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[seifip]

Hi!

I'm going to finish high school in a year and I am trying to decide on where to go next, probably in the game design industry

I have rather big experience in most aspects of web development, web/print/etc. design, game development and marketing as I'm working in this industry for nearly 10 years already and participated in all kinds of projects (both personal and team based) at different positions.

Feel free to check out my Portfolio and my latest project - a Japanese learning game

I am currently deciding between going to study in Japan or in the US/Canada. I would prefer to go to the HAL College of Technology & Design in Tokyo but it seems like it wouldn't give me a Bachelor's degree. Is it important? Would I be able to get a Master's somewhere else, after finishing HAL but without a Bachelor's degree? I've heard very good things (and I haven't heard anything even negative) of HAL and based on what I know it's one of the best places to study Game Design but the degree question worries me slightly.

Other options I consider are Full Sail, Digipen or maybe something different like MIT. I still can't understand for sure whether FS is good or bad but it certainly seems to be quite expensive (-_-), with a very quick course (^_^), providing a Bachelor's and Master's degrees (^_^). Is it really good? Is it hard to get a financial aid if I'm not an American (I'm Russian, living in Czech Republic (EU))?

Digipen seems to be way to programming oriented (I LOVE programming and I'm fairly good at it but it's probably not something I would like to do 24/7 all my life) and has some very difficult selection process way too oriented on maths (I'm OK in maths but probably not on the level required at Digipen).

Which is a good school to become a Game Designer/Producer?

- I would prefer Japan to the US
- I would prefer a big city, preferably capital, to a small village/town
- I will be doing everything to start my own business (preferably not entering another company), even if it wouldn't be game oriented from the start, so I'm mostly concerned about what I'll learn and not what I'll have for a paper but it still counts.

Also, is there an option to get a a game/IT related PhD? Would it be good for anything?

Thnx for your help! Feel free to ask me more details if I missed something

[Paul Eres]

first of all, what are you aiming for? a job in the industry or to be a successful indie developer? or some other goal? recommendations would differ based on target.

[seifip]

I would like to start as an indie developer or even a game unrelated entrepreneur, ideally growing into something bigger in the future

EDIT: That doesn't mean that I am completely against the option of becoming a game designer in some established game development company but it's probably not something I'm 100% aiming for.

[Super Joe]

why dont you just pay me the several thousand dollars you would pay one of those shitty ass places and ill tell you to make a game w/ three other corpulent bearded dudes who love anime

[Paul Eres]

I would like to start as an indie developer or even a game unrelated entrepreneur, ideally growing into something bigger in the future

EDIT: That doesn't mean that I am completely against the option of becoming a game designer in some established game development company but it's probably not something I'm 100% aiming for.

that's a bit vague still, but my best recommendation would be to skip college (i found it largely useless and am sorry i went) and just start making games, and learn by doing. or take an 'apprenticeship' -- find some indie developer you admire, and work with them on their games to learn the ropes.

i'd anti-recommend game-design colleges in particular, because in my experience people who graduate from them don't know how to make games on their own; those colleges tend to focus on specialized skills that are useful to corporate game developers rather than provide a more well-rounded education.

if you are dead-set on attending college, i'd recommend some major completely unrelated to programming, particularly something in the humanities like creative writing, literature, or something along those lines. being a good designer is far more important than being a good programmer as an indie developer (although every skill helps).

[Hayden Scott-Baron]

Most game design graduates are pretty useless, unfortunately. In my experience we found that degree to be more of a warning than a recommendation. We generally recommend people go for Compsci for programming, and 3D art for artists. Game designers in theory should get the most out of game design courses, but I've yet to meet one that has been able to make a game on their own steam.

[Farbs]

The best way to learn to make games is to make games. There's no way around it. With that said, some courses will drop you in a room with a bunch of other students and force you to work together. This can be  very useful since they'll probably be more reliable than random folk you meet on the internet.

[seifip]

I would say that I'm rather set on attending a college... and everyone around me (both my parents and my teachers) would probably commit seppuku if I wouldn't

So you would rather suggest me to attend a general college? Or rather something computer related like MIT?

One more question... Let's imagine that I would start a company and make a few successful games (or any other computer related products) and then I would decide to go work for a major game development company. Would my experience be more valuable that the possession of different degrees by others? Would they skip my resume as soon as they would see my school references or would they on the contrary put me on the top of the bunch?

[seifip]

Game designers in theory should get the most out of game design courses, but I've yet to meet one that has been able to make a game on their own steam.

In that case, where should I go study to? A general college? A marketing/economy/psychology/other college? Or should I necessarily choose between art and programming? (I'm a good designer and a good programmer and when I'm not a very good graphic I'm not bad either and could definitely work on it)

[JoeHonkie]

Major in something you enjoy (unless it's English Lit. or Philosophy or Art History, ignore this if you like being unemployed).  Then work in a job you can enjoy enough to do after college if you go full-time with it.  Actually if you do that second part you can even major in dumb humanities stuff.

[Super Joe]

do computer science or whatever nerdo. youll realise you hate it anyway ahahaha. games suck.

[agj]

With a strong portfolio like yours, you should apply for scholarships.

I suggest you find a program focused on interactive media design, and do extra learning on game design by yourself (buy books, read online, make games, get involved in a community such as this one). Going to university is a good experience: it helps you meet people, learn from them, make connections, work in teams, learn about things you may not think are relevant but which expand your perception; so definitely go for it.

Maybe you could even manage to get into a Master's; Bachelor's start from pretty much absolute zero, and it may be discouraging.

[Glaiel-Gamer]

Digipen

I'm going here right now, gonna start my second year in the fall.

They have a programming track which is distinctly different from their "game design" track (since being taught "game design" = stupid)

It's high-density stuff, and 4 years, and my biggest problem isn't something about the college itself, it's that I spent all of high school and half of middle school teaching myself programming and how to make and design games, so I'm being mostly taught stuff I already know (differences between actionscript and c++ are mostly syntax and really easy to pick up). My side projects and self learning have kept me sane though, so I might end up just leaving and going full-time indie.

But ya, it's a sticky situation and I totally understand the pressure from friends and family thing, especially since nobody in my family seems to understand that working for myself is a completely viable career option (they think I'll give it a shot for a while then cave in and get a "real" job).

[seifip]

With a strong portfolio like yours, you should apply for scholarships.

I suggest you find a program focused on interactive media design, and do extra learning on game design by yourself (buy books, read online, make games, get involved in a community such as this one). Going to university is a good experience: it helps you meet people, learn from them, make connections, work in teams, learn about things you may not think are relevant but which expand your perception; so definitely go for it.

Maybe you could even manage to get into a Master's; Bachelor's start from pretty much absolute zero, and it may be discouraging.

You have some very interesting and encouraging points here... Is it really possible to skip Bachelor's degree and go for the Master's? Most schools I've seen require a Bachelor's in order to enter the Master's course but I've looked at the contents of the courses and I completely agree with you that most of the stuff taught at the Bachelor's courses is fairly basic.

[c-foo peng]

The best way to learn to make games is to make games. There's no way around it.

Quoth for truth.

With that said, some courses will drop you in a room with a bunch of other students and force you to work together. This can be very useful since they'll probably be more reliable than random folk you meet on the internet.

Reliable? Maybe. Skilled? If you're lucky...

Based on my conversations with a bunch of people, super self-motivated and talented people don't really get all that much out of a game school. They end up learning/done things that they would have learned/done on their own time, and the result was time and vast amounts of money wasted.

My advice: go to well respected university. Take advantage of their resources, broaden your horizons at school, and make indie games to learn the craft of game design.