Durham College - Questions
Hello Everyone,
My name is Riley, I'm 23 and live in Saskatchewan, Canada. In Saskatchewan there is no (or very little) educational programs relating in any way to the Game Industry. There are also no game studios, or anything.
For the past 4 years I have spent my time (and money) trying my best to develop my own indie games. I, and some friends have great ideas and concepts but can't quite develop the games ourselves. After several failed attempts at creating a finished product, I've been applying at game studios in other provinces for an entry level position as a Game Designer. I do not have much experience with creating game art or programming, to date I have mainly designed, planned, and managed the development of several games with friends. I do understand most of the processes involved. I am however extremely creative and would love to be able to create my own concept art, environments, 3D art, and get a better understanding of programming. I realize now that I should be developing my skills and creating a very good portfolio if I want to get a good job in the game industry. Which is why I'm looking at colleges, and what programs they offer. Here are my questions.
1) Am I making the right choice? I feel a Diploma or Degree would be very beneficial, but I also do have legitimate experience which I feel could get me an entry level position if I kept applying for jobs.
2) I have set my sights on THIS 3 year Advanced Diploma program. I would love to hear from anyone who took this or has knowledge of it.
3) Information on the internet can not always be reliable, but I recently discovered some reviews of Durham College which I find a little unsettling. Read them HERE. Do you think these are accurate and should I be worried?
4) If not Durham College, can anyone recommend another college which would offer a similar program?
Finally, to conclude my wall of text, I will explain my goals after receiving a degree or diploma. I am an extremely creative person with great ideas. My passion is games, and although I enjoy playing some games, I am more interested in creating them. I would like to get a good paying job in the game industry as any as preferably: 3D Environment Artist, Game Designer. I also want to be able to develop my portfolio and create my own projects. I dream of creating large realistic game environments and turning my ideas in to real creations. Any feedback on what direction I should take is greatly appreciated.
As a side note, I have a friend who is most likely getting a degree in game programming, and we will be collaborating our experience
Thanks so much,
Riley
My name is Riley, I'm 23 and live in Saskatchewan, Canada. In Saskatchewan there is no (or very little) educational programs relating in any way to the Game Industry. There are also no game studios, or anything.
For the past 4 years I have spent my time (and money) trying my best to develop my own indie games. I, and some friends have great ideas and concepts but can't quite develop the games ourselves. After several failed attempts at creating a finished product, I've been applying at game studios in other provinces for an entry level position as a Game Designer. I do not have much experience with creating game art or programming, to date I have mainly designed, planned, and managed the development of several games with friends. I do understand most of the processes involved. I am however extremely creative and would love to be able to create my own concept art, environments, 3D art, and get a better understanding of programming. I realize now that I should be developing my skills and creating a very good portfolio if I want to get a good job in the game industry. Which is why I'm looking at colleges, and what programs they offer. Here are my questions.
1) Am I making the right choice? I feel a Diploma or Degree would be very beneficial, but I also do have legitimate experience which I feel could get me an entry level position if I kept applying for jobs.
2) I have set my sights on THIS 3 year Advanced Diploma program. I would love to hear from anyone who took this or has knowledge of it.
3) Information on the internet can not always be reliable, but I recently discovered some reviews of Durham College which I find a little unsettling. Read them HERE. Do you think these are accurate and should I be worried?
4) If not Durham College, can anyone recommend another college which would offer a similar program?
Finally, to conclude my wall of text, I will explain my goals after receiving a degree or diploma. I am an extremely creative person with great ideas. My passion is games, and although I enjoy playing some games, I am more interested in creating them. I would like to get a good paying job in the game industry as any as preferably: 3D Environment Artist, Game Designer. I also want to be able to develop my portfolio and create my own projects. I dream of creating large realistic game environments and turning my ideas in to real creations. Any feedback on what direction I should take is greatly appreciated.
As a side note, I have a friend who is most likely getting a degree in game programming, and we will be collaborating our experience
Thanks so much,
Riley
Replies
I was the second year to finish the course, I think they are working on graduating their 5th class now? When I went through, it had its problems, just like EVERY school. But, I would still say it's probably the best school for game art in the area. But, I only looked in Ontario. Depending on your budget, I have heard amazing things about Think Tank. But it's super expensive.
So, some of those reviews are correct. I don't know much about the other programs in the school, but the area around the college is pretty bad for student life. There really isn't much around. mostly housing. There is a student center / pub, and a few places to eat, but that's about it. But there are busses to go everywhere. The review talking about class sizes being too big, and the computers sucking. Those are false for this program. They update the computers every 2 years, and have 2 different labs. Class size is 30 people tops, and they CANT go over that because they don't have the computers for it. They have Maya and Max for you to use. zBrush, UDK, flash. All the programs you need, really. When I went through, the teaching wasn't the greatest. Some of our teachers had personal stuff going on that flowed over to the classroom, and they weren't really teaching everything we needed to know about the pipeline. Like normal maps and stuff. They teach all that stuff now though. Our class was vocal about what we wanted and what we thought we were missing, and they listened. They are good about listening to the needs of students. The teachers are actually really great guys. they are a close knit group. The only bad thing I can say about them is that none of them have actually worked in the game industry. Most of them just worked in the film/tv industry. So when it comes to level stuff, I think they are just self taught. But, if you look around this site, a lot of guys are, and they know their stuff. When I went through, it did show that they were still learning (new program at the time), but from what I've heard, they've gotten better. I still go to the end of the year screenings, and every year, the quality of work gets better and better.
one thing I will say about the course is that you will only get out of it what you put in. If you go into the course doing the minimum, spending not much time on homework, you won't get a job. You really need to push yourself and constantly be working. Just like any art form, it's all about practice. The only people that get jobs are the ones that go above and beyond. And with how competitive this industry is, I feel that's the same with any school / self taught person.
The school itself, I really didnt pay attention to student life. I went to class, did my work, stayed late in the lab (24 hour labs for the program. game / animation students only) and went home. So if you're interested in that stuff, i have no idea.
I honestly do recommend the school. It is only an advanced diploma, which means it doesnt qualify you for visa's. If you're looking for a degree, Sheridan college has a degree, but im not sure about the course. I dont think its as good in terms of quality. But im not totally sure. The thing with degrees is that your teachers have to have their masters, and very few people who work in the indsutry have their masters. So even if it's a degree, your teachers may not have worked in any industry before.
There is also online schools. Animschool and gnomon online has modelling stuff, I believe. Gnomon looks fantastic. it just opened. But it really depends what you're looking for.
Hope this helps. Good luck! PM if you want.
But before even looking at schools... I think you need to focus on exactly what you want out of it. Your post is all over the place as to what you are looking for... it sounds like you want to be a Game Designer who has "great ideas" (everyone has "great ideas" by the way... ) so before you dump thousands of dollars into your education, make sure you know exactly what you want out of it (or at least focus it a bit more).
Secondly... find some people on polycount (or people you respect / look up to) and see if / what schools they went to. Maybe ask them about their experiences and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE research their current teachers... see what they have done, see if at least one of them shares the same interests / career path that you are interested in following.
The best things I can say about going to school is: 1) It's not mandatory to get into this industry 2) It gives you a couple of years to focus on learning / building up your skill set 3) You'll meet some awesome people in the process.
Good luck, and make sure you make Polycount a major part of your extracurricular activities... it works!
@slipsius - It is only a diploma but I read that there is a program where you can upgrade to a degree if you want, and transfer a percentage of your credits.
@JasonLavoie - The Seneca program is however only 1 year and you get a certificate. I do like the looks of some of the work their students are creating. Also I am sorry my post came off as all over the place. That is mainly because up until this point I've worked on a bit of everything, and haven't chosen a specific area. I simply say Game Design because I like the idea of contributing towards all aspects of the game development. But if I were to choose something specific it would be Environment Art because that is what I'd enjoy most and where I feel I could excel.
@JasonLavoie - Really love your work on The Darkness 2 environments. Those are the kinds of environments I would like to work on some day. Am I headed in the right direction?
Did either of you have much experience before going there?