Should I ignore programming and focus on design/art?
Author
I've taken a JAVA and an Oracle Databasing class in high school and although the teacher wasn't too good either, I found the subject to be kinda hard to me. I'm a pretty good artist and I'm still practicing and I've already come up with some game ideas. I know part of being a game designer is writing up a design document.
Anyway, sometimes I feel like I won't be able to make games if I don't know how to program. It's kind of sidetracking me because I find myself looking at programming books off and on as if I'm going to try to learn it. But I think in reality I'll only be able to come up with ideas and that's it.
Quote:Original post by magnawiz
I know part of being a game designer is writing up a design document.
It's a very small part.
Quote:Anyway, sometimes I feel like I won't be able to make games if I don't know how to program.
Not necessarily, but at the same time you don't have to be a great programmer to make a game. Just a persistent one.
Quote:But I think in reality I'll only be able to come up with ideas and that's it.
Everybody has their own ideas, and the capacity to come up with ideas. How would you differentiate yourself, considering that there are some people out there with ideas and tangible skills?
Quote:Original post by Oluseyi
Everybody has their own ideas, and the capacity to come up with ideas. How would you differentiate yourself, considering that there are some people out there with ideas and tangible skills?
Indeed. It's akin to asking "do I need to be able to act in order to be a film producer?" Of course you don't. But you need to do a whole lot more than just come up with movie ideas.
Likewise, some understanding of software engineering would be extremely helpful, and doesn't require any specific coding knowledge. The ability to effectively *communicate* your ideas in the right way is crucial, which means being able to understand where the programmers, artists, etc. are coming from. This might sound trivial or easy because you're not doing the grunt work, but it's not. There's good reason why people like that get paid the big bucks.
Quote:Original post by magnawiz
I've taken a JAVA and an Oracle Databasing class in high school ... I found the subject to be kinda hard to me. I'm a pretty good artist ...
Should I ignore programming and focus on design/art?
Yes. You should. You should not try to become a programmer.
FAQ 34: http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson34.htm
Quote:Original post by magnawiz
It's kind of sidetracking me because I find myself looking at programming books off and on as if I'm going to try to learn it.
For what it's worth, I didn't think I would ever be able to figure it all out, either. I had no idea back then that I would have the capacity to understand what I now understand.
Here's the short story. Game development is a bitch. Programming is probably the most challenging part of it. Some left-brained geniuses out there may disagree and believe the art to be the most challenging, but I'm more creative than logical, so that's the way I see it.
If you go through with it, it will likely only take you a few months to learn enough programming to slap something that could be called a video game (or demo) together. But even during the first few days, you'll be playing around with application programming and console windows, which can be equally fun when you're first getting your feet wet.
It's not a boring mathematical nightmare, as some might assume. I didn't even have a solid grasp of algebra when I first began learning C/C++. The book I was using just taught me to use tools - programming concepts, and I starting building programs out of those tools. The math came later, very gradually.
Quote:Original post by Oluseyi
Everybody has their own ideas, and the capacity to come up with ideas. How would you differentiate yourself, considering that there are some people out there with ideas and tangible skills?
I think there are actually a lot of people out there with tangible skills and no ideas. It's just that none of them are here trying to make games.
Well, if you have a hard time using the more advanced languages, there is always programs like Gamemaker or for more power (but more expense and a bit harder to use) Adobe Flash.
If you really don't want to program, feel gree to PM me ideas :P
~Blackviper91
If you really don't want to program, feel gree to PM me ideas :P
~Blackviper91
Yes, good advice abound in here. tsloper's page is probably a good read for what you are after. Pick one discipline and stick to it. If you are good at art, become great at art. That is how you make yourself marketable. Get a good portfolio put together. Don't try and become a jack of all trades.
One of the things I say a lot is:
"When I was nothing, I saw the world needed artists and writers. So, I became a writer. When I was a writer, I saw there were too many writers and not enough artists. What happens if I also become an artist?"
I agree, stick with what you like doing. On the programming side, it seems like there are a ton of good programmers, but not a lot of good artists. On the artistic side, you'll think there are way too many artists and not enough programmers. That's perfectly normal. If you have that urge to do stuff for nothing(i.e. give it away), as a lot of programmers seem to have, then do what Lost Garden (http://www.lostgarden.com/) did and give away some game artwork and have fun with the design.
Putting it another way, it takes a while to get good at something. I've been programming for 26 years and writing novels/stories for 17. I'm good at them, but I'd be so much better if I just did one or the other, not both. I try to add artistic arts (like my web comic) every once in a while, but it is so much harder after the writing and the programming.
That said, if you do both, realize that you may not be the greatest compared to you focusing on one. In my case, I choose to be a programmer/writer because it is what I like. Yes, I might not be as good, but I'm choosing not to specialize, knowing that I limit myself by that choice. I also love programming and writing equally and there is enough of an overlap in my case that it is worth it.
So, figure out what you want in the end, then go for it. :)
"When I was nothing, I saw the world needed artists and writers. So, I became a writer. When I was a writer, I saw there were too many writers and not enough artists. What happens if I also become an artist?"
I agree, stick with what you like doing. On the programming side, it seems like there are a ton of good programmers, but not a lot of good artists. On the artistic side, you'll think there are way too many artists and not enough programmers. That's perfectly normal. If you have that urge to do stuff for nothing(i.e. give it away), as a lot of programmers seem to have, then do what Lost Garden (http://www.lostgarden.com/) did and give away some game artwork and have fun with the design.
Putting it another way, it takes a while to get good at something. I've been programming for 26 years and writing novels/stories for 17. I'm good at them, but I'd be so much better if I just did one or the other, not both. I try to add artistic arts (like my web comic) every once in a while, but it is so much harder after the writing and the programming.
That said, if you do both, realize that you may not be the greatest compared to you focusing on one. In my case, I choose to be a programmer/writer because it is what I like. Yes, I might not be as good, but I'm choosing not to specialize, knowing that I limit myself by that choice. I also love programming and writing equally and there is enough of an overlap in my case that it is worth it.
So, figure out what you want in the end, then go for it. :)
Author
Thanks everyone. That's what I mean. I don't think being a jack of all trade will be very healthy for me. I do consider myself more artistic than logical. If it were up to me, I'd just want to come up with an idea for a game, write the document, make concept arts and show it to my team. But of course I'll need to understand programming in order to communicate.
I think I'll choose to focus.
I think I'll choose to focus.
I guess what it really comes down to is what do you enjoy doing?
If programming isn't really your thing don't worry about not being able to break in to the gaming industry, it takes a large number of people from a wide variety of disciplines to make a game.
If programming isn't really your thing don't worry about not being able to break in to the gaming industry, it takes a large number of people from a wide variety of disciplines to make a game.
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