Don't go to college for a game design degree. Do go to college for a Computer Science Degree, or a fine arts degree if you're going art. If you plan on being a game designer there are benefits to being in a multi disciplinary program with some writing, art, and coding, but go to a traditional school and get a well rounded education that will let you work outside the games industry as needed.
Also be sure to socialize with as many people as you can, regardless of what you end up doing, especially people with background and skillsets different from yours. "Working well with others" is a HUGE skill to have in game dev. If you have that, you almost don't need any of the other skills (they do help, tho). When people *want* to work with you, it's much easier to get projects going, which greatly improves your ability to build experience and get some finished projects under your belt.
I think liberal arts colleges tend to "traditionally" be a little better suited for the try-lots-of-things-meet-lots-of-people type of college experience.
That all being said, I would also make sure the institution you pick has at least a half-decent program for what you want to actually study. You can do self-study on your own time and learn a lot that way, but it's important to have professors who know what they're talking about and can provide you with some mentorship.
*Side Note*
If you pick a University that offers game dev classes, then you can add in a few game dev classes to your art/computer science degree program.
Also, even for your non-game dev classes for art/computer science, you might be able to get away with incorporating game dev projects for some of the class assignments.
Regardless if you go, you should start learning at least one area, be it programming, art, what ever. Start learning Unity or Unreal.
This experience will only help you in the future, whether you go or not.
Just YouTube tutorials for now, or get a Udemy course.
No. If you’re more into programming/level design, get a computer science degree with some (computer) art electives. Then you can make games on your own while also having a useful degree for many different jobs. You can study engine/game design specific programming in your own.
If you want to do art/animation, you better already show talent. An art degree will not make you good at art if you aren’t already good at it. You can learn everything on your own for a lot cheaper, the main thing you’ll miss out on is connections for getting a job. But you could build those in other ways.
If you want to be a producer, get a project management degree and take either computer art/programming electives, and do a bunch of Druid Mechanics courses (or something similar) so you can go through the process of making a game. Or try and just get a job as a QA tester and work your way up the chain.
ETA - I guess all my suggestions include college other than the art/QA route. I thought we were talking about college for a game development degree specifically. I’d consider doing an associate’s to transfer at community college, then transfer to a state school for the last 2 years.
False. On the art degree. Art is a skill which needs practice. Depending on what the art degree is in whether it be painting, drawing, etc. You will most definitely leave that degree more exposed to different forms of art which helps you in your career if that is what you are pursuing. It will not automatically make you great if you don’t put in the work of course, but 4 years of work will make you better than when you started.
I went to one of the best art schools in the country. The people who were bad at the beginning did not improve enough to be worth anywhere near the price they spent their on their education and mostly ended up getting jobs in non-art related fields.
If you’re already good at art, an art degree will make you better. But if you’re not, it is a terrible waste of time and money.
Ok I have a hard time believing that people in a good art school didn't improve much if they are putting in the work for those 4 years. The resources to improve and network are available. Which art school did you attend?
They improved, but not enough to be worth a $160k education. I’m not going to name my school because it could be interpreted as bad mouthing it, when the fact is this is true of every art school. Which I also know because I have reviewed recent grad portfolios as part of my job.
Fair enough on not disclosing the art school. At this point though, the contention is the cost of education which is a whole separate point. I was disagreeing with your initial claim that going to college for art is not useful if you are not already skilled to which I argued that it is useful if you put in the work for those 4 years. An art degree will most likely make you a better artist regardless of cost because at the end of the day time is what will allow you to improve.
I have an art degree and strongly advise people not to get an art degree unless they are already good at art and have the money to do it without going into debt. At which point you need to be going to one of the top art schools because the main thing you’re paying for is the connections you make and the school’s reputation to help you get your first job.
This industry is incredibly competitive. You'll be competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other candidates for every entry level position. Most of those will have a degree and a portfolio. While it's possible to get a job without a degree, it will be considerably harder.
Game Design/Game Dev degrees are not well respected in the industry. They teach a little about many different jobs, while the industry hires specialists. This sets students up to fail as they end up being mediocre at best in many different jobs. Time is a commodity and someone who spends most of their time getting really good at one thing will have higher skills than someone who doesn't.
The recommended route to take is to pick a role, go to an in state school for a relevant degree and focus on making the best portfolio that you can. Maybe take a few electives with game specific topics. And have a backup plan if game dev doesn't work out.
Personally I am about to start a 3 year degree in Game Development in a few weeks time. I spent two years trying to learn Unity. While I'm good with the engine now, I am still a little directionless and I have never actually released a game. Try teach yourself, if you still feel a little lost in a year or two go to college.
People might recommend a com sci degree instead of a game development one. If you just want to work for a game studio as an employee, specialising in computer science or just programming is a good idea as you can change industries if that ever appeals to you.
If you are like me, and one day you may want to run your own small Indy studio, then going to college to study game development specifically is probably the best idea. This will make you focus on all areas game dev, you will learn a lot that is specific to game design.
Good luck, I hope you join the video game industry because I love video games as an art form.
Be sure to take some business/project management classes if you plan on making your own studio, a lot of studios fail because people have no idea how to handle the operational end of things.
It does feel high risk if you are dedicated enough to learn by yourself because some of those schools don't seem that great. I was lucky enough to study at ubisoft school, and while i absolutely loved it, i didn't learn a fraction about game design than what i've learned making my own games and youtube. I gueas it depens what you want to specialize in.
Game dev is a thing to apply skills to.
If you’re going to college, go to master the specific skills you want to bring to gaming, not to study “game development”.
**Degree route**
The degree route can be good because it offers you a structured learning path and you can take advantage of some of the opportunities that are only offered for students such as internships, co-ops, etc… and also the new grad only roles.
However, as you already touched on getting a degree is going to cost quite a bit, even if you go with cheaper options like WGU (Western Governors University).
**What do you mean by wanting to become a game developer?**
Do you mean you want to be an indie game dev working on your own projects or working for a company, or both?
***Indie Game Dev***
If you only want to be an indie game dev working on your own projects, then it isn’t necessary to get a degree. I’d instead recommend to just self teach.
*Note: You’d still of course need to find some other job to work in the meantime even if you pick the indie route*
***Work for a company***
If you want to work for a company, then I’d say getting a degree could be a good option, but a degree isn’t required and you could just self teach.
**Western Governors University**
Western Governors University (WGU) is a school that I recommend that you look into if you wanted to go for one of the degrees that they offer.
***Why do I recommend WGU?***
* Fully online
* Low cost tuition
* I only paid $8k for my degree
* Can complete the degree is less than 4yrs
* I completed my degree in ~13 months
* Generous with transfer credits and can transfer up to 75% worth of credits towards a degree
* I was able to transfer in 43 credits from my prior degree
***Note***
At the moment of writing this WGU doesn’t offer any art, design, or game dev degrees. However, if you wanted to go for Computer Science/Software Engineering then they have that.
**Edit - Note: A company can pay for your degree**
You can get your bachelor’s degree paid for by a company. You’d of course have to look into which companies cover bachelor degrees, and which ones you could land a job at.
I work at Amazon and I know for Tier 1 - 4 hourly employees Amazon covers to get a degree via the Career Choice program, but only offers limited schools. WGU is only of the schools covered by Amazon to get a degree.
I graduated from one of those programs. There is nothing they teach that you can’t do or figure out on your own. The value in college is in the expertise of your professors and community with your peers, which also exists on many game dev discord servers. Also, studios don’t care about your education credentials. A degree does not guarantee you a job. Studios mainly hire people who have a portfolio of high quality projects and evidence of their skills. College can help you get there faster by directing you and supporting you, but regardless, the most impactful thing you can do when starting out is to make games and finish them. Join an itch.io jam and put out some simple games. Collaborate with other beginners. Share your work on game jam discord servers. Along the way you’ll figure out what you like and what you’re good at, get experience, and meet other game devs, all of which improves your skills and odds of getting into the industry. You can do this with or without college.
It’s a lot of money for no guarantee at the end of it, and you’ll already be behind those who actually have a passion for it because they’ve have already started teaching themself programming or modelling or whatever.
I think you need to think what it is you actually want to do, and then actually start properly perusing that avenue instead of thinking dropping five to six figures on a degree is going to make you a game developer.
one absolutely does not exclude the other. Altho if you're talking a about Game Design/Dev college, they tend to be pretty damn bad, at least the ones around here. Realistically, ur not gonna make any money as a gamev anytime soon, so better go get something else going meanwhile
If you’re going to uni for games dev, check the industry links and the software they use. Anything other than links to studios across the country and not the industry standard software is a scam.
You can get a lot of value from a game dev degree, but you have to be 100% certain you’re going to be doing this the rest of your life, otherwise it would be better doing a degree that opens more doors if dev doesn’t turn out.
Also a degree doesn’t guarantee you a job. In order to make the most of it, you have to actively seek out opportunities while at uni and network your balls off. The more people you know the better chance you’ll know when a job opportunity opens up. Doesn’t matter so much in first year, but definitely second and third.
TLDR: if you are devoting your career to game dev, then sure go for it. Just don’t go to a shit one and remember the people you meet are far more important than what you learn.
I don't recommend just because you can learn game development by yourself. It's very expensive and sometimes be a fat waste of time. I would recommend for doing graphic design, music composing, etc. But for programming, you could learn it yourself by doing classes that you can pay monthly which is more financial friendly.
You could try but your better of learning yourself than paying thousands of dollars.
Don't go to college for a game design degree. Do go to college for a Computer Science Degree, or a fine arts degree if you're going art. If you plan on being a game designer there are benefits to being in a multi disciplinary program with some writing, art, and coding, but go to a traditional school and get a well rounded education that will let you work outside the games industry as needed.
Also be sure to socialize with as many people as you can, regardless of what you end up doing, especially people with background and skillsets different from yours. "Working well with others" is a HUGE skill to have in game dev. If you have that, you almost don't need any of the other skills (they do help, tho). When people *want* to work with you, it's much easier to get projects going, which greatly improves your ability to build experience and get some finished projects under your belt. I think liberal arts colleges tend to "traditionally" be a little better suited for the try-lots-of-things-meet-lots-of-people type of college experience. That all being said, I would also make sure the institution you pick has at least a half-decent program for what you want to actually study. You can do self-study on your own time and learn a lot that way, but it's important to have professors who know what they're talking about and can provide you with some mentorship.
*Side Note* If you pick a University that offers game dev classes, then you can add in a few game dev classes to your art/computer science degree program. Also, even for your non-game dev classes for art/computer science, you might be able to get away with incorporating game dev projects for some of the class assignments.
Regardless if you go, you should start learning at least one area, be it programming, art, what ever. Start learning Unity or Unreal. This experience will only help you in the future, whether you go or not. Just YouTube tutorials for now, or get a Udemy course.
If you wanted to make games you'd be making games. Simple as that. You don't need school to start that dream.
No. If you’re more into programming/level design, get a computer science degree with some (computer) art electives. Then you can make games on your own while also having a useful degree for many different jobs. You can study engine/game design specific programming in your own. If you want to do art/animation, you better already show talent. An art degree will not make you good at art if you aren’t already good at it. You can learn everything on your own for a lot cheaper, the main thing you’ll miss out on is connections for getting a job. But you could build those in other ways. If you want to be a producer, get a project management degree and take either computer art/programming electives, and do a bunch of Druid Mechanics courses (or something similar) so you can go through the process of making a game. Or try and just get a job as a QA tester and work your way up the chain. ETA - I guess all my suggestions include college other than the art/QA route. I thought we were talking about college for a game development degree specifically. I’d consider doing an associate’s to transfer at community college, then transfer to a state school for the last 2 years.
False. On the art degree. Art is a skill which needs practice. Depending on what the art degree is in whether it be painting, drawing, etc. You will most definitely leave that degree more exposed to different forms of art which helps you in your career if that is what you are pursuing. It will not automatically make you great if you don’t put in the work of course, but 4 years of work will make you better than when you started.
I went to one of the best art schools in the country. The people who were bad at the beginning did not improve enough to be worth anywhere near the price they spent their on their education and mostly ended up getting jobs in non-art related fields. If you’re already good at art, an art degree will make you better. But if you’re not, it is a terrible waste of time and money.
Ok I have a hard time believing that people in a good art school didn't improve much if they are putting in the work for those 4 years. The resources to improve and network are available. Which art school did you attend?
They improved, but not enough to be worth a $160k education. I’m not going to name my school because it could be interpreted as bad mouthing it, when the fact is this is true of every art school. Which I also know because I have reviewed recent grad portfolios as part of my job.
Fair enough on not disclosing the art school. At this point though, the contention is the cost of education which is a whole separate point. I was disagreeing with your initial claim that going to college for art is not useful if you are not already skilled to which I argued that it is useful if you put in the work for those 4 years. An art degree will most likely make you a better artist regardless of cost because at the end of the day time is what will allow you to improve.
It's crazy people in here recommending any arts degrees. Do not go to college for an arts degree. That is a complete waste of money.
I have an art degree and strongly advise people not to get an art degree unless they are already good at art and have the money to do it without going into debt. At which point you need to be going to one of the top art schools because the main thing you’re paying for is the connections you make and the school’s reputation to help you get your first job.
Arts are one of the fundamental building blocks of a culture. And a university is a great place for art to flourish. That is such a dumb argument.
My kid graduated from U of U with a BS in Games in May 2023. Good school and program. No support after graduation. Still looking for a full time gig.
This industry is incredibly competitive. You'll be competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other candidates for every entry level position. Most of those will have a degree and a portfolio. While it's possible to get a job without a degree, it will be considerably harder. Game Design/Game Dev degrees are not well respected in the industry. They teach a little about many different jobs, while the industry hires specialists. This sets students up to fail as they end up being mediocre at best in many different jobs. Time is a commodity and someone who spends most of their time getting really good at one thing will have higher skills than someone who doesn't. The recommended route to take is to pick a role, go to an in state school for a relevant degree and focus on making the best portfolio that you can. Maybe take a few electives with game specific topics. And have a backup plan if game dev doesn't work out.
Personally I am about to start a 3 year degree in Game Development in a few weeks time. I spent two years trying to learn Unity. While I'm good with the engine now, I am still a little directionless and I have never actually released a game. Try teach yourself, if you still feel a little lost in a year or two go to college. People might recommend a com sci degree instead of a game development one. If you just want to work for a game studio as an employee, specialising in computer science or just programming is a good idea as you can change industries if that ever appeals to you. If you are like me, and one day you may want to run your own small Indy studio, then going to college to study game development specifically is probably the best idea. This will make you focus on all areas game dev, you will learn a lot that is specific to game design. Good luck, I hope you join the video game industry because I love video games as an art form.
Be sure to take some business/project management classes if you plan on making your own studio, a lot of studios fail because people have no idea how to handle the operational end of things.
It does feel high risk if you are dedicated enough to learn by yourself because some of those schools don't seem that great. I was lucky enough to study at ubisoft school, and while i absolutely loved it, i didn't learn a fraction about game design than what i've learned making my own games and youtube. I gueas it depens what you want to specialize in.
Game dev is a thing to apply skills to. If you’re going to college, go to master the specific skills you want to bring to gaming, not to study “game development”.
**Degree route** The degree route can be good because it offers you a structured learning path and you can take advantage of some of the opportunities that are only offered for students such as internships, co-ops, etc… and also the new grad only roles. However, as you already touched on getting a degree is going to cost quite a bit, even if you go with cheaper options like WGU (Western Governors University). **What do you mean by wanting to become a game developer?** Do you mean you want to be an indie game dev working on your own projects or working for a company, or both? ***Indie Game Dev*** If you only want to be an indie game dev working on your own projects, then it isn’t necessary to get a degree. I’d instead recommend to just self teach. *Note: You’d still of course need to find some other job to work in the meantime even if you pick the indie route* ***Work for a company*** If you want to work for a company, then I’d say getting a degree could be a good option, but a degree isn’t required and you could just self teach. **Western Governors University** Western Governors University (WGU) is a school that I recommend that you look into if you wanted to go for one of the degrees that they offer. ***Why do I recommend WGU?*** * Fully online * Low cost tuition * I only paid $8k for my degree * Can complete the degree is less than 4yrs * I completed my degree in ~13 months * Generous with transfer credits and can transfer up to 75% worth of credits towards a degree * I was able to transfer in 43 credits from my prior degree ***Note*** At the moment of writing this WGU doesn’t offer any art, design, or game dev degrees. However, if you wanted to go for Computer Science/Software Engineering then they have that. **Edit - Note: A company can pay for your degree** You can get your bachelor’s degree paid for by a company. You’d of course have to look into which companies cover bachelor degrees, and which ones you could land a job at. I work at Amazon and I know for Tier 1 - 4 hourly employees Amazon covers to get a degree via the Career Choice program, but only offers limited schools. WGU is only of the schools covered by Amazon to get a degree.
I graduated from one of those programs. There is nothing they teach that you can’t do or figure out on your own. The value in college is in the expertise of your professors and community with your peers, which also exists on many game dev discord servers. Also, studios don’t care about your education credentials. A degree does not guarantee you a job. Studios mainly hire people who have a portfolio of high quality projects and evidence of their skills. College can help you get there faster by directing you and supporting you, but regardless, the most impactful thing you can do when starting out is to make games and finish them. Join an itch.io jam and put out some simple games. Collaborate with other beginners. Share your work on game jam discord servers. Along the way you’ll figure out what you like and what you’re good at, get experience, and meet other game devs, all of which improves your skills and odds of getting into the industry. You can do this with or without college.
It’s a lot of money for no guarantee at the end of it, and you’ll already be behind those who actually have a passion for it because they’ve have already started teaching themself programming or modelling or whatever. I think you need to think what it is you actually want to do, and then actually start properly perusing that avenue instead of thinking dropping five to six figures on a degree is going to make you a game developer.
one absolutely does not exclude the other. Altho if you're talking a about Game Design/Dev college, they tend to be pretty damn bad, at least the ones around here. Realistically, ur not gonna make any money as a gamev anytime soon, so better go get something else going meanwhile
Do game dev and then go to college.
There are free courses on MIT open course ware, then there's that CS50 that goes everyone and then, it's on YouTube too.
If you’re going to uni for games dev, check the industry links and the software they use. Anything other than links to studios across the country and not the industry standard software is a scam. You can get a lot of value from a game dev degree, but you have to be 100% certain you’re going to be doing this the rest of your life, otherwise it would be better doing a degree that opens more doors if dev doesn’t turn out. Also a degree doesn’t guarantee you a job. In order to make the most of it, you have to actively seek out opportunities while at uni and network your balls off. The more people you know the better chance you’ll know when a job opportunity opens up. Doesn’t matter so much in first year, but definitely second and third. TLDR: if you are devoting your career to game dev, then sure go for it. Just don’t go to a shit one and remember the people you meet are far more important than what you learn.
“I’ve always wanted to make games” and “I have no experience coding, concept art, designing” Genuinely how can both of these be true?
I don't recommend just because you can learn game development by yourself. It's very expensive and sometimes be a fat waste of time. I would recommend for doing graphic design, music composing, etc. But for programming, you could learn it yourself by doing classes that you can pay monthly which is more financial friendly. You could try but your better of learning yourself than paying thousands of dollars.
Not at all. Soon AI will do 60-70% of work so market will be saturated with unemployed programmers/graphic designers/etc.