what is required to become an video game programmer

Joseph:

If you're truly talking about programming, then it's all about computer science! If you're also interested in game design, then there are additional skills in art, psychology and sociology, communication, and statistics that are relevant.

To be a video game programmer, first be a programmer! Learn to code any language. My first programs were all games. You can often download other people's code and modify it until you have your own game.

Try the game design challenges here: http://code.org/learn

If you like that way of thinking, then you might enjoy computer science in college. It's certainly possible to be a programmer without a computer science degree. I learned programming in my free time. You can do that too. But in college, you'll have a structured learning environment that will help you level up your skills more quickly. In high school, prepare by taking any programming classes your school offers. Also take mathematics and statistics: you will be a better programmer if you know them.

You'll do great! Programming is fun, and there's nothing that compares to building a game that you and others love.

To add to Daniel's response, I personally studied Computer Science in school and today work as a Software Engineer for a video game company. However I know a lot of friends who work in the video game industry with degrees in Software Engineering and Electrical Engineering. All three degrees are rooted in Mathematics but there are some subtle differences between them that you should be sure to understand to ensure they are the right fit for you.

Its also super important to learn outside of the classroom, the great thing about software is it is free to learn and experiment. If you have an Android device you can start building games for it TODAY! Not only will it give you insight into what your interests are, but having resume filled with video game projects is much more impressive that just a degree.