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Author Topic: Video Game Design  (Read 2474 times)

3man75

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Video Game Design
« on: April 04, 2015, 02:03:36 pm »

Just wanted to ask actual game designers this: Do you need a college education/ Major to get into video game design? If so, what school did you go to for it?

I'm interested in learning more about how to possibly join this career since I've been such an avid gamer for years. I know the industry has a darker side (like everything in life) but If anyone could just feed my curiosity that would be awesome. Thank you :D
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BFEL

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #1 on: April 04, 2015, 02:33:35 pm »

You don't need a college education, though it probably helps.
Basically all you need to know is how to code and make a kickstarter and you can get started nowadays.
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i2amroy

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2015, 02:55:48 pm »

If you had to shoot for something I'd say get a degree in computer science. While it's definitely not required if you wanted to make your own indie thing, if you wanted to work for a bigger company you'd definitely want a degree of some sort (or matching experience, but as a newcomer a degree is probably the way to go). In addition learning more of the theory behind the design is never a bad thing.

If that's the route you're planning to go my biggest piece of advice I'd give is to start working on your own projects now. Portfolios can be very nice things to have as a computer person, and something like helping out a project over at Github is always a nice as well. Don't wait!
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AlleeCat

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2015, 03:11:19 pm »

Look at Extra Credits' series on getting started with game design. Extra Credits is a great resource in general for game design tips.

Sergarr

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2015, 03:33:59 pm »

The best way to learn about game design is by stealing from everyone, i.e. play a lot of games with intention of not simply completing, or "winning", but instead with aim to explore everything the game has to offer. Every type of interaction, every repeating and non-repeating pattern, everything you think looks interesting, test it all, remember it all, see what's good and fun, and what's boring and bad. Pay serious attention to the interface, especially how it's configured for the most often used actions.
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penguinofhonor

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2015, 03:53:16 pm »

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« Last Edit: November 11, 2015, 07:17:25 pm by penguinofhonor »
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Delta Foxtrot

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2015, 04:10:02 pm »

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MagmaMcFry

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2015, 04:35:01 pm »

If you really want to be able to contribute to a game, then you need to pick a skill that is required to make games, such as programming, digital art, 3d modelling and animation, music, or writing, and then train yourself in that skill until you're really really good at it. I don't think game design is necessarily useful all by itself, because then you'll only be useful in large teams working on large games, and you won't get into those large teams without any credentials in working on large games, so that's kind of a Catch-22. So you really should aquire at least one of the other skills I mentioned so you have a better chance to get into a team and then be able to demonstrate your game design qualities.
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alway

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2015, 07:45:21 pm »

Just wanted to ask actual game designers this: Do you need a college education/ Major to get into video game design? If so, what school did you go to for it?

I'm interested in learning more about how to possibly join this career since I've been such an avid gamer for years. I know the industry has a darker side (like everything in life) but If anyone could just feed my curiosity that would be awesome. Thank you :D
So, someone in game dev here, and someone who went to university for it.

First question: technically no. But technically you don't need one to found Microsoft either, and I likewise doubt you would be successful starting your own OS company.
As for schools, I am assuming US schools, and am not aware of any big ones elsewhere. I went to RIT in New York, it had a pretty good program; Digipen is another notable name, as is SMU Guildhall. Check the rankings for others.

So, with that out of the way, what MagmaMcFry said, but more. Can you make a game, or at least something mostly resembling one, without the help of anyone else but the internet? If not, you don't have the understanding of games necessary to design games. Moreover, there's hundreds of people for any given design position, and if you can't show things you built yourself, you don't have a chance against those who can.

I graduated a couple years back from RIT's Game Design and Development major, with a strong focus on programming, and went into the industry within a month. I later left and went to another job, which happened to be the first I bothered applying at. Currently, I get a decent amount of cold calls for industry (and other programming) jobs. So if you can become a decent programmer capable of putting together a game engine from scratch, that's your fate. And when you don't want to work in the industry any more? Well then you're a programmer still (and probably a really good one too, since game programming is pretty intense), which is enough for a comfortable and secure upper-middle class life outside the industry.

On the other hand, I know people who graduated in my class with a strong focus on design. A rare few of them have good jobs. Some of them are working at the sort of place you wouldn't want to be a designer. Some of them aren't working. For most of them, there is no job security, and they may have trouble finding their next job. Usually that depends entirely on how much professional networking they did. As they get older and want to settle down, they largely won't be able to, as there is no such thing as a stable job in the game industry. (A previous coworker had never been at a studio longer than 3 years, having worked at half a dozen of them, so any given job can not be expected to last longer than a stay at university. You simply can't start a family under such conditions, since your income and health insurance may not be around 9 months from now.) Neither will they have much luck in leaving the industry without changing what they do entirely: nobody but game studios have any use for game designers. So not only is it a Catch-22, but you will come to discover that the thing you just pried open to stick yourself in was a bear trap as well.

But basically, "game designer" is this generation's "astronaut" or "movie star" in terms of jobs. Everybody thinks they want to be one; everybody thinks they are not just above average, but in the top tenth of a percent necessary to get in, and almost none of them will. However the most telling statistic is the average length in the industry. The average game industry career length is approximately a mere 5 years last I heard. You will not survive on it for your entire life even if you do get in, and if you don't have a viable skill for an exit plan, expect to spend the rest of your life working at Walmart.
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Reelya

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #9 on: April 04, 2015, 11:08:50 pm »

gamasutra.com also has good articles from numerous authors, including post mortems from game designers of major titles.

Avoid "game design" majors if you go for a degree. Get a programming heavy degree, then learn the art side as you go. A designer who has no coding experience has a very poor chance of getting a job unless you're absolutely top-1% type genius of design.

Basically build a lot of prototypes. this can't be stressed that enough. Also, learn to plan for scope of projects. Start with very small projects, stick to a deadline (which could be a few days), write a < 1 page pitch document explaining the point of the game. Then do a design doc which is a few pages longer, this should list everything that's going into the final product. It's a really good idea to strictly stick to what's going to be in the final version. This way avoids feature creep - that's when your game is always not-quite-playable, so you can't show it to anyone because you're always adding features. Avoid this by churning out very simple but 100% playable versions quickly. There's also the problem of project fatique, where you realize the set of features is too much. By focusing on a 100% playable alpha, you ensure that you can still show someone the game even if you stop working on it.

If your projects spend a lot of time in a state where you feel it's "not ready" to show anyone, then it's possible that project scope / feature creep is a problem holding you back. This is where the pitch document is really handy. Similar to movie pitches, it should have a short title, that gives you an idea of what it's about, and there should be 2-3 sentences which fully summarize what you do in the game. Focus on fulfilling the promise of that pitch in the minimal possible way and add more content later once it "does what it says on the box".

By doing many small projects and keeping the scope controlled you gain better quality of game dev experience than doing one long open-ended project. Focus on deliverable, playable, timely releases, with well-defined game flow, menus, start screen, game over screens etc. Re-use as much code and assets as possible though, always focus on learning how to do new things.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2015, 11:36:21 pm by Reelya »
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3man75

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2015, 06:54:34 pm »

So what I'm getting is:

1. Don't go for a "Game design" major but a "Computer programing major" or a "Computer Science degree".

2. Work on side projects. ((Would these be like flash games, mods, and different codes? I heard in the computer buisness that portfolios are nicer than resumes. Would working on a portfolio be recommended?))

3. Networking. Join a computer design club, go to conventions, job fairs, and maybe do an internship to help build up a pool of contacts to which you can ask for a job. I know some freinds who do this so well that they can literally pick a job at random now but don't because of PREFERENCE.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

4. Work hard but understand its still showbiz. Job security is not something that's seen very much in this industry unless you are the owner or ridiculously good.

Thanks for the insight everyone and if you have anything feel free to post. I'm sure i'm not the only one would benefit from knowing this.

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AlleeCat

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #11 on: April 05, 2015, 10:54:16 pm »

((Would these be like flash games, mods, and different codes? I heard in the computer buisness that portfolios are nicer than resumes. Would working on a portfolio be recommended?))
Yes, yes and yes. In any creative industry, a portfolio is always better than a resume. Make lots of little projects that show you know how to do certain things. Don't make them too long, and make sure to include source code, as well.

Arx

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #12 on: April 06, 2015, 03:11:15 am »

I seem to recall some moderately successful designer commenting at one point that the best thing he could think of for someone wanting to get into game design would be to make a good mod, since you get all the existing codebase, UI stuff, etc.
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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #13 on: April 07, 2015, 09:08:52 am »

Just wanted to ask actual game designers this: Do you need a college education/ Major to get into video game design? If so, what school did you go to for it?

I'm interested in learning more about how to possibly join this career since I've been such an avid gamer for years. I know the industry has a darker side (like everything in life) but If anyone could just feed my curiosity that would be awesome. Thank you :D
Get good at programming, art, music and writing and make a game. Form a team and hire people or find some people who are just starting out. Look at job boards and market your skills, develop a portfolio and just.. Do stuff! You don't want to join a company.
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Magistrum

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Re: Video Game Design
« Reply #14 on: April 07, 2015, 09:20:38 am »

As everyone said, game design is a unstable profession and probably degrees do nothing and you need a portfolio.



I don't have any advice.   ::)

Anyway... If you want to create a game I am open to collaborations, I can code C++, actionscript 3, a tadbit(didn't really did anything big) of java, and html 5, along with other webdesign languages(php, javascript, css...).

PM me if you feel like it.
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