Monday, January 24, 2011

What I've learned about Game Design in College

I'm currently attending a game design school for a Bachelor’s Degree and due for graduation in August of this year, 2011. I originally signed up for the Game Art program, but I supposed that not enough students signed up for it so I resorted to Game Design. I love video games! I have a passion to learn how to make them and make it the game industry as many young generations dream to do. I am here to give you the 411 on going to school for this kind of thing and here is the advice.


Take your money somewhere else.


Don't get me wrong, college is great! Everyone should have a degree of some sort, but what you learn in Game Design at a school you can teach yourself! My school teaches the basics of everything from art, programming, sound design, planning to documentation. It's up to you to pick your niche or two and work on that on your own. Mine is concept art and design. I have a classmate that is an amazing programmer and another that specializes in level design and 3D modeling. MOST OF THIS YOU CAN LEARN BY SEARCHING THE INTERNET. What you pay at game college for is:


Networking.


The faculty staff are there teaching for a reason, they know there stuff and they've worked in the industry. Many of them are still working in studios as well as teaching. You're classmates and your teachers are all competition as well as your future associates! Some of your teachers may be only a few years older than you and fresh out of college. Don't get caught up in drama and definitely don't burn bridges just because your teacher came off as a complete douche. Pay attention to who is doing what and who to stick with. Attending a college like my own you will come across people who are “party people” or “game potatoes”. Stay away from those people, playing games and having immature fun was high school, you are here to build yourself a career, build a good portfolio and get a good job. It's great to play games for research and testing but don't waste too much time on playing games when you could be making the next best hit that premieres at E3! (or doing your homework).


If you want to get your foot in the door this is what you need to do:


Find your passion and go for it!

If you are completely set on working in the game industry, find your specialty. There are many free programs out there for you to use and try out. Free tutorials are available online. Try EVERYTHING, before making a decision. If you find that art is your field, draw everyday, go to an art school, draw and make as much material as you can. Consider making a comic to show that you can draw the same characters well and frequently as well as telling a story. If you want to be a programmer, tutorials, books and forums are available all over the internet and it wouldn't hurt to get a degree only in programming. Level Designer? Unity and Unreal Game engines have free versions of there software plus with tutorials and forums! Sound Designer? Get your hands on some free sound effects and some good sound editing software, we use Adobe Audition. 3D Modeler? Blender is free! If you are in college you can get any Autodesk Software for free! That's Max, Maya, Mudbox, etc!


Okay, okay! Hold up, Andie! What if I want to be an actual game designer?

You won't be a game designer straight out of college! They may teach you how to design games but in reality game studios will not hire a game designer unless they have YEARS of game industry experience doing grunge work like the rest of us! Find something you can do in the production of games, work your way up the ladder and you may be lucky enough to land a lead designer position. In a sense, all crew members in a game studio are designers. They pitch ideas and work together to build something great and fun for the public to enjoy, so you will be designing games from the get go.


Networking!

This is what will get you a job. Find some people who has your dream job in the industry, email them for advice (NOT A JOB). If they email you back then that's great! Build connections and make friends. Kiss some butts and work on your stuff. Find others who are willing to work on making an actual game with you to share credentials for portfolio work. It doesn't have to be a big game, heck maybe even a flash game for kids but a fully functional game that you worked on would give you bonus points to potential employers.


Set goals and keep yourself busy! Don't be distracted from your work and don't waste too much time gaming! Games are awesome, but work on making them better. I can't stress this enough! Manage your time, network, and always keep learning! You will do just fine!