already held SAS language knowledge
- already held Scala knowledge
- already held Scratch (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Smalltalk (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Swift (computer programming) knowledge
- already held TypeScript knowledge
- already held VBScript knowledge
- already held Visual Basic knowledge
- already held computer programming knowledge
- already held design process skill
- already held perform resource planning skill
- already held task algorithmisation knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn manage system testing required
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held security engineering optional
- optional, not held defence standard procedures optional
27 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held Agile project management optional
- optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
- optional, not held ICT project management methodologies optional
- optional, not held ICT system integration optional
- optional, not held ICT system programming optional
- optional, not held Oracle WebLogic optional
- optional, not held Process-based management optional
- optional, not held defence standard procedures optional
- optional, not held design cloud architecture optional
- optional, not held design database in the cloud optional
- optional, not held design database scheme optional
- optional, not held design for organisational complexity optional
- optional, not held develop with cloud services optional
- optional, not held information structure optional
- optional, not held lean project management optional
- optional, not held manage cloud data and storage optional
- optional, not held manage standards for data exchange optional
- optional, not held plan migration to cloud optional
- optional, not held use object-oriented programming optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held image recognition optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held security engineering optional
- optional, not held solve ICT system problems optional
48 held skills the ICT system architect role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D lighting knowledge
- not needed by the target role 3D texturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role Agile development knowledge
- not needed by the target role CryEngine knowledge
- not needed by the target role DevOps knowledge
- not needed by the target role Frostbite (digital game creation systems) knowledge
- not needed by the target role GameSalad knowledge
- not needed by the target role Gamemaker Studio knowledge
- not needed by the target role Havok Vision knowledge
- not needed by the target role HeroEngine knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT performance analysis methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role Project Anarchy knowledge
- not needed by the target role Prototyping development knowledge
- not needed by the target role RAGE (digital game creation systems) knowledge
- not needed by the target role Rapid application development knowledge
- not needed by the target role Shiva (digital game creation systems) knowledge
- not needed by the target role Source (digital game creation systems) knowledge
- not needed by the target role Spiral development knowledge
- not needed by the target role Unity (digital game creation systems) knowledge
- not needed by the target role Unreal Engine knowledge
- not needed by the target role Waterfall development knowledge
- not needed by the target role animate 3D organic forms skill
- not needed by the target role application usability knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role augmented reality knowledge
- not needed by the target role compose digital game story skill
- not needed by the target role computer graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role create 3D characters skill
- not needed by the target role create 3D environments skill
- not needed by the target role create concept of digital game skill
- not needed by the target role create digital game characters skill
- not needed by the target role create software design skill
- not needed by the target role design graphics skill
- not needed by the target role digital game creation systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role digital game genres knowledge
- not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
- not needed by the target role formulate game rules skill
- not needed by the target role id Tech knowledge
- not needed by the target role incremental development knowledge
- not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
8 further entries not listed here
18 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn business process modelling required
- still to learn database development tools required
- still to learn system design required
- still to learn systems theory required
- still to learn digital systems required
- optional, not held Agile project management optional
- optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
- optional, not held ICT project management methodologies optional
- optional, not held ICT system integration optional
- optional, not held ICT system programming optional
- optional, not held Oracle WebLogic optional
- optional, not held Process-based management optional
- optional, not held defence standard procedures optional
- optional, not held information structure optional
- optional, not held lean project management optional
- optional, not held image recognition optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held security engineering optional
Other moves recorded from digital games designer
- numerical tool and process control programmer 68% covered · moderate
- computer-aided design operator 64% covered · moderate
- 3D modeller 63% covered · moderate
- user interface designer 56% covered · substantial
- 3D animator 55% covered · moderate
- software architect 46% covered · substantial
- digital games developer 45% covered · substantial
- embedded system designer 45% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a digital games designer become an ICT system architect?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A digital games designer already covers 44% of what an ICT system architect is expected to do: 48 skills carry over, 6 of which the ICT system architect role treats as required.
What skills does a digital games designer need to become an ICT system architect?
17 required skills are missing, plus 27 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with computers. The single most important is acquire system component.
How hard is the move from digital games designer to ICT system architect?
Its learning distance is 68.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.