Anyone here a game developer of sorts?

[xile]

So i'm in college and lately i've been really thinking about getting into game development afterwards, anyone know what type of degrees would be useful/ good ways to get experience? Right now i'm on track to go to law school (which i still wanna do lol) but i'm keeping my options open regardless.

[Fraza]

It depends on what exactly do you want to do. Game development in it's literal sense involves a lot of programming, so Computer Science would be the way to go.

[Mavecryst]

I was on the path to becoming a game developer (programming side of it; note that there are many, many aspects of game development so you can always consider other paths, such as graphics design, writing, systems design etc if programming isn't for you), so this is my two cents. I took a double degree, in Computer Science and Games Technology. Those are two types of degrees you will be looking out for. A degree in Computer Science only though, at least in my opinion, will not be enough. It doesn't teach enough to be of value to you in the game development world.

For the record, I dropped Games Technology in my third (and final) year. I came to the conclusion that I simply wasn't smart enough to do games programming. My only regret is not taking up some form of games writing, or systems design because I had plenty of ideas, but just continued with my Com Sci degree. Anyways my point is, be prepared for it. You need to be really smart, and really good at stuff like physics and maths. You also need to work really hard for it, smarts isn't going to get you anywhere by itself, unlike what you could do with many other degrees. Last minute work won't ever cut it. And by last minute, I mean starting a games project two weeks before it's due. That won't be enough.

I would suggest deciding which angle you want to tackle game development from, and then check out what corresponding degrees are offered by the universities you are looking at. My university offered a degree which focused on in-game systems design, such as combat/inventory/gameplay and so on. Graphics design as well. I don't know much about those though.

From what I've heard, it's also hard to get into a good gaming company. You might want to build up a portfolio as you go through uni, and build a good rep with people, starting with your lecturers or tutors. It will require some luck and connections to get a good start.

Good luck with whatever you decide on!

[Deleted]

I'm not a games developer myself but I did work as a games tester for 5 years and have had various very long conversations with both games designers and budding games designers.

By and large it seems the games design courses run by many UK universities aren't always well respected by the industry. There are some that are very well regarded that I've read about. They are often criticized for using out of date technology or use an approach that's just to narrow in an ever changing industry. I can't speak for Europe or USA in that regard but it's worth doing some research to make sure the one you getting has a proven track record of getting a graduate a job in the industry.

I would look at computer science degrees like someone else already suggested. They can also take you into a career in IT should your games industry dream not work out. It's always good to have a backup plan. You can always do something else on the side if you want as well.

A portfolio of your work and ideas is essential. What actually goes into one I honestly couldn't say having never made one but everyone I know in any aspect of design has one. Make sure yours is good quality. clear and as original as you can be.

Being dedicated is also massively important. In all the testing jobs I've ever had enthusiasm and dedication has trumped experience. Experience no doubt helps but until you have some enthusiasm is the trump card.

The only thing I would say for certain is be prepared for a long slog. The industry particularly in the UK is very isolated and jobs can be tough to find at an entry level. I've moved company 3 times and on every occasion I met people I used to work with in one of the previous companies. Don't let that put you off though as its an amazing thing to work in once you get your foot in the door.

[glowzone]

I'm one, I tried several courses for it but most of those where questionable at best.They almost always focused on the design of the art. So I learned most other things on my own and from online documentation, especially for programming.