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Geek Culture / Computer science classes

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Michael S
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 10:13
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I am planning on making a carrier in game creation. So I wanted to know what courses to take. I know study in Computer science but what type and is there any other courses that I should take. Right now I'm just trying to plan ahead so I can prepare for these classes.

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Jess T
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 10:18
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Look for a Games-Making course.

Mine is a Bachelor In Computer Science (Games Technology) (aka B.C.S (Games Tech)).

There are even whole schools devoted to game-making.

Failing that, make sure you get lots of programming, project management, project planning, project implimentation, math (yes, lots of math! Discreet, Ordinary Differential Equations, etc, etc, etc), basic computer science, maybe networking, possibly a business class, or even a design class...

Your school should be able to give you a book or some information about all the local Uni's / Colleges and what courses they offer and a breif run down on what each one will teach you.

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Michael S
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 10:25
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I'm not sure what schools in the USA have these classes but I will continue looking. If anybody knows of a good school in the usa let me know please. thank you Jess.

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Dave J
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 10:29
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Quote: "Look for a Games-Making course."


I've heard some of these can be dodgy so keep an eye out. Honestly though, all you really need is a course suited to what you'd be doing, i.e. Software Engineering if you wish to be a programmer. It doesn't have to be games specific.


"Computers are useless, they can only give you answers."
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Jess T
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 10:36
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Eureka,
Yeah, I'm in Australia, so I'm no help at all since I don't know any Universities or anything over there.

Dave,
Yeah, but he specifically said "game creation", and to be a good all-rounder, it's best if Eureka aims for a specific course designed for that kind of thing.

Oh, and just so you know, my course at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst Campus, isn't one of those dodgy ones. Infact, we do more math and harder classes than the standard 'Computer Science' courses. Infact, when people transfer to Computer Science from Games Tech it's because they're failing Games Tech but can quite easily get at least a Pass in Comp Sci.

Having said that Eureka, mine is only one case in 1000's of possibles, so you have to see what's good and what's not by asking around, or researching it a little. Find out exactly the classes you'd be taking, look up the Lecturers, see if they have the experience to be teaching, etc, etc, etc.

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Chily Dog
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 11:12
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I would recommend trying this search engine from college board.com.
http://apps.collegeboard.com/search/index.jsp
Look into schools that offer programs in computer science, as quite a few of them have a game development programs as well.
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Dave J
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 11:58
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Quote: "Oh, and just so you know, my course at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst Campus, isn't one of those dodgy ones."


I wasn't implying it was. I was more referring to the time that Jeku apparently got shafted by one.


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AlexI
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 12:45
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My freind gave me this cool book that was in his game magazine "edge" and it was a book all about getting a job at EA and in the back it listed a load of colleges and universitys for game development


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indi
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 15:42
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http://www.digipen.edu/main/Main_Page
Game programming school in Redmond, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Jeku
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 22:21 Edited at: 1st Jan 2007 22:23
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Quote: "Look for a Games-Making course."


That isn't safe, and not because I was shafted by one.

It's not safe because if you look at Game dev's job openings they almost always ask for graduates of computer science.

So, my recommendation is to get a computer science degree and for your electives choose game-related courses, like if they offer an OpenGL or, say, a Lua course.

Make sure you get your math courses--- i.e. linear algebra, etc.

A computer science degree will make you well-rounded and you will learn engineering principles that you can take anywhere. If, in 10 years you decide to work for a company that specializes in another field other than gaming, you won't be left out in the cold. Think about if you have one of these Games Tech degrees and you get burned out in the games industry? You can't really take that degree to Google and get a job, can you?

Just my two cents.

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Phaelax
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 22:38
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Digipen can kiss my butt. I tried getting information about their school and classes a few years ago, and they wouldn't even respond to me. They are, however, considered the best gaming school in world from what I've heard.

There's also Fullsail in Florida (expensive tuition and it takes over any free time you once had) and Westwood college. DeVry also has a game program but only at select locations.

You can do some online stuff through, ummm, I forget the name. I took a C++ course through it. Anyone know the name the online game programming school? It has no degrees or anything.

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Michael S
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 22:42
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To Jeku:
Do you know of a specific college that offers these classes?

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Jeku
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Posted: 1st Jan 2007 23:04
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Yah, pretty much any university should have a Computer Science program.

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Jess T
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Posted: 2nd Jan 2007 01:46
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But Jeku, my course is a Computer Science degree.
Like I said, I'll come out of this with a Bachelor in Computer Science (Games Technology) - Meaning I have all the skills of a normal Computer Science degree + extra to specialize in Games making.

And to be honest, if you were to go from games-making in the industry for a number of years and you had a couple projects under your belt, I'm pretty sure that you could migrate to Google. Depending on what you want to do, you can apply your programming skills, managerial skills, project prep & execution, etc, etc, etc. Being a part of a big software house yourself, you know how it is when doing a project - It's almost the same as any normal software project but instead of writing a back-end for a stock-taking program, you're writing a back-end that has to manage hundreds of units all interacting with eachother...

At any rate, I personally don't have that much experience in the industry, but as for the course I'm taking (and others I've looked at that are the same), you can't get much better for oportunity, what you'll learn, and where it could potentially lead you.

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Michael S
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Posted: 2nd Jan 2007 02:21
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Jeku: I am looking into the University of Kansas, here is a list of the classes offered. http://www.eecs.ku.edu/courses/ Do you think any of those would be ideal for game making?

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Kaurotu
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 03:53
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Yeah my dad told me to stay away from trade schools such as, FullSail, Devry, etc. You will be extremely limited on your possibility of getting a job.

Also, look at Dice.com and find a programming job that you are interested in and see what degree they require. I'm not saying that job opening will be there in 4 years, but it gives you an idea of what the industry wants.

Good luck.

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Michael S
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 04:46
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Hey Jeku how hard is it to get a job at a place like EA or Naughty Dog?

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Jeku
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 04:57
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Quote: "Hey Jeku how hard is it to get a job at a place like EA or Naughty Dog?"


Well, I applied at 5 or 6 game companies, got interviews with 4 of them, and only made it to the final stages with 2. They all give you multiple tests, multiple interviews (filled with 2-5 software engineers rattling off C and C++ questions at you), logic tests (i.e. how many golfballs does it take to fill a VW Bug), etc. etc.

I got this job at EA only after being turned down by them 6 months previous (after a 5-hour long multiple interview session). For me, it was tough, but maybe for others it was easier? I had to cram with C/C++ for about a week before the interview just to refresh everything I'd learned in school, because believe me they will ask you the math and programming questions that seem tough but have seemingly simple solutions.

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Michael S
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 05:03
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Ok because I want to apply to work at Naughty Dog after college. I just wasn't sure how difficult it was to get a job at a game componey. You said you where given multiple tests. What kind of tests where there?

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Agent Dink
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 05:36
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I didn't read the whole thread, so forgive me if someone already posted this, but Full Sail College is supposed to be one of the best game/movie design colleges in the USA. I am looking to go to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, but not for programming or anything. They have a video game art and design class.

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Jeku
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 05:46
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Quote: "What kind of tests where there?"


C, C++, and linear algebra tests.

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Zedane
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 06:34 Edited at: 3rd Jan 2007 06:37
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Quote: "
It's not safe because if you look at Game dev's job openings they almost always ask for graduates of computer science. "


Just to prove Jeku's statement, I found this site about a year back : http://www.suckerpunch.com/jobs.php.

If you look at any of the programming jobs, your required C++ and a BS or better in Comp Sci.

At best you could get hired right out of college there as a game play programmer!

Also the challange posted on the website is really cool. I've tried it, but i'm probably no where near good enough to submit. Hopefully i can get into a good college and fix that.


I think Google prefers you have a PHD in comp sci to get any of the really good jobs. I can't back that up with a website but i remember there was an episode of 60 minutes where they said that.

Oh and Jeku: How bad are hours at EA? I heard that they are ridiculous.

*Forgive the rushed..mistake ridden post. It's late at night and I'm on the verge of falling asleep. *


around here.. normal's just a setting on a hair dryer
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Jeku
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 09:04
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Quote: "Oh and Jeku: How bad are hours at EA? I heard that they are ridiculous."


They're great. It depends on the department you're in. But I'm in a specialized department, and I've only had to work 1 or 2 weekends in over a year so far.

I get in at 10am, leave at 6pm, and get a break whenever I feel like it (and yes that includes walking over and playing the 360 or some games in the arcade, sitting on the patio with a coffee, playing pool, etc.) We get great time off perks--- in fact, I've not used even 1 day of my official "time-off" for all of last year, but yet I've had a few weeks time-off that was comped and bonus.

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Michael S
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 13:11
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What is the average pay per year for a game developer?

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Jeku
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Posted: 3rd Jan 2007 21:52 Edited at: 3rd Jan 2007 21:53
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$250k a year.



Kidding. Seriously, it differs from place to place. All I know is what I make, but the guy sitting next to me could make more or less. It depends on your skillset and what you bring to the table.

I've seen figures on the net that give average salary, but don't know where it is off the top of my head.

EDIT:

Found it: http://gamecareerguide.com/features/266/index.php?cid=GCG06_ENDEX3

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Michael S
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Posted: 4th Jan 2007 00:47 Edited at: 4th Jan 2007 00:48
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Jeku your amazing! You are a great help. Oh so the first thing I noticed when I opened the article was this
Quote: "Jobs in game development are hard to come by"
Is this true I mean is it near impossible to get a job in the industry? I dont want to go through all these classes and never get a job. In case your wondering here are some of the places I want to apply.
1. Naughty Dog. I have always wanted to work here. I saw their story on how they started and It inspired me to create games of my own.
2. Lion Head Studios
3. EA America (do you know anyone that works here?)

Also $70,000 per year is not that bad. Plus its not even about he money. But still I just wanted to know what Im getting into. So thats a good number.

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Michael S
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Posted: 5th Jan 2007 02:45
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Jeku I sent you an e-mail. also I started my programming class on Wednesday. I am taking a class on BASIC. I am hoping that this helps me with DarkBasic.

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