(AUS) RMIT Game Design course.
polycounter lvl 13
http://www.rmit.edu.au/programs/bp214
I was just wondering if any of you fellow ausfags have done or considered this course offered by RMIT.
I've been thinking about it for a while now, going back to school, i'm worried about making the jump from max to maya after investing a considerable amount of time on max.
I'm also aware that this whole course doesn't revolve around just art and learning maya, i'm concerned that it might be to general "game design" for someone who has the prospect of becoming an environmental artist and not a game designer or something of the sort.
I was just wondering if any of you fellow ausfags have done or considered this course offered by RMIT.
I've been thinking about it for a while now, going back to school, i'm worried about making the jump from max to maya after investing a considerable amount of time on max.
I'm also aware that this whole course doesn't revolve around just art and learning maya, i'm concerned that it might be to general "game design" for someone who has the prospect of becoming an environmental artist and not a game designer or something of the sort.
Replies
I consider that wording a bit "vague." Do they have any placements with industry? Any visiting artists that work in the field? How exactly do they "strongly link?" If you can get some specific answers it may help you make a better decision.
I originally went when it was in it's second year of existence, so they were still working things out. Was pretty bad overall with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, and it's made me hate higher education in general.
I took a job in new zealand around my second year and came back 1 year later and the course seemed to be alot better. There's alot more structure and focus, but I can't stomach that stuff anymore. It all seems to detract from time you could spend working on personal projects or studying anatomy or going to life drawing classes. So I bailed, did folio/freelance stuff then moved to canada on a work permit.
Sooo... give it a miss if you can, but every other aus polycounter will tell you to grab a degree of some sort to help move overseas. Aus games industry was dead last time I checked, has it picked up again yet?
edit: oh and it is fairly broad, like there's alot about design and a basic bit on programming and then way too many unrelated multimedia classes that have no relevance to games.
But tbh I learnt 20x as much about programming and other skills in the space of a month, making my own little game projects than anything I picked up there in 2.5 years. Again it might be a bit better now tho, hard to say.
@wichenroder:
I spoke to Adam a little bit over email, he was really helpful!
@Nizza:
I know that feel, this wont be the first higher educational institute i would have attended, originally i was pursuing game sound design, the school was horrible, they where making the course up as we went, and often had no work for us to do, so we where sent home after a 2 hour train ride, $10,000 later the school went bankrupt and we lost everything.
Also my brother went to AiE also in melbourne, he didnt speak to highly of them either, hard to get the teachers help ect.
So as you can see why i'm a little anxious about returning to school.
Does anyone know of a more direct game art course around Melbourne?
For the most part is is (was) Maya, though if you're good at max and you're only doing it to get into Maya, why not just use Maya some more, not at uni? You already know most of what you need to do, all that's left is finding the buttons (how to do it).
BTW, the entire Aus software/IT industry is dead or dying or slowly rising from the ashes one 3-person indie studio at a time, depending on who you ask.
I think QANTM generally has the best reputation of the local schools. As Nizza suggested, the RMIT one looks a little too unfocused with classes on all sorts of different subjects. I think you'd probably come out of that course further from a professional level than you might if you tried one of the more focused courses. You'll have to do plenty of work on your own building your portfolio up, no matter what course you do.
I won't comment on any of the schools because I do some programming lectures at Qantm but I'd say your best bet is to go onto campuses of all the schools and just chat with the lecturers. You'll get a feel of what they're like and learn a little about their game dev industry connections.
Not representing anyone, I always say there's three most important things you can get out of Uni - a piece of paper, knowledge, and deadlines. The paper is only sometimes relevant, and usually only adds slight influence to the weight of a portfolio. Knowledge you can learn for free on the internet, and by just doing, but quality schools can sometimes do it better. And deadlines are bloody hard to get outside of a working environment, but all schools offer. A lot of what you're going to get out of uni, you'll get regardless of where you study -- and that's going to equal the effort you put in while you're there.
I was looking at AIE for a long time, and that's more one track game art, but something about the course outline doesn't sparkle for me, i feel like its more character and animation orientated, where i would like the freedom to choose my final piece(s).
One thing i like about RMIT though is that in Year 3 they have a mobile game dev subject which i think is a key move seeing how that industry doesn't seem to be slowing down yet.
Bah too much thinking involved, brb going to go hide from the world.
I know the mobile development tutor at RMIT. He actually posts on Polycount from time to time under the username 'Conor'. I could probably put you in contact with him if you'd like.