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[Taiki]

Hi everybody

Just a question that had been in my mind for many days now ,if you have to choose between Game Design ( which also do have programming courses ) and game art ,what would you choose ? (As you may guessed  it's me who have to choose , but i am still not sure wich one to pick since that i am interested in both of them )

[Gimym JIMBERT]

design

Design + programing = game done

Art = game wish

[starsrift]

Art.

art + GM = gam

design + programming = squares and text floating around on the screen

[Toom]

It depends what you're more interested in! I'm...kind of surprised you had to ask this question.

Is your passion, your real passion, actually games? Then take the games design course, and learn to (or practice) art in your spare time. Although you might be better off taking a more generalised programming course, learning the basics, and parlaying that knowledge into making games whilst using your broader programming base to, you know, get a job.

Is your real passion art and design? Take the art course. I'd avoid a "games art" course - it sounds dreadfully limiting, career-wise, and trust me, if you want to go into art and design as a career, you need all the potential gigs you can get. But something like CG modelling might be worth investigating.

Either way, you might see a pattern here - do what you love but for fuck's sake don't overspecialise.

Edit: here's a thing worth considering - toss a coin. Seriously. You don't have to make the decision based on the outcome, but, nine times out of ten, once that coin leaves your hand, you'll immediately know which way up you hope it'll land.

[Gabriel Verdon]

Do whatever the fuck you want to do. Asking strangers will not aid you in making that decision.

FOLLOW YOUR HEART

[J. Kyle Pittman]

Design and programming.

Programmer art is best art.

[SplinterOfChaos]

Can you not take art courses and still choose the game design career?

[Makai]

Either way, you might see a pattern here - do what you love but for fuck's sake don't overspecialise.

I completely agree with Toom here. Don't try to overspecialize this early in your education.

I'm not sure what your end-goal is here, but if you do go for the Design course learn something else to go with it, either Art, Programming or Audio. At least for a small indie shop nothing is more useless than a designer that can't contribute to anything else.

[Taiki]

Thanks for all your anwsers .
Actually got accepted in both courses(but i can't do both) ,it's true that i tend more to design than art ( since i've worked as Level designer so i've kinda studied a little bit about game design which is my true passion) but i am also interested in the art courses ( which contain a CG moddeling course).
Does anyone here had taken game design and programming courses ?

[Toom]

Is it possible to do some modules from the art course as electives? It might be worth asking about. A friend of mine did a games design degree, but his course differed quite significantly from most of his colleagues, because he asked about mixing and matching different modules, essentially customising his classes to suit what he was most interested in.

If I was in your position, I'd probably go for the design course. Give it a year. If you hate it, consider re-applying to the art course; if you can get in once, you can probably get in again.

[Taiki]

Unfortunately I can't do that ,since it's two separate schools,also it's seems that people missunterstood my post ,i don't ask people to choose for me, i am asking for opinions ,you have to know that for me it sink or swim , i came from a country where there is no game industry(and no school for that either),except one company (where i worked as level designer ) ,i've spend almost two years  gathering enough money so i could go and study abroad and get in to good schools, my plan is to integrate the game industry(indie or not ,but i am still indie in heart  )
So i am asking ,in your opinion, what's the best ?

[The Monster King]

ive heard a lot of people say that their game design courses had been useless
imo you're better off learning art in school and learning game design by practicing making games

[Gabriel Verdon]

ive heard a lot of people say that their game design courses had been useless
imo you're better off learning art in school and learning game design by practicing making games

this right here.

game design is such an easy thing to pick up on your own by playing games and reading about them, I wouldn't even bother spending the money.

Yeah, this. In fact, game development school in general is pretty useless. You are probably best off taking computer science, and in between assignments practicing game design and illlustration/graphic design on your own time. I went to game development school for a year and a half and the most useful courses were the C++ ones. The other ones were just kind of filler, taught basically by people off the street who either didn't understand video games or were so incompetent that their skill levels weren't even as high as some people in the class. The only thing good about it is meeting like-minded people, but if you are naturally social you can do that in other ways.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை]

ive heard a lot of people say that their game design courses had been useless
imo you're better off learning art in school and learning game design by practicing making games

i agree with this. game design cannot be taught (and even if it could, nobody is short of "good ideas" for a game). game art (at least in the sense of learning the tools and how to create polished art) can be taught. if i were to go to college again, i'd probably learn 3d modeling, as it's the most in-demand of any specialization right now

but if you're going to be an indie, you don't actually have to study either one, you can study whatever you want and still make games. i majored in biochemistry, for instance

if you're going into the industry rather than going to be an indie, study computer science or 3d modeling, not "game design". if you're going to be an indie, study whatever you want, even if it's totally unrelated to games.

[phubans]

I went to school for Game Art & Design, which was more focused on the [production] art side of things. I was pretty disappointed that they didn't teach much design, but I think good design comes naturally from years of knowing what makes good games work. Sure, I guess you could teach some theory, but like any type of art it's going to be up to the artists' talent and execution.

I did not like school (there were a lot of factors that played into this, the fact that they were taking up a lot of time and putting me into massive debt was one of them). I think a lot of the things about game art, design, and programming can be self-taught if you have the commitment and passion. And in this particular industry a degree isn't as important as say, a kick-ass portfolio.

But if I had to choose between a degree in art and a degree in programming, I'd go with art because I learn more towards art. If you're more of an artist; someone who likes to draw, create, and think with your right brain, then art is probably going to be easier for you. But if you're more interested in creation from the technical, systematic point of view that involves a lot of syntax and math, then go with programming.

[Gimym JIMBERT]

Game design can be taught, but school aren't there yet, game design is a young field, it's not organize. When I see game design wiki in some company I can tell you that even in the industry it's not yet clear. Right experience is key, it's about knowing the little tips and wisdom nugget everybody have. Only some people from my generation are starting to create a very strong framework to understand game (ie not bullshit).

So right now, paul is right in a nutshell, Your decision is short terms, so paul advice is valid. Teach yourself pragmatic skills first.

[starsrift]

I took game design classes in uni, and with the single exception of the Excel (VB) programming class, they were the easiest classes in the computer science department.

That being said, I got a lot out of them and I think much more critically about games now, and I have certain standards that I measure them by.

So I would advise, I think it's worth paying $100 for a textbook on game design, but perhaps not an entire course or group of courses.

[Twitch]

Art if it's billed as a Design course, otherwise whichever you feel stronger with.

Game Art is game design, game Programming is also game design, as is game Sound, Story, Interface - every aspect is design, as they all contribute to the entire experience.
If you want to be a good lead designer, you've got to have experience with as many aspects as you can, the deeper the better - and art is as good of a starting place as any.

Regardless of which you end up choosing, I'd recommend learning a bit about both art and programming, as well as some audio and writing theory, as they'll all compliment one another.

I disagree that game design can't be taught; having said that, I haven't heard of any courses that do so well. Like any form of design, game design is about crafting the experience your end user will have with your product, anticipating what their reactions will be, and tailoring it to evoke the desired reactions and emotions from the player/s.
You don't need original ideas, or terribly much creativity to do this, although both help immensely. It involves thinking about what kind of experiences you want your players to have, and then designing mechanisms through which they can encounter them - and that is, I believe, something that can be taught.

[---]

I disagree that game design can't be taught; having said that, I haven't heard of any courses that do so well. Like any form of design, game design is about crafting the experience your end user will have with your product, anticipating what their reactions will be, and tailoring it to evoke the desired reactions and emotions from the player/s.
You don't need original ideas, or terribly much creativity to do this, although both help immensely. It involves thinking about what kind of experiences you want your players to have, and then designing mechanisms through which they can encounter them - and that is, I believe, something that can be taught.

Agreed. I am in the firm belief that anything can be taught, but it is more of an easier learning experience for certain individuals that are talented.

[Gabriel Verdon]

I disagree that game design can't be taught; having said that, I haven't heard of any courses that do so well. Like any form of design, game design is about crafting the experience your end user will have with your product, anticipating what their reactions will be, and tailoring it to evoke the desired reactions and emotions from the player/s.
You don't need original ideas, or terribly much creativity to do this, although both help immensely. It involves thinking about what kind of experiences you want your players to have, and then designing mechanisms through which they can encounter them - and that is, I believe, something that can be taught.

Agreed. I am in the firm belief that anything can be taught, but it is more of an easier learning experience for certain individuals that are talented.

I agree with this as well.