Video Game School?

[EricMartello]

Are there any "video game development" programs offered by reputable schools? I'm just curious...I doubt I'd like to go to devry, but it would be cool if a real school offered such a program without all the BS I don't care about.

 

[AbAbber2k]

Wasn't there some school called DigiPen in Redmond WA or something that was all about video games? I always thought that would be awesome when I was little... then I realized I like to PLAY with computers, not work with them.

 

[RESmonkey]

I here they're a joke; EA games might hire you, but that is probably it. I was told to look at real CS degrees.

 

[AbsolutDealage]

Originally posted by: EricMartello
Are there any "video game development" programs offered by reputable schools? I'm just curious...I doubt I'd like to go to devry, but it would be cool if a real school offered such a program without all the BS I don't care about.

I know that there are specific programs out there at some universities (no names immediately come to mind), although I cannot speak to the quality of the programs.

I have known a couple of game developers, and it's no picnic. It's basically like any other software job, only the hours are typically much heavier.

You do not spend all day playing a game, you spend all day fixing and verifying bugs... and occasionally implementing features.

If you are interested in software, I would suggest a more well rounded software engineering degree to keep your options open.

 

[mzkhadir]

Originally posted by: AbAbber2k
Wasn't there some school called DigiPen in Redmond WA or something that was all about video games? I always thought that would be awesome when I was little... then I realized I like to PLAY with computers, not work with them.

Digipen is from nintendo, I thought

 

[Injury]

Well... sure, they offer the programs, but if you want to hit it big with a big name company you aren't going to find that with a second-rate education.

It also depends on what portion of the games you want to work on. Graphics would require you to go to take a program that is focused on digital art, with a strong emphasis on 3D, programming would require you to take Computer Science courses...

To summarize, yes, "video game schools" will teach you, but getting a job is the part that you'd get screwed on. Not that it can't happen, but with so many candidates, the companies are going to pick the ones with better educations.

 

[jsoles]

SMU

 

[slackwarelinux]

Carnegie Mellon

 

[Leros]

From my understanding these crappy companies will get you the ability to make simple flash games and stuff, but nothing serious. Gaming today is physics, 3d modeling, artificial intellgience, etc.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Originally posted by: RESmonkey
I here they're a joke; EA games might hire you, but that is probably it. I was told to look at real CS degrees.

I think Portal started as a DigiPen project called Narbuncular Drop or something, and now those guys work for Valve. Valve's gotta be one of the top places a game programmer would want to work.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

Originally posted by: AbAbber2k
Wasn't there some school called DigiPen in Redmond WA or something that was all about video games? I always thought that would be awesome when I was little... then I realized I like to PLAY with computers, not work with them.

Digipen is from nintendo, I thought

They're not actually run by Nintendo, but the Digipen school is within spitting distance of Nintendo's massive campus in Redmond, WA, so they have an arrangement where they have people from Nintendo come to the school or they take students over to the Nintendo labs. It's also right by Microsoft, and I think they have a similar arrangement.

I looked into going to Digipen, but ultimately decided against it. It looks like it'd be a fun school, but probably not as useful as a general software engineering degree.

 

[Randum]

there is this place someone tossed me to look into..
http://www.flashpointacademy.com/

 

[RandomFool]

a friend of mine went to Full Sail in FL which is supposedly a game design school of some type. He's doing ad design work now.

Rochester Institute of Tech has a game development concentration in thier IT program. They make you take real courses (unless you ask the engineering students) so you can use the degree for something else if the game stuff doesn't work out.

 

[PHiuR]

RIT's game development program is new this year...You can contact them and ask about it.

 

[Modeps]

Honestly, the game industry is tough to get into... you should probably go after a straight up CS degree and go from there so you can put that on your resume in case your first choice in jobs falls through. If you go to a specific video game school, some employers may look upon that poorly and think that you're not the right man for a business environment.

Not saying they WILL, but why give them something to complain about?

 

[GrantMeThePower]

USC has a program as well.

 

[RandomFool]

Originally posted by: PHiuR
RIT's game development program is new this year...You can contact them and ask about it.

They spun that off into it's own program now too?