Colleges with online courses for Game Programming and Design? - General

Hello! Does anyone here have any experience with any universities or colleges that have Game Programming or Game Design as possible classes? If so, do they also have online versions of those courses? I'm passionate about making games and [URL="http://phobos001.itch.io/"]want to make a living off of it.[/url] Thanks again!

I'll just say up front seriously consider a computer science degree instead, it teaches you the same things, you can find schools with video game related electives, it will get you just as far in the game industry and it has a much wider range if you fail to find a game industry job (which right off the bat is a strong possibility)

To be honest an online degree in "game design" or otherwise game-centric degrees are pretty worthless. You'll be a lot more likely to get into the industry with a real graphic design or CS degree... and experience.

the games business is 80% knowing people and 20% skill

[QUOTE=Phobos001;44699454]Hello! Does anyone here have any experience with any universities or colleges that have Game Programming or Game Design as possible classes? If so, do they also have online versions of those courses? I'm passionate about making games and [URL="http://phobos001.itch.io/"]want to make a living off of it.[/url] Thanks again![/QUOTE] If you are looking to learn some things through free online classes you can always use coursera [url]https://www.coursera.org/[/url] But I would suggest if you were serious about it to consider a degree in computer science.

[QUOTE=LordCrypto;44699576]the games business is 80% knowing people and 20% skill[/QUOTE] Yup. I work for an indie company called Soulfire Software, I wouldn't have been able to get my foot in the door if it weren't for the connections I got from going to GDC or other development conventions and being apart of online dev communities.

The collage I'm attending next year offers almost every degree online, and has a Game Design degree. However, as pretty much everyone else has said, it's a better idea to go for a degree in computer science or something. [url=http://www.dsu.edu/majors-programs/computer-game-design.aspx]Here's the link[/url] though.

Don't get a degree online and don't get a degree in "game design" or anything like that. If you're interested in implementation go the computer science route and if you're interested in doing art or modelling try to find a school in visual effects or something to that effect.

[QUOTE=Socram;44700551]Don't get a degree online and don't get a degree in "game design" or anything like that. If you're interested in implementation go the computer science route and if you're interested in doing art or modelling try to find a school in visual effects or something to that effect.[/QUOTE] As someone who's pursuing a degree in game design, I totally agree. You'll learn art and a bit of coding for visfx scripting. They're slightly different disciplines but you still get a lot of crossover. If it's for getting into the AAA industry, there's things to be learned at schools that have industry vets, but if you're going indie and want to just make games on the side, don't go into horrible debt for it. If you want to actually create what you design, get into coding. You can pick up the art side with things like the Emporium and GMOD. Keep in mind that these are very different sides of things that both demand a lot of thought on their own. You can totally learn both, it's tricky to do so at the same time though. Also, learning art online can kind of suck. You learn a lot and there are great communities, but there's nothing quite like getting ripped apart in critique in person. That's where I've found myself learning the most.

[QUOTE=Problem;44700655] You learn a lot and there are great communities, but there's nothing quite like getting ripped apart in critique in person.[/QUOTE] AH this is the most common misconception of people who go into art but skip formal art schooling. I graduated college 3 years ago and I am now a creative director Of the indie studio I work at, because we are a small team many of us have to wear many hats; which means I have had to lead an art team of both artists and people who's main focus was not in art. What I first noticed off the bat is that the non-artists on the team simply were devastated any time I had to go through a quality check or make a simple suggestion to help them improve as an artist, and help their work follow the scope of our sprint goals. The reason they had so much trouble with my critiques was because they did not go through the formal critique training in an art school. People who go to art school go in-front of drill sergeants professors who will break you down and tell you your art is not good enough. However after constant critiques every day; what you begin to learn is that critiques or any kind of criticism is not a negative thing, in-fact it's quite the opposite. One of my professors once told me that if you do not eat up criticism like candy, you wont get anywhere with your art, because when it comes down to it, the moment someone tells you your art sucks and what they see is wrong with it, they are literally telling you how to succeed. True artists learn to look at the positives of criticism; yes it hurts at first if you are not used to it but eventually you train your brain to focus on how criticism can benefit you, don't take it personally and try to actively search for criticism. That's how you improve. Just remember this: when someone tells you a problem with your work, they are literally telling you how to succeed. So don't take it personally. Think of it like this: "ok, so you think that my art sucks and that his arm is too long? Cool you just told me how I can become better. Thanks! ;) TELL ME MORE! :o"

I have a bachelor's from DeVry University in Game & Simulation Programming. I would not recommend it. Get a computer science degree. A degree is usually a requirement for getting into a gaming company, but your portfolio and your professional network are far more important. If you take online courses you have a harder time networking with people.

[QUOTE=jalb;44701043]I have a bachelor's from DeVry University in Game & Simulation Programming. I would not recommend it. Get a computer science degree. A degree is usually a requirement for getting into a gaming company, but your portfolio and your professional network are far more important. If you take online courses you have a harder time networking with people.[/QUOTE]This is exactly right; Tripple-A studios wont even look at your resume unless they feel your portfolio is solid. I've even seen people who skipped college and just spent hours every day developing their portfolios and being active on online development communities. When it came to applying for jobs, their portfolios were so good that some employers didn't even care if they went to college or not. In no way am I saying don't go to college, but what I am saying is make your portfolio your focus.

Most college game-design courses are pretty much bad, and even if you do find a decent course and a studio does hire you, it will probably be tedious work on a project that you most likely won't want to work on. (typically) The problem with most game-design courses is that they usually cover Youtube-tutorial level knowledge in a lot of approximate fields. You'll learn an inch in coding, 3dmodeling, etc. but not really enough to be specialized in any of those fields or to have the knowledge to accomplish what you want to do on your own. I'm going to assume that you're someone with a dream of living off of your [I]own[/I] games and ideas, and you know that's awesome and a possibility. Just be prepared to dive deeper into learning the tools needed to accomplish your goals, more so than what some entry-level college classes will require.

Thanks everyone. I'll try to find a course in Computer Science instead. I'm also going to try to work on what [i]jalb[/i] and [i]TrueNord[/i] suggested (My portfolio). I'd write more but I gotta head out the door. Thanks again guys; you're all awesome!

[QUOTE=Phobos001;44702785]Thanks everyone. I'll try to find a course in Computer Science instead. I'm also going to try to work on what [i]jalb[/i] and [i]TrueNord[/i] suggested (My portfolio). I'd write more but I gotta head out the door. Thanks again guys; you're all awesome![/QUOTE] Glad we could help! Best of Luck on your college search! :)

Redesign your site, don't put prices on your stuff until you are highly skilled and made a serious quality product. Give source for your learning projects with the chance of someone having a look and telling you what's bad with it.

Try to avoid doing a course in Game Design. Try doing one in either IT or Computer Science instead. If you want to get into game design, try self-teaching yourself with online tutorials and examples. You will save yourself several grand in costs. Remember that the Creative Industry is all about your portfolio and who you know. Not what degrees you have.