Which college to go to?

Games Career Development Business

Started by PandemicGaming April 01, 2011 03:33 PM

14 comments, last by Mozly 13 years ago

Author

April 01, 2011 03:33 PM

Hello, sorry for the kind-of-double post, but this one is a tad bit different.

Anyways, I am 16 and I plan on going to college so eventually I can work as a game programmer. I am very intelligent, 3.9 GPA with 31 on ACT, so I'm pretty sure I can get into any of these colleges (hopefully

). I am also a fluent programmer with knowledge and experience in C++, Java, PHP, etc. I am currently making a little 2d tile game, which I hope will turn out great (gameplay wise of course). I am also very conscious of programming logic and a little game theory. I am wanting to go to college in 2 years, and I was wondering which would be best out of these three: DePaul's Game Development (programming concentrate), SMU Guildhall, or DigiPen's RTIS.

Thank you

[size="2"]

arbitus

440

April 01, 2011 05:08 PM

Hello, sorry for the kind-of-double post, but this one is a tad bit different.

Anyways, I am 16 and I plan on going to college so eventually I can work as a game programmer. I am very intelligent, 3.9 GPA with 31 on ACT, so I'm pretty sure I can get into any of these colleges (hopefully ). I am also a fluent programmer with knowledge and experience in C++, Java, PHP, etc. I am currently making a little 2d tile game, which I hope will turn out great (gameplay wise of course). I am also very conscious of programming logic and a little game theory. I am wanting to go to college in 2 years, and I was wondering which would be best out of these three: DePaul's Game Development (programming concentrate), SMU Guildhall, or DigiPen's RTIS.

Thank you

Personally? I would do none of the above. I would go through a computer science or engineering curriculum at a quality engineering focused school. There is little (read: nothing) that you can learn in game oriented programs that you cannot learn through electives in a quality computer science program, and you can do so without any potential stigma from employers should you decide to pursue a non-game oriented career. With that said, if you are smart, you will do fine with a certificate/degree from these programs. Just don't think that you must in order to learn game programming/be a game programmer.

PandemicGaming

Author

April 01, 2011 06:32 PM

Any good schools that you know of that have a nice computer science major?

[size="2"]

PropheticEdge

150

April 01, 2011 06:58 PM

Any good schools that you know of that have a nice computer science major?

I went to Georgia Tech, and I thought it was a pretty good school.

I've heard good things about MIT, Caltech, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon. Are finances going to be a limiting factor in your decision?

PandemicGaming

Author

April 01, 2011 07:03 PM

Well my dad is in the military and he transferred his GI Bill to me, which I don't know exactly how much that covers, but it's an added plus. My dad and mom are divorced and neither are 'rich', so maybe, but probably not. I can get loans or whatever.

[size="2"]

Tom Sloper

17,203

April 01, 2011 07:06 PM

Moving to Breaking In. Pan, you simply must read the Breaking In FAQs. Link above.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

PandemicGaming

Author

April 01, 2011 07:26 PM

Wow, thanks Tom. I spent a while reading a bunch of the FAQs there. Seems like it doesn't matter that much which college I go to, per se, but as long as I graduate I should be good. At GameCareerGuide.com there is a list of top schools, and all three that I listed are on that list, SMU then DigiPen then Depaul. I'll look at past students made and where they work now (if I can find it of course).

Thanks everyone.

[size="2"]

Promit

13,404

April 01, 2011 07:32 PM

You're already writing games. What possible value do you expect to gain from a school designed to teach you what you're already doing?

SlimDX | Ventspace Blog | Twitter | Diverse teams make better games. I am currently hiring capable C++ engine developers in Baltimore, MD.

PandemicGaming

Author

April 01, 2011 07:39 PM

Promit Roy: I'm not fully sure to be honest. I think all that I really need (I may be being arrogant right now) is more experience in programming games (which is what I am doing currently). I just think that programming in a company would be more challenging than in my bedroom, and college would help prepare me for that. I could be completely wrong though.

[size="2"]

PropheticEdge

150

April 01, 2011 08:18 PM

Well I'm currently facing the opposite problem as you, where I have a degree but not as much experience programming games as I'd like.

There are a lot of benefits to getting a general CS degree. You're going to learn a lot about computer science as a whole (in addition to receiving a rounded college education) beyond just making games, including valuable lessons in theory. Personally, I believe that knowledge cross-pollinates, and that you can draw lessons and inspiration from knowledge not directly related to your specialization. I've indirectly learned a lot about video game development by working as a web developer, and conversely I've improved as a web developer by working on games.

Plus, you never know what you're going to do in life, and the best laid plans are often spoiled. When I couldn't get a job in the game industry on short notice and was staring at a 3-digit checking account desperately, I was able to pick up just a plain software engineering job without much trouble. Having that flexibility it is pretty cool.

Which college to go to?

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Which college to go to?

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Reticulating splines