Game Design As A Career

[SoloTek]

I try and tell people to not get a degree to focused in one field of practice. Looking at many for profit colleges that offer degrees that will have you only taking classes that are so focused will actually hurt in you the end. Pick a degree that is broad, has depth, and has a variety of options for electives. Also see what degree will bleed over into Game Design and get a dual degree. I have three degree's each in a different field (AAS, BA,and Post Baccalaureate) to allow many options if my career goes bust.

I have to many friends who say I have a degree in XXX and cant find a job. Well to be honest the degree was to focused. Don't lock yourself in and invest anything unless you are 100% for sure. Check around to see if there are apprenticeships or job shadowing. Check out the Epic Games website and look at the open positions in design jobs. Then read each one and look at what big companies are looking for in hiring new employees.

Best of Luck!

[Jrecee]

If I can make games anyone can. But it's hard out there. I can't imagine working in the big budget gaming industry, but that's just me. Most the stories I hear are negative, unless you're at the top of the foodchain. But if it's the only thing you can imagine doing go for it.

[Metal Jesus]

If you are serious about this, I cannot recommend enough that you at least give a look at https://www.DigiPen.edu/

This is a dedicated video game school here in the Seattle area, started by a dude from Nintendo and currently employs many other veteran video game alumni. The developers from Portal 1 & 2 came from here, among many others.

My wife & I attended their orientation one weekend for our nephew who is thinking of doing the same, and we left blown away by how serious they take game development. If you really want a good, long lasting job doing it, start looking there.

[dsheinem]

If you are serious about this, I cannot recommend enough that you at least give a look at https://www.DigiPen.edu/

This is a dedicated video game school here in the Seattle area, started by a dude from Nintendo and currently employs many other veteran video game alumni. The developers from Portal 1 & 2 came from here, among many others.

My wife & I attended their orientation one weekend for our nephew who is thinking of doing the same, and we left blown away by how serious they take game development. If you really want a good, long lasting job doing it, start looking there.

except...

https://www.digipen.edu/disclosures/#c33955

https://www.digipen.edu/academics/degre ... me-design/

There is no placement data as of July 2012. In accordance with the ACCSC’s formula for determining the reporting periods, a four-year program is required to report its placement rate six years after the cohort began. The first cohort for this program began in Fall 2008.

That's a big $150K+ gamble on a focused career for a program with no placement data...for the few programs that they DO offer data on, the # reporting is abysmally small.

[Metal Jesus]

That's a big $150K+ gamble on a focused career for a program with no placement data...for the few programs that they DO offer data on, the # reporting is abysmally small.

When we were there on Saturday, they said in the spring when game companies come to visit, there are two reps for every student and their placement is exceptionally high. Also, keep in mind, Washington State has over 350 video game companies here. Not just Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, Popcap, Sony & Google...but hundreds of small indie ones as well.

[dsheinem]

they said in the spring when game companies come to visit, there are two reps for every student and their placement is exceptionally high.

Keep in mind that the program started in Fall 2008, so they have had exactly one graduating class of (likely) a very small size since the program was new. 2 reps per student wouldn't be shocking if you have 10-20 students graduating and reps eager to see what kind of employees the program produced in its inaugural year. I just smell some fishy salesmanship, and would be wary...

[isiolia]

they said in the spring when game companies come to visit, there are two reps for every student and their placement is exceptionally high.

Keep in mind that the program started in Fall 2008, so they have had exactly one graduating class of (likely) a very small size since the program was new. 2 reps per student wouldn't be shocking if you have 10-20 students graduating and reps eager to see what kind of employees the program produced in its inaugural year. I just smell some fishy salesmanship, and would be wary...

Digipen has been around a long time. I remember reading about them in Nintendo Power in the early 90s. So, relative to most programs for game design, it's probably pretty stand-out. Particular degree programs might be new, of course, but the school has been there for a while.

That being said, I think a lot of what they do is get students working hands-on so that they effectively have a portfolio. The Portal creators got hired on the basis of their student work (Narbacular Drop), not that they had a piece of paper from Digipen (from their list of student projects, it's probably a fairly typical thing).
Where a degree program may help is getting forced to see projects to completion, or tackle elements one might avoid if they were just doing it for fun. But, plenty of people make impressive stuff on their own too.

[dsheinem]

Digipen has been around a long time. I remember reading about them in Nintendo Power in the early 90s. So, relative to most programs for game design, it's probably pretty stand-out. Particular degree programs might be new, of course, but the school has been there for a while.

They've only been in the U.S. since the late 90s and are a for-profit university. I don't doubt that they've had some previous success, but they don't have current data to support that their programs now do more than produce select examples of success.

It's a lot to gamble on a glorified trade school and people should know that going in.

[J T]

I agree with being wary of Digipen, though it is the most respectable game design school. Also know that whatever product you produce there belongs to Digipen, not to you. I tried to get the developers of the game Terra: Legend of the Geochine (a fantastic student project from Digipen: Singapore) lined up with some of the people I know at Valve. Valve really liked their game, but said that they knew from previous experience with Digipen that they wouldn't be able to publish the game for copyright ownership reasons and that previous attempts to publish games out of the school only ended in tears.

That being said, Valve has a good relationship with Digipen for hiring their talent for new projects. The developers of Digipen releases Narbacular Drop and Tag: The Power of Paint led to hires at Valve for gameplay mechanics from those two games that evolved into Portal and Portal 2 respectively. I know a lot of the crew that made Nitronic Rush ended up getting jobs in the industry, though the project leads decided to go indie and are making a push for a Kickstarter funding of their next game, Distance (which I'm guessing could not be called Nitronic Rush 2 for copyright reasons).

[lisalover1]

I may consider Digipen, but for now I think I'll heed everyone's advice and stick to Electrical Engineering, and make some indie games on the side.