How do i ...? What should i ..?

SharpDressedSkull

a lot of people have been asking this "should i get a game art degree?or just learn online?" some said that game art schools are expensive and a waist of time and money,some said that to get in the industry you'll need a strong portfolio and experience ,a degree is not needed....etc
My problem is: i live in Algeria(north africa) a country were the game industry doesn't exist..and i want to get in the game industry.
there are some questions:
1.should i go to another country and get a degree?
2.should i learn online (digital-tutors,3dmotive...etc)?
3.Can i get in the game industry?
And the biggest question
Where do i start?What should i do?

Brian "Panda" Choi

1. You don't need to.

2. My gut feeling is sticking to and learning from an online subscription course is probably a better idea, while as well, going to a local fine arts school or atelier to learn your foundational drawing skills (Stil Life, Figure Drawing, etc.). Good 3D artists can become great with strong draughtsmanship.

3. Yes.

4. If you're really overwhelmed about what to do, start really small. Use this as a reference to what you can do with a little bit of polys: http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41232&page=434

Marine

Go for the degree, not for what you'll learn but it'll be a huge benefit when you emigrate. Learn what you can online as well, though.

For 3, if you're prepared to put the time and effort in, yes.

The big question... what have you got so far?

Bibendum

Just seconding what Marine said, you're going to want a degree but it doesn't necessarily need to be game development specific. Game dev degrees are usually very expensive and as a foreigner in most countries that means you'll be paying full price so it might be better to choose something cheaper.

EarthQuake

Yeah, it will be very difficult, if not impossible to get work abroad without a degree, if there is little/no work in the field in your country, you really do not have a choice other than getting a degree.

SharpDressedSkull

Okay so i should get a degree but it doesn't necessarily need to be a game development degree.
What should i do then?

Bibendum

Edit: I think I might be wrong, the degree might have to be at least loosely related to the job (if comign to the US) you're applying for. Someone else can clarify the education requirements for immigration to different countries or there are other threads on this forum regarding immigrating to find work with tons of info.

If you do need something related, I'd suggest illustration/traditional art/sculpture/industrial design.

levigilbert

Figure out what you want to do. Like do you want to design characters and monsters and stuff like that or do you want to make 3d models of things or do you want to make environments?

There's many different types of game developers.

Concept artist - mostly work in 2d, designing characters, weapons, environments.

Environment artist - mostly work in 3d, building game levels.

Character artist - mostly work in 3d, building 3d models of characters, creatures

Technical artist - Kinda inbetween an artist and a programmer.

Animator - animate characters, creatures, weapons, props.

Programmer - program code, make tools to help out with development...?

Hopefully this is kinda helpful...

SharpDressedSkull

Level designer/Environment artist.