Looking For Education

I recommend you gain a solid knowledge of one or two programming languages. I would personally recommend C++ and C#, but the choice is really up to you. Most colleges are switching to Java these days - I'd say get a BS in CS (computer science) or EE (electrical engineering), and study -real- programming on the side. Don't expect to 'ride along' with college curriculum and expect to be able to program at a professional level when you're done. You will find that most college kids in computer-related majors are in way over their head. If you step back and figure out what you really should be learning and do that, you'll be on your way, a bit ahead of your peers.

RDragon1 is right. Also, once you learn a language good enough, there are a lot of books on game programming and design.

Thanks for the advice. I guess a degree in CS would be better since it wouldn't limit me to Video Games.

A follow-up question though if I may. The schools I'm looking at all have these really nice programs that teach you all about specifically the game design field itself. They show people going to class and doing 3D modeling, level design, etc. If I wanted to do all that more art focused stuff, what's the most important thing for me to consider when looking at colleges and degrees? Do I even need more education or should I focus on creating an impressive portfolio?

A great well-rounded education is great to have. For 3D modelers you can download GMax, the Maya Learning Edition, or Blender. You should try to get a good education and a good portfolio. Do you more want to do programming or are you more towards the art side of things?

I agree with everyone else. Find a language, build a strong foundation and then move onto the game development process. Start off on small projects, don't let your personal ambitions get the best of you. You'll most likely learn more from small projects then you would jumping into something big right away.

Education wise? I think a BS in Computer Science is a safe route. But, if your *really* serious about persuing an education in game design I would try to locate a university or somewhere close by that specializes in this field of work. I'm personally shooting for the Computer Science route so I can fall back on something later down the line. We all tend to change our minds somewhere along the lines... so make sure your confident =P

Friendly Advice: Start programming now. I don't recommend waiting till you take your first programming class in college. A lot of people tend to bail out early because the instructor tends to move too fast. Experiment on your own time and get the feel of the basic i/o of the language you so desire.

Quote:

Original post by CoderGuy Do you more want to do programming or are you more towards the art side of things?

I want to be able to do both, but I'd probably focus on the art side of things. I'm not exactly sure though. How much creative freedom do video game programmers have? I know designers have a ton of freedom, but from what I've gathered programmers just do all the grunt work. I guess it's true that they make all the neat features and cool physics possible, but they don't get to tell the story behind the game. Am I wrong?

One thing that should be noted is strictly "game design" jobs I belive are harder to obtain then other jobs. The job market for such game design work is much more narrowed and very hard to find jobs in strictly game design.

Now if its the art side of things id concentrate on things such as 3d modeling. A few I can think of are 3ds max, maya, and blender. Along with such areas as doing textures and so forth using adobe and other products.

If your into writing the story line of the games themselves I belive there is a job called "game writer." That would have to be something to do with the story line itself as well but I belive theres few jobs for this particular area; so it may be best to get a secondary skill just to get into the business itself.

The term game design can be many different things its a very broad word in my opinion. I also don't belive in the concept of teaching "game design" for the same reasons Shigeru Miyamoto would give. Plus, I observed a game design class and I was rather annoyed by how they analyzed other games ways and concepts rather then formulating new ideas.

Now if your looking for a programming job I would stick with C++ and C#. C# tends to being used to develop tools currently it may be used more later on but currently C++ is still the industry standard, and when you got so many engines built using C++ you can expect it to be that way for quite some time.

Its a good idea to concentrate strictly on one specific area though that tends to make you more valuable, concentrating on all of it is just to much work for one individual.

Once you figure out exactly what area you want to go into then id look into schools/colleges. [smile]