Video Games Courses

My company employs people with this skillset (not for gaming though) and all the advice here is very true. The people who apply with game centric degrees (who we have interviewed tbh we tend not to bother) can not pass the interview assessment tests however the physics and math trained interviewees can (in the main). From what I can gather from the people at work (who were previously in games development houses) then their work hours were longer and the pay considerably lower because there is an abundance of people who will do the job. Just something worth considering. I know there are good developers out there who do offer a good work life balance but they do seem few and far between.
 
As said. Do a decent CS course instead. If he likes he can take games relevant electives like AI and graphics.

I did this then realised when I finished I didn't really fancy the games industry as much as I had four years previously. Just went into a java/web development role instead. :)
 
All good advice here. You've not stated how much programming experience he has, but if he wants a head start it'd be worth getting hold of something like Unity and getting an understanding of both game logic and C++.

The documentation is awesome, and there's plenty of support on the forums if needed.
 
Yep, good shout on Unity - I should have mentioned that. We currently use Unity - it's quite simple (hell even I can use it well) and it has good documentation on C++. The other one to look at if he wanted to 3D modelling would be Blender. Also free. I am not sure on the audio side of things as that is not something we use.

https://unity3d.com/unity/download
http://www.blender.org/download/

I would say get him to practice making small simple projects to completion rather than concentrating on one thing. I would be more interested (as an employer) to see someone had learned how to take something to completion.
 
It depends what he wants to do in games as there's a lot of different disciplines needed in production of a modern game.

If he's interested in the art & animation side then a computer animation degree could be a good way to go (it's by no means required to have a degree for animation and games, as it all comes down to your portfolio and showreel - however there are new grads every year so competition for entry level jobs can be brutal).

I went to Glamorgan Uni (now South Wales Uni) and found the course brilliant, as it was very geared towards setting yourself up to get a job at the end of it - the skillset accredited courses have all been accredited by industry professionals (not specific to games, this covers film, TV and VFX as well).

If he's more interested in the programming side then I'd avoid specific games developer courses and do a proper computer science degree as these are far more highly regarded and cover a much broader spectrum of possible jobs.
 
Xordium said:
From what I can gather from the people at work (who were previously in games development houses) then their work hours were longer and the pay considerably lower because there is an abundance of people who will do the job. Just something worth considering.
Click to expand...

Yup, this is definitely something to bear in mind!

Why does he want to get into games development?

Despite the millions of sales of games like CoD etc. does he think the programmers at the bottom of the ladder get a decent slice of the pie?

Unless he works for a small indie or for himself, he's going to be working long hours, under a lot of pressure for lower pay than normal.

If it's because he likes playing games, chances are that will change after the 4th month of coding the same feature of the game!
 
Haggisman said:
Unless he works for a small indie or for himself, he's going to be working long hours, under a lot of pressure for lower pay than normal.
Click to expand...

I think that's still true for working as a small indie or himself... Maybe not the pressure. But until you make a hit, you'll be pouring all your free time for low pay.

Haggisman said:
If it's because he likes playing games, chances are that will change after the 4th month of coding the same feature of the game!
Click to expand...

Very worth considering. Hell, I did a summer job for a few years whilst at uni for a company that did compliance testing for the Xbox 360. It's far far far less "fun" than everyone would think.
 
orderoftheflame said:
I think that's still true for working as a small indie or himself... Maybe not the pressure. But until you make a hit, you'll be pouring all your free time for low pay.
Click to expand...

Well, true, but at least in those circumstances if they do make a hit, he's likely to actually see some of the benefit!
 
I know 2 people in the industry... one is a programmer and one an artist. I think they would both say that unless you are very naturally talented then look elsewhere.

The games industry is cutthroat and only those who have a proven track record elsewhere tend to get a look in... you dont start out there you end up there!
 
AtreuS said:
The games industry is cutthroat and only those who have a proven track record elsewhere tend to get a look in... you dont start out there you end up there!
Click to expand...

The funny thing is that I know three people in the industry. One is a programmer, one is a 3D modeller and one is a producer. They all got jobs from uni in the industry straight off, although they often did tester job etc first.
 
Moothead2 said:
Whenever I've seen someone ask about game development the general consensus is to do some kind of computer science course as opposed to a dedicated game development course. At least then you have skills that will be helpful outside of game development if it doesn't work out.
Click to expand...
This.
Fuggan said:
I fell into this trap.

Did a 3 year Games Design course because I liked games.

Should have spent 3 years sat in my room coding and doing tutorials, would have been infinitely more useful. Can't tell you enough how much of a waste of time it was.
Click to expand...
This
Spunkey said:
All good advice here. You've not stated how much programming experience he has, but if he wants a head start it'd be worth getting hold of something like Unity and getting an understanding of both game logic and C++.

The documentation is awesome, and there's plenty of support on the forums if needed.
Click to expand...

And finally this.

I'm studying CS, and we had some talk from people who are in the gaming industry. One guy has his own company, made up of a few people who work part-time/after hours. Unfortunately, the gaming 'education' lacks a lot of depth. Its all about practice and not certificates. Getting a degree in something related (example Computer Science, Maths, Physics etc.) would help a lot, and it would show that the candidate has some sort of intelligence. Experience is very important. Unity is a very nice, free tool he can use to have some experience. He can create a basic mini clip game as a starter (snake, space invaders etc.) then try scaling up to something a bit more complex.

This company I am mentioning used to have a system where people/students who would want to get into the industry help out for free in their spare time. For example you ask where you can help, present your skills, and they assign you a task. You have ample time to do it, and you would be getting a small foot in the industry. One guy had to do the poster and some art work He had MONTHS to do it (6+). Although he was not paid, its some good experience to put on your CV. Plus you get to know people who are already in the industry.
 
Avoid.

I work in the video games industry as a programmer so know what I am talking about!

First 'games development' is meaningless, find out if he wants to be a designer, artist, or programmer.

The best route into the industry is as follows:

a) Do a relevant degree at as good a uni as possible (e.g. for programmer you would want to do maths, computer science or physics/engineering)
b) Work on a portfolio in your spare time (ideally have at least one finished game where you have worked in a small team to make it)

It is possible to do just b) but your portfolio will need to be very good as lots of employers require a degree now.
 
The Number one problem people who do games courses encounter is You need to do a lot in your spare time, you could ace every test, get a first, but without a lot of portfolio and personal time put in you've got nothing that companies want to see.
You're much better doing a proper programming/computer science course and dedicating your spare time to Games and prototyping Ideas.

It's been mentioned before but Unity really is just great for anyone wanting a try at prototyping games.
 
D.P. said:
Do a solid CS degree at a top notch university, or even better a Math or physics + CS joint degree.


Do game development in spare time as a hobby.
Click to expand...

Can confirm that this route has worked out fairly successfully for me so far - especially because I didn't get into a particularly good university (I ****ed around far too much during A levels).

I graduated first class in Physics and Computer Science and now am in a top 5 university doing a Physics PhD. The CS background has helped me out immensely.

Doing a course specifically in Video Games is a very poor idea. Doing something much more general like this man has said is a much better idea! Doing a Video Games course gives you a very high likelyhood you won't like it - and be shoehorned into that position. With something like a Maths, Physics or CS degree, you can do a hell of a lot more.
 
orderoftheflame said:
"Loading screen message is incorrect for a loading screen of 4.24 seconds, should use the loading message specified for loads under 5 seconds instead."

I wish I was kidding about how anal Microsoft are. :(
Click to expand...

There is not a jury in the land that would not buy that plea. Seriously, we all have atleast one thing we hate 'Jumbohard' for
 
I've done a Computer Science degree and have interviewed at some of the top gaming companies. Didn't end up going into gaming though.

My friend did a Computer Games Development University Course and he got into a gaming company no problem - not all of them are bad.
 
Strife212 said:
I've done a Computer Science degree and have interviewed at some of the top gaming companies. Didn't end up going into gaming though.

My friend did a Computer Games Development University Course and he got into a gaming company no problem - not all of them are bad.
Click to expand...

I think the main thing their is "university course"
 
AGD said:
Avoid.

I work in the video games industry as a programmer so know what I am talking about!

First 'games development' is meaningless, find out if he wants to be a designer, artist, or programmer.

The best route into the industry is as follows:

a) Do a relevant degree at as good a uni as possible (e.g. for programmer you would want to do maths, computer science or physics/engineering)
b) Work on a portfolio in your spare time (ideally have at least one finished game where you have worked in a small team to make it)

It is possible to do just b) but your portfolio will need to be very good as lots of employers require a degree now.
Click to expand...

This, I also work in the games industry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom