University and the Future

MrCake · Sep 2011

Hey guys, sorry if this is in the wrong section or anything. I'm kind of new here.

At the moment I'm in the final year of high school and about to enter into university. I've been juggling between Architecture, Game Design or some kind of Visual Communications course.

I have an interest in both art and modelling however haven't had much time to put into them. On top of that I've always dreamt of working in the gaming industry. My main hindrance is that I don't want to risk not being able to find a job or stand out amidst the amazing artists everywhere. I've heard it's a huge challenge for people to find solid jobs in the game industry down here in Australia... Just look at what happened to Team Bondi...

Does anyone have advice to share? Thanks in advance.

gsokol · Sep 2011

Well...if its what you want to do, then go for it.

Maybe getting a non-related degree would be smart. You can learn a lot about game art on the internet, and most employers won't care what your degree is in if you are good.

Also, if the game stuff doesn't pan out, you have a fallback. Honestly, if I could go back thats exactly what I would do, but I was a dummy straight out of high school.

Ben Apuna · Sep 2011

My advice would be not to specialize your degree just yet.

Just get to college and take some intro courses to see what you'd like to do more (drawing, graphic design, industrial design, architecture, maybe photography, even a intro to programming would be worthwhile). Maybe spend a year sampling different things then decide, you never know you might have latent genius/passion for marine biology... or something.

Try to stay away from any courses with "Game" in their title because you can learn all that stuff with online resources.

MrCake · Sep 2011

Thanks for the advice guys, it's really put some of this stuff into a point. I fully get what you mean about things being accessible on the internet. And to be honest it is just getting a skill base, the practice and the degree that I want.

I'm thinking of architecture quite seriously at the moment because I know I'll be able to sharpen my drawing and, ultimately, painting and art skills with it. As well as that I'll have the theory discipline to follow. If anyone has any personal experience with architecture courses or any other course that has art aspects I'd love to hear anecdotes or just a little information.

Ben Apuna · Sep 2011

I forgot to mention one subject, definitely try sculpture. I think it goes hand in hand with architecture.

PatrickL · Sep 2011

Go to college for a year then drop out to go indie.

e-freak · Sep 2011

get a degree in physics, maths or psychology. do game design at home or as related projects. if i could go back, i'd have done that. Especially if you want to do gamedesign, coming from a more classical point of view then just "fancy 3d modelling class" is helpful.

Imagine going into applied psychology and try putting your knowledge there into game design

Valve does a lot of talks about that and I think it can really help to get better games and game design.

EmAr · Sep 2011

Oh man, I so wish we had that college system here too. Deciding what profession to study is very hard to decide when you're fresh out of high school for most people.

This shouldn't mean I advise you to get a game related degree. My only advice is not to study anything you don't enjoy.

Mark Dygert · Sep 2011

Given your location and the need to have a degree in order to work abroad you should probably get a degree that most people see as legitimate and will help with the visa process. Architecture will help GREATLY when doing environment art so doubling down on that would be a pretty big bonus. Of course they are probably going to teach you other 3D apps and they won't impose any realtime game restrictions on you but you can get all of that outside of school on your own easily enough.

I personally chased a degree that lead to a career in graphics and as time went on my hobby grew to the point that I switched to games and have been here for 5 years loving every min. It's also nice to know that I could fall back on graphics if I needed to.

Most game art degrees aren't worth the paper they're printed on and won't help in the visa process so I wouldn't bother with them unless you need time to work on a portfolio and someone else is paying the bill. Then you can pretty much ignore what's going on in class (it will be useless in most cases) and teach yourself all you need know and use the time to practice.

Snacuum · Sep 2011

For all those who don't know, when going for a degree in Australia you apply directly for it's specialization eg: Degree in Communications Design, Degree in Architecture, Degree in Biology etc etc. There is no "empty" formative year for those who don't know what they're doing. Admittedly most uni's here will remain flexible for when the student wants to change things though.

I'm doing Comm Design first year. I hate it, but I need a degree. Already got one of those "oh so terrible" Game Design diplomas.

MrCake · Sep 2011

Thanks everyone for the great advice. What Snacuum says is true, there are no non-specific degrees in Australia as far as I know, just electives, which bites but what can you do? Haha. Anyway, I think I'll continue to aim for architecture because that seems like a satisfying goal and a path into the future that I'll enjoy.

DrunkShaman · Sep 2011

MrCake wrote: »

Hey guys, sorry if this is in the wrong section or anything. I'm kind of new here.

At the moment I'm in the final year of high school and about to enter into university. I've been juggling between Architecture, Game Design or some kind of Visual Communications course.

I have an interest in both art and modelling however haven't had much time to put into them. On top of that I've always dreamt of working in the gaming industry. My main hindrance is that I don't want to risk not being able to find a job or stand out amidst the amazing artists everywhere. I've heard it's a huge challenge for people to find solid jobs in the game industry down here in Australia... Just look at what happened to Team Bondi...

Does anyone have advice to share? Thanks in advance.

I would go to college for Architecture, and learn Game Design at home via subscribed websites such as:

Eat3d: http://eat3d.com/

Digital Tutors: http://digitaltutors.com/

Or, if you plan on doing Game Design hard core, make sure the college you are getting in to is appropriate.

To measure which college is appropriate for game design, research regarding game design needs and match those to the semester outlines of the programs offered by different colleges, reviews about the professors, and stories of students who were successful in achieving their goals.

Many colleges today have very little knowledge about game design, all program and professor would offer you is, how to use the software. The rest is on you. However; I would definitely take the traditional art classes to learn the first step of game design.

University and the Future

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