From what you're describing, it looks like a game designer. Some of the designers that I'm working with, became where they are now by going to school and some going up the ladder from being a game tester. If there are local game studio in your area, he can try for a game testing position there, doing so get him a better understanding and more experience in the industry. It also leave him with a better understanding of what he want to do in the industry.

Quote:Original post by flyfamilyguy
Wow, thanks to all of you!
We did not expect so many replies in such a short period of time. Lots of good information. He,(my son) is not really at the point of knowing exactly what he wants to do within the gaming industry yet. IMHO, it's going to eventually be something having to do with the story-line.,creating the rules/maps,setting the stage,things like that. (He loves Halo, and really enjoys creating his own maps.)

If anyone has anymore to share, we welcome all of it, otherwise thanks to all of you who have been more than helpful!

Honestly, if he's 16, he should already be competent at using a computer and shouldn't have trouble coming here and being a blood sucking information sponge himself. He's not going to succeed at anything if he doesn't go after his dreams himself. There are plenty of resources (people) here for him to be able to find out anything he wants about how best to start building relevant skills for whatever career he wants to try first.

Quote:Original post by Tenac
But if I were thinking of a game programming job, I would only expect them to accept amazing programmers.

Theres a difference between accepting good programmers and 'amazing ' programmers. Good programmers that wan't to make games can get a job. You do not have to be 'amazing,' besides I have only met a few amazing programmers, and they are definitely not making games.

Quote:Original post by ibebrett

Quote:Original post by Tenac
But if I were thinking of a game programming job, I would only expect them to accept amazing programmers.

Theres a difference between accepting good programmers and 'amazing ' programmers. Good programmers that wan't to make games can get a job. You do not have to be 'amazing,' besides I have only met a few amazing programmers, and they are definitely not making games.

Game programmers are (in general) the least talented, and (therefore) lowest paid programmers that exist. Game developers aren't some special breed of godly software engineers, it's just that the products they produce are more flashy than other software.

I disagree with the least talented claim, although I agree that it doesn't require you to be an "amazing" programmer to work in the game industry (hell, I'd rather have the amazing programmers work on the tools the rest of us grunts rely on any day).

Game programmers are programmers that have a passion for games. Plain and simple.

Quote:Original post by RDragon1

Quote:Original post by ibebrett

Quote:Original post by Tenac
But if I were thinking of a game programming job, I would only expect them to accept amazing programmers.

Theres a difference between accepting good programmers and 'amazing ' programmers. Good programmers that wan't to make games can get a job. You do not have to be 'amazing,' besides I have only met a few amazing programmers, and they are definitely not making games.

Game programmers are (in general) the least talented, and (therefore) lowest paid programmers that exist. Game developers aren't some special breed of godly software engineers, it's just that the products they produce are more flashy than other software.

they're the least talented? may be your talking about those who do the simple I.S.R.O.T. matrices. what about those programmers coding the AI or for example the physics of a racing game. or those who program enemy (opponent) movement and reactions. when i was in high school the most talented students i knew were those who win medals in computer and math olympiad and the football robocup team at universities were always including those students. i think a game programmer who makes soccer is using more AI than a robot coder who is dealing with 2 robots and a goalkeeper. eventhought the robots have to find the position of ball visually by using cameras but in a game the ball coordinates is always stored.
and another point is, why do you think if someone makes games can only be a game developer? let's call it 3d programming instead, the same knowledge is used for writing flight simulation or even simulating a surgery. their knowledge can be used for reducing car accident damage or any other 3d simulation.

Quote:
I don't think that's true at all. Certainly programmers that work on applications that control nuclear plants are more knowledgeable, but the majority of programmers out there are code monkeys that work on brain-dead database applications with whatever knowledge they got in Java courses from school. I don't see why game programmers are the least talented, could you elaborate on that? I'm pretty sure none of my previous coworkers could work on a game company. I got a job pretty easy for working for a software firm and didn't really met any challenges, but I'm still not good enough to get in the game industry. I think there are other reasons on why game programmers are the lowest paid.

yeah, I have your word, university students are mostly enchanted by creating a database for their graduation project. it's easy fast applicable and make them look wise.
I'm in the first semester and i was talking with a guy working on his graduation project. when i told him that i want to make a game he just said: it's kid's benefit
and he even doesn't know that the key points of making a game project are using the programming skills and the 3d techniques. he simply said the most valuable part of the project is creating models.
so you see he only sees the output and he just want to get excited like a kid as he see a game project.
i think those who say writing games is easy or require less talent, they are just thinking that games are for kids so they are not very necessary or important.
but they forget somethings, kids play games, they don't create video games. if you do something for a kid it doesn't mean that your knowledge is at a kid level.

I don't think it's a fair assessment to say that programmers in the games industry are less talented than those elsewhere. Neither, however, is it fair to say the opposite (that they are more talented). The games industry is simply different, and involves the application of the fundamental skills of software development in a different fashion. It is difficult in its own way, and easy in its own way, in much the same fashion that software development in any other industry is.

To claim otherwise is to make a rather far-fetched generalization that suggests a relative lack of experience with other development domains, and/or a reflection that one is allowing one's personal skillset to influence one's attempt at generalization overmuch.