[travis travis]

I could use some information here on starting my career. I'm interested in being a game designer. I realize that means I should be as good at creative writing as illustrating, among other things, and the usual way in the industry in the past has been to get your foot in the door or start your own company. Today colleges are starting to offer whole degrees with a focus on game production though, and I wonder if any of that is worthwhile... Cogswell Polytechnical sounds really interesting for example, and a lot of art schools have some programs... but I don't know if it's all crap and I should just get some people together and start a company or if the experiences would be worthwhile even if the courses weren't so great (I'm only 19.) The thing is, I guess, is that I'm ambitous and a kid at the same time.

ok, paragraph break. I mean, I know a lot of people have quite a bit to do with college in their life time, but to me I think I see in it more delay then progress... but it certainly brings to question in my mind... what is my personal responsibility as an artist towards technical competence? Obviously I couldn't ever know the exact scientific properties and reasons for being of every material before I draw it... but I might pick up a little *something* more towards that effect through lessons, right? perhaps. I wouldn't want to pass up sensible, helpful, respectable opportunity is how I feel -- but I also wouldn't want to slog through lots of BS and a big fat bill just because I'm feeling insecure... any advice?

heh

[travis travis]

Whack! Ok, I'll give this post a bump and say goodnight -- *whistles way out of room*--
any answers/thoughts helpful, be helpful! I'm helpful when I can be! Now I'll shut up and be patient. Also answer Jezebel's as well, she has a similar question and I feel bad that I'm about to bump mine


thanks!

[waylon]

Hi. From what I've heard/seen, most people who become game designers do so, like you said, either by starting their own companies, or by working their way up to the position after doing art or programming for a few years. There's probably no way you're going to get around doing one of those two things, and with good reason. There's a lot you need to know about making a video game that you're not going to learn anywhere else. (And if you start your own company, no one can fire you because you don't have enough experience. )

Though I haven't met anyone who went through a video-game specific course I would say college is a good idea. Most of the people I know in the field finished (or almost finished) a 4-year bachelor's degree. There's a whole lot of cool stuff you can learn in college that you would never think to study, but which you can apply directly to working on video games. For instance, I'm technically a Computer Science major, and like anyone else, I was forced to take lots of classes that didn't exactly relate to CS. Well, I signed up for an astronomy class, a geology class, and a class called "evolution and extinction". They were the three coolest classes I've taken in my life, and I've been able to apply a surprising amount of information I learned in them to my video game career. And it's all stuff I would have never even thought about studying had I gone into game development right out of high school.

Not to mention all the stuff I learned in my computer science and art classes.

So yes, if the word of a complete stranger means anything to you, my vote is that college is a good thing. Some of it will seem like a waste of time, but it's an experience you can't get anywhere else, and there's a lot you'll be missing if you just go right in and start developing games.

[Frost]

A game designer's job is a very grey area, a sort of 'Jack of All Trades' - one should have some programming knowledge, have a rather good art background, and understand the lowlevel functionning of the game engine and real-time technologies, besides doing all the game design which puts all those together. As lame as that may sound, one very mouthful game designer that you can read stuff on is www.cliffyb.com, Cliff Bleszinski from Epic.

There is hardly any school for this sort of thing I think, but if you can find one, then by all means...

...and good luck.

[gaunt]

Digipen in Seattle, Washington..
(that's a famous game school)

Try some art colleges too..

Not sure if Trebas is national... (a private school)..

[Flinthawk]

I just came from Digipen myself here. While they may not be geared towards game design alone they do offer a class or two on the subject as electives. I went there and took three semesters of programming and two of the art and animation program. Didn't get a single degree thanks to finances, or lack there of, forcing me into the industry (I make it sound like a bad thing, don't I ...it is though, much yet to learn...) but what I learned there was what I consider a thorough 'crash course' on the things most designers should have knowledge of when working on a game.

I may not be the best programmer but I was at the top of the class so I understand enough about coding to converse with programmers easily. I'm not the best of artists but that's what I'm working as now which is nice because I don't have to start as a QA guy like most do. If you have an interest/talent for art or programming then I suggest taking a look at the school at www.digipen.edu. Otherwise, you may have to go one of the other ways listed by people like CliffyB. I checked out what he has to say and it's pretty much the same thing I've found since entering the games industry. Hope that helps some.

-Flinthawk

[This message has been edited by Flinthawk (edited February 27, 2001).]

[travis travis]

glad for the input everyone, thank you! I'll be looking at colleges I think and keep trying to get into the industry at the same time.

regards