Education...... Degree in Games Design?

craig_uk

craig_uk

craig_uk

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My Son is studying A Levels at college (maths & ICT) and is looking at degree courses in both IT and Game Design. His preference at present being game design.

I as his dad have some severe reservations about just how useful or versatile this course will be. Transferable skills? Personally out of the two I hope he goes down the IT route.

I'm a controls engineer so just cannot see any real future within game design especially as the course doesn't do what I regard as the difficult part i.e. programming, game physics and artificial intelligence.

Am I out of touch or do I have due concern? Ultimately it's his call but obviously as a parent in keen that it pays off.

Opinions please.
 
well whats he wanting to do program the game and the physics and artificial intelligence.


or is he looking to be an art/graphic designer?
 
Buy him a subscription to http://www.digitaltutors.com and get him started on the game design courses there to see if its something he can see doing. There was another thread on here a while back about game design and uni courses.

You may find that some parts of game design you won't learn at uni game desuign courses where they will just teach theory and no practical. But if he wants a degree on his name then a standard comp sci degree + practical experience in game design software would be best imo.
 
Don't do Game Design.

Source: Did Game Design.


Further info:-

If he wants to get into the art side (as I did) it's a case of experience experience experience experience and he would be better served spending a few hundred £ on a set of Eat3D tutorials, signing up to polycount.com or similar and working his ass off and letting his brain being an ever consuming sponge for knowledge.

If he wants to go the programming route I'm sure there are others who can give better advice but I'd imagine something like Computer Sci or actual programming courses would be far better.

Physics/AI etc? Probably same as #2.


In my opinion my Game Design degree isn't worth the paper it's written on, and certainly didn't give me an edge over people without one when it came to getting a job. The only reason I even did it is because I didn't know what else to do. I'm now studying law and starting again from the beginning at the age of 23, take that as you will.
 
craig_uk said:
I'm a controls engineer so just cannot see any real future within game design especially as the course doesn't do what I regard as the difficult part i.e. programming, game physics and artificial intelligence.
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Are you sure? The game design course at my Uni (Lancaster) certainly covers those areas.

However, game design at degree level is usually a 2 yr foundation degree with a 1 yr optional Hons top up, and those elements only get taught in the optional 3rd year, so maybe you've looked at the 2 yr foundation syllabus only and not seen those parts.


As an aside, if he likes gaming, he shouldn't do game design as it will ruin games for him.

anything I don't mind said:
where they will just teach theory and no practical.
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That's nonsense - my course (Interactive Media Design) shadows the Game Design course layout and it includes LOADS of practical work. In fact, we have no exams at all and it's all assignment based, normally 50% theory assignment at the beginning of a module followed by a 50% practical "build something that demonstrates your understanding of the theory" assignment.
 
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I know dozens who who did a Game Art Design degree and graduated with me 4 years ago. To date I would estimate 20-30% got a job in the games industry. The rest have not only been unable to pursue their chosen careers but have also found their degree unsuitable to get on to any decent grad schemes in other industries, a lot of them are currently working in retail with poor prospects.

Game Art Design is somewhat different from Game Design (one is an art degree, whereas the other incorporates programming etc in into the course), however from what I've heard a computer science degree would give as good if not better prospects of breaking into the games industry, and also has the benefit of being a very well regarded degree which would keep a lot of other doors open.
 
I suspect the responses here will be as conservatively boring as dish water, but personally I found comp Sci mind numbingly dull. Games design requires a broad and complex overview of every single field of science because most games mimic real world constructs. If you want him to a thoroughly boring man with an anorak collection, by all means push for comp Sci. If you want him to learn in a fun environment with visibly exciting and stimulating results, let him go.
 
amigafan2003 said:
As an aside, if he likes gaming, he shouldn't do game design as it will ruin games for him.
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Hogwash. Games are packed full of ingenious optimisations to cheat their way to a real time run time. Since learning about some of them I get filled with wonder everytime I see them. As a trivial example take left for dead, which creates a world that feels like it is full of zombies, when really there are never more than n zombies in existence.
 
I studied Computer Science and there was also a Games Design course at my University. Whenever there was a job fair for our department, the Games Design students were always disappointed in the lack of opportunities available and how employers had a preference for Computer Science graduates.

When I graduated last year - I didn't meet anyone from the Games Design course who had a job in the industry, many were still working in retail. On my course, plenty of people were in the IT industry.

I would suggest Computer Science as there are plenty more transferable skills into the workplace. If your son wants to go into the industry, he could study CS and try to get an internship with a games company to get some experience and create contacts.
 
I would echo the computer science/maths call.

It's more versatile as well, should give good grounding in the skills required and at a suitable academic level. Much more transferable as well.

Would gain appreciation and insight into what is actually involved rather than "computer does it for me". A better thinker at tackling the typical problems required for advanced and interesting game design.

Source: Work at university in a programming/graphics related research field.

I've never met game designers, modellers etc who did actual game design. Always maths and computer science and then they specialise into what interests them. I'm sure they exist though :).
 
I did a degree in game development over a decade ago, which was largely compsci, and am working in the games industry as a programmer now.

Honestly I don't see how a degree can actually teach anyone to be a Games Designer, it's a very specific role that can only really come through experience making games imo.

I would echo what has been said by everyone else about a Computer Science degree. It's extremely valuable and will open doors to a huge range of careers all over the world, *and* is extremely useful in the games industry. If you're a Game Designer that can crank your own tools and not need a programmer hand-holding you through technical issues, you'll be a godsend to many studios!

PS - Understanding game design doesn't ruin gaming....it makes you appreciate them even more

PPS - Most people doing game related degrees won't end up in the industry
 
Thanks guys, some useful replies.

One of the courses he is looking at is at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, I took him down there on Sunday for an open day. We had the chance to meet one of the course tutors and the course is not aimed specifically at electronic games but other types of game as well i.e. board games, card games etc. I specifically asked the tutor about programming, game physics and AI and she said that they weren't part of the course but were contained within another degree module which it may be possible to mix.

As I said earlier, I have no intention of trying to tell him what to do, it's his choice. Like any good parent however it is important that he is aware of the pitfalls of going down a certain route.

I see an IT degree as being very versatile and as a result at the end of the course there should be lots of opportunities wherever you live. With my limited knowledge I cannot see how the same can be said for a Game Design degree. I mean what are the fall back options if he doesn't get the job he wants. Speaking as someone who has interviewed and reviewed CV's from prospective employees I would imagine that any CV with a gaming degree on would rapidly go into the bin unless for a gaming position.

Thanks for the other pointers and comments too. After this post has run its course I'll show it to my son, good or bad.
 
Surely it depends on what he is interested in doing - is the games design course basically a computer science course with some optional games/3d graphics modules made compulsory? In which case it might be better to just do straight computer science and pick the relevant options/leave yourself more open to other careers if you change your mind/don't land the dream job at rockstar north etc..

On the other hand is the games design course much more focused on design/art etc.. in which case surely preference comes into it - does he want to be the person doing artwork, designing levels etc.. or the person programming the engine, games physics etc...

I'd look at job adverts for the games industry too and see what they require - perhaps browse linkedin and look at the profiles of people doing the jobs your son wants to do in future, maybe even see if he can contact them/the companies politely for advice... You may well find that some of the people doing the design stuff simply have art/design backgrounds (not specifically games design) and that some of the people working on the in game physics have physics/maths degrees.

There are likely a variety of paths to potentially take for different careers and unless someone is certain that they want to do some particular role and are sure that the course is a good way of going about it then a very specific course can be a bit risky.
 
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