Quote:Original post by sonnyb I wondering about just {1} writing the stories, creating characters and testing {2} my chances of selling my game idea to various publishing companies. what do you guys think.
Quote:Original post by sonnyb I want to start my own video game company. By that I mean start a business;
Then you do want more schooling - you should get an MBA. And stop listening to free bad advice in GameStop. (~_^)
I agree with the MBA. Without one and a good business plan you may not be able to get the business loan you need/outside funding to start your project.
Quote:Original post by sonnyb since we're on the subject of my goals, here's another route I'm also considering: I wondering about just writing the stories, creating characters and testing my chances of selling my game idea to various publishing companies. what do you guys think.
are there brilliant modeling experience in your resume? if your modeling is good,may be you can show your work in a fair and interest some investors. Habib Zargarpour is senior art director at EA, his jump began with modeling a sport car which was shown in siggraph, it goes further upto designing the need for speed cars. I mean if you know modeling you must shine, if you are an expert in any area you may either be able to work for someone or attract other experts.
if you want to hire university students, it would be better to ask for some experts participation as well. you may pay for the his job for teaching other members so the students will ask for less salary till they're learning. note that i don't mean students who want to begin from scratch but those who have done some gaming before.
Having a degree is a great advantage in general (government jobs here in Australia list a requirement for employment is "a degree", doesn't matter which, although these are non-specialised positions). The best step you could take now is getting your MBA while teaching yourself your part in making games (in your case the artistic side).
MBA will give you the understanding of business and how it should be run, and I suggest getting as many good books on the subject as you can (especially on employee management if you want to hire fresh out of uni students who generally aren't use to managing themselves in a open enviroment). Most efficient method of finding such books is asking people who specialize in the area (I know of many from my Management Professor which also make me realise how badly my current employer is at it hehe).
Teaching yourself the artistic side will give you something interesting to do with your time, and if you can prove yourself in the Freeware/Mod/Open Source area people will take more interest in you then those who just make a portfolio (you have little proof of working in a team, to standards and dealing with deadlines). However, the more you can show off the better (although quality over quantity). Investing in the books and photoshop/3d modeling packages is always to your advantage, they don't have to be the ultimate in the market place but do the job you need.
The fun part is also keeping yourself and your family fed while doing this will prove interesting. I personally am working as a Service Station Opterator (Gas station for the Americans), while studying a Degree in IT, majoring in Software Development. In my spare time I am teaching myself C++ and game design methods, so I spend most my time reading and learning while studying and working... Fun!
When I finish my degree I'll be looking for fulltime employment and starting my MBA, as I wish to go similar lines that you do. Of course, this is my opinion on how to go about it all =) You may find other methods suit you best.
Hope what I've said has helped some, and gives you some idea. Although I am still learning and working toward an end goal. However, this is just from myself asking those who have success in their various fields and plenty of reading (Tom Sloper's site is good). Just remember their is no one way to do it.
Quote:Original post by sonnyb since we're on the subject of my goals, here's another route I'm also considering: I wondering about just writing the stories, creating characters and testing my chances of selling my game idea to various publishing companies. what do you guys think.
Quote:Original post by LightAssassin MBA will give you the understanding of business and how it should be run, and I suggest getting as many good books on the subject as you can (especially on employee management if you want to hire fresh out of uni students who generally aren't use to managing themselves in a open enviroment).
Teaching yourself the artistic side will give you something interesting to do with your time, and if you can prove yourself in the Freeware/Mod/Open Source area people will take more interest in you then those who just make a portfolio (you have little proof of working in a team, to standards and dealing with deadlines). However, the more you can show off the better (although quality over quantity). Investing in the books and photoshop/3d modeling packages is always to your advantage, they don't have to be the ultimate in the market place but do the job you need.
Funny, I'm actually a site manager for an after school program here in Miami. I supervise a staff of 5 and student base of 50 kids. But a MBA wouldn't hurt I guess. News flash though, I was in contact with the art institute of Pittsburgh. they offer the BA in game art and design online. So as I stated earlier I haven't dropped the idea. BTW to the poster, Tom sloper, your links are invaluable, you all haven't heard from me cuz I've been spending time going through his site and reading about basically every question I've had. And to everyone else, thanks a millions. You guys are really clearing up a lot for me. Presently, I'm going to begin work on transferring the story into a game doc. So please help out if you guys can.
