Hey everyone. I've been taking a game design class since August 25th at my local community college because I have intent to work in that field. It took me a while to find out that this school had offered a game design certificate and I almost missed the chance to be in it.

Now that I'm finally in it, I have some mix reactions about this course. For one this is the first time my college is having this class and you could tell if you were there. We actually haven't done much work in this class yet. We actually haven't even started building a video game yet. Our class was divided into seven groups that we call companies that are each run be a CEO. I'm not one of those guys. Anyway, what we've mostly been doing is writing down our plans for the game with storyboard, art, and the script which I'm in charge of doing.

Our instructor showed us this software called Scratch that's what we're supposed to be using. On the website it said that it's aimed for children and from what I saw on the website, it's to make boring flash games.

We had a guy come in who made flash games too to talk to us one day. He told us about the process of making those games, keeping your team interested and stuff like that. He didn't show us any gameplay of any his games, but he did show us his concept art for a solitaire game he made.

Besides from that we hadn't done much of anything, well I guess that's not true. My teacher has been out several times too and whenever he was out we played Street Fighter IV. YouTube - STREET FIGHTER 4: BISON (John) VS RYU (Tim)

But what I came here to do was make games and I just found out that we won't be going to the next couple of classes. I'm serious about getting into the industry and I want to work my ass off making games to prepare. I'm thinking I went the wrong school, but I guess it's too late right now.


This thread is for anyone else that has experiences with game design or game programming classes and to discuss any interest you have in it.

  

I think you need to talk to Tets.I am sure he is a game design major.
He certainly knows his stuff to be sure.I am in awe by that man.He is very smart and someone I look up to,as with many others on this site.

TMANX1


I think you need to talk to Tets.I am sure he is a game design major.
He certainly knows his stuff to be sure.I am in awe by that man.He is very smart and someone I look up to,as with many others on this site.

Lol. Oh wait, you're serious?

    

suunyd

TMANX1


I think you need to talk to Tets.I am sure he is a game design major.
He certainly knows his stuff to be sure.I am in awe by that man.He is very smart and someone I look up to,as with many others on this site.

Lol. Oh wait, you're serious?

I look up to you Sunny.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2636967

suunyd

TMANX1


I think you need to talk to Tets.I am sure he is a game design major.
He certainly knows his stuff to be sure.I am in awe by that man.He is very smart and someone I look up to,as with many others on this site.

Lol. Oh wait, you're serious?

Yes,I am.Is there a problem with that?

TMANX1

suunyd

TMANX1


I think you need to talk to Tets.I am sure he is a game design major.
He certainly knows his stuff to be sure.I am in awe by that man.He is very smart and someone I look up to,as with many others on this site.

Lol. Oh wait, you're serious?

Yes,I am.Is there a problem with that?

Nope.  ahem.

    

Excellent.Because I do find all people on here quite helpful and have helped me get this far with computers and gaming.If it weren't for the collective effort of all the people here,I wouldn't be this advanced yet. I learn from all of you.
Great site,great peoples.

No one could ask for a better one.

@The Krystal so what do actually have any experience in? programming, 3d design anything? or have you just joined this course thinking i want to know how to make games?
 
 here is a link to a forum post that still exists in the deep depths of the n4g forum lolz http://forums.n4g.com/tm.aspx?m=593919&mpage=&print=true link to download the game is at bottom if you even care! i made it using blitzbasic which is basicly a very very very basic program that uses a version of basic programming language (i think) i just watched tutorials on youtube and came up with that
 
 i have also gotten into making 3d animations l8ly using 3dsmax nothing to do with games but i would like to get into the gaming industry (eventually) might look into going to college and doing a course of some sort!
 
 
heres one i made earlier http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4q2GDywZeM

I would recommend this college in San Francisco area. Tuition is the price of a sports car though 80k. They have good equips though.

009 9:21 PM I would recommend this college in San Francisco area. Tuition is the price of a sports car though 80k. They have good equips though.

or you could look at Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT is known for its technology and it has an excellent Game Design and Development program. Of course, I am currently attending RIT here, taking Information Technology and planning to take the GD&D concentration after my sophomore year. There are a couple of us n4g'ers that attends RIT.

TMANX1


Excellent.Because I do find all people on here quite helpful and have helped me get this far with computers and gaming.If it weren't for the collective effort of all the people here,I wouldn't be this advanced yet. I learn from all of you.
Great site,great peoples.

No one could ask for a better one.

*plays violin




btw I agree

We actually haven't done much work in this class yet. We actually haven't even started building a video game yet. Our class was divided into seven groups that we call companies that are each run be a CEO. I'm not one of those guys. Anyway, what we've mostly been doing is writing down our plans for the game with storyboard, art, and the script which I'm in charge of doing.

get used to it =)

But what I came here to do was make games

Never go in there with that mentality.

I'm currently in my last year of gamedesign, but to be fair it is a new thing at the school im at.
And at first i wanted to do concept/art. But then i realized i want to program games.
They couldn't offer any of that stuff so i learned allot on my own and on my internships.

The last year is meant so that students can start their own "company", however this is still under a contract of the college itself ( like they cant earn money with. Anything you make is property of this college).
I'm kinda doing the same thing now, however i applied for a company that is arranged by this college and we are going to do assignment for actual money. Basically the same thing as what the other students are doing, but we function as a real company.

Im the only "programmer" here, there is hardly anyone else on this college who is good in OOP.
And i owe it to myself, because i wasn't going to wait for college to educate me on something.

You won't be making "games" unless you assemble a group of people that are basically at your level and grow in that process together. 

I used to make backgrounds and music for a visual novel, my first project... and i learned allot from that.
Dont wait for "school/college" to hold your hand and guide you. However do see them as a source of information, but if you really wanna do something you have to put your own efforts into it.


Edit:
O I do ActionScript 3 (FLASH ) btw, seems to be very popular at the moment.
But i also want to know how to program for unity and XNA ( and college won't take me there, thank that belgian dude for internetszzzz)


Edit:Edit:
Btw im not sure how your college is, but if you have an idea for a project or something other, students can benefit from. Perhaps you should lay it on the tables when your tutors are around or something...

[It is not so much that I give a damn about corporations, but the amount of garbage being spewed is just ridiculous] ~Arius Dion

@The Krystal so what do actually have any experience in? programming, 3d design anything? or have you just joined this course thinking i want to know how to make games? here is a link to a forum post that still exists in the deep depths of the n4g forum lolz http://forums.n4g.com/tm.aspx?m=593919&mpage=&print=true link to download the game is at bottom if you even care! i made it using blitzbasic which is basicly a very very very basic program that uses a version of basic programming language (i think) i just watched tutorials on youtube and came up with that

Really not much of anything. I've made several games or "levels" in Little Big Planet and I also made some things in Alice 2.0. Thanks for the link I'll look at it.

get used to it =)
Never go in there with that mentality.

What am I supposed to be thinking about not making games. You don't go into a math class and expect not to solve math problems.
To me it seems like you're okay with not having really made a game. If you're trying to go to school to become a doctor, you're definitely going to get the training for it because practicing a lot of that stuff outside of a school or a hospital is illegal. There was this one school I was thinking about going to that was heavily arts based and provided internship for the field to. I decided not to go because it was $20K a year and I had to take a 45min bus ride to class everyday. It's too late now though

  

What am I supposed to be thinking about not making games. You don't go into a math class and expect not to solve math problems. To me it seems like you're okay with not having really made a game. If you're trying to go to school to become a doctor, you're definitely going to get the training for it because practicing a lot of that stuff outside of a school or a hospital is illegal. There was this one school I was thinking about going to that was heavily arts based and provided internship for the field to. I decided not to go because it was $20K a year and I had to take a 45min bus ride to class everyday. It's too late now though

err...
You shouldnt be going into a class thinking you will be making games.
Its the biggest flaw people make, there is hardly any college/uni that does that.
They will show you the basics, what is needed and whatever, give you lectures on things, teach you how to use some software etc etc. Perhaps they will give you an assignment to make a game. But you will not make a game just by attending a class.

Making a game takes time, and at best you would be making a real small game.
Most people think they will be making big massive games, you shouldn't have that mentality.
And no I am not fine with going to class and eventually do nothing. Thats why I'm not the one standing still hoping they will do something for me.

Lots of this stuff should also come from yourself.
You wont be making "games" unless you take the initiative.
From concept to actual production, its lots of work.
Don't forget, in the end its also your own portfolio that you fill up.
And what do you mean by "game"?
Flash game?
AAA Game?

Yes i could be wrong about your system, its just that people think they will actually make a killzone 3.


edit:
"If you're trying to go to school to become a doctor, you're definitely going to get the training for it because practicing a lot of that stuff outside of a school or a hospital is illegal" 


Making games is not, so get to it. The difference is that you make your own portfolio, you show others what you are capable of.
Trust me on this one, assemble a group of people who do different kinds of things and also learn from that. You cant learn everything in"school". try to get as many different working experiences as you can.

[It is not so much that I give a damn about corporations, but the amount of garbage being spewed is just ridiculous] ~Arius Dion

Well what we're supposed to be doing is makign a game on Scratch, but he hasn't even showed us how to use the program.

What I want to be prepared for though is making 3-D games you know because I want to work for companies like Square Enix, Naughty Dog and such. He said we'll eventually get to it later, but It's already October and we haven't even gotten started on Scratch playing SF4 is fun, but we need to do work too.
 He also said he's going to try and fine a god engine for us to use and someone stupidly said Unreal 3. We also have three considerably older students in the classroom that I'm quite unsure why they're even there since they never say anything. One of them is a preacher actually and he said he is in the class to make a christian based game. As soon as I heard that I thought of Bible Blaster.

  

From what I've been told from game company people is that they usually throw away resumes from people who have game design degree's because you never learned enough to do any of the positions correctly. They would much rather take someone with an Art Degree or Programming.

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