Is becoming a game designer a realistic goal?

[DivideBYZero]

He's pretty dumb for a supposed smart kid

I don't think I have ever seen you post anything positive, ever.

 

[tatteredpotato]

yea that is a good point, and after you graduate with the degree and have your skills, it would be a lot easier to pick up game development on your spare time since you have the understanding of how everything works.

i've written my own android and iPhone apps which I didn't try until I was 5 years out of school and in the software industry, and I created them all on my own with know knowledge of how it worked.

i honestly don't think i could have done that while I was in school, or hell not even a year or so out of school. you learn a lot when you are working in the industry and see how things actually work.

The trickiest part of doing that stuff on your own is just the design. I started trying to learn XNA my freshman year as an EE. I failed horribly, but a side effect was I learned C# pretty good. My problem was I knew the language but I had no idea how to design a larger program in a good OOP way. I've given it a few more shots over the years (been 4 years now) in my free time and I can tell I'm definitely better, but it's still something I need to improve on.

But my point is failure isn't bad... I knew programming so much better than anyone else in my department just because I failed at learning XNA when I was younger, and it's helped me get internships and job offers since because of what I took away.

 

[Modelworks]

I work in that industry as well as film and visual effects. I am on the art side of things though .

Stay far away from so called game schools. There are really only a few in the USA that will lead to employment and they do not take people without a thorough interview and recommendations from others . The rest are ones after a quick buck. If he is really good with math then I would strongly encourage him to look at programming artificial intelligence. It is an emerging field and demand is very high. If he can learn AI programming then it opens a whole range of career options. He can do AI in games to control characters or he can work with robotics to develop navigation routines, work for imaging companies on interpreting images, or work for automotive manufacturers on prototypes of car crash avoidance systems.

If I had the ability I would get a degree in Math with a minor in programming. With that kind of degree he can do programming for everything from graphics to robot control.

 

[MJinZ]

Read up on how brutal the industry is compared to others. Becoming a game designer is not as bad as wanting to be a rock / rap star, but possibly as difficult as wanting to be a film director.

As others above said there is the more attainable goal of working in the game development industry, which is a whole collection of jobs just like with making movies. And just like the movie business most of them are paid less than they would earn with the same skills working elsewhere.

Software development is fun (for me anyway) and can pay quite well outside of the games industry. A CS degree with an emphasis on programming is one route to a good career.

I don't know, considering how shitty 9 out of every 10 games come out, I think we could use some better game makers.

 

[bas1c]

Most kids major in CS because they like games and think it will be cool to make games. Most kids realize they have neither the aptitude nor the desire to be a developer and quit then become art-history majors.

 

[Chaotic42]

I'm a teacher. I've known hundreds of students. Students who get good grades without having to study often struggle for a while when they get to college. Unlike other students who have had to study to get good grades, many "smart" kids have zero study skills. It's important to make sure that he's challenged now, so that he DOES develop good study skills & so that he can also work on organizational skills.

Yeah, that's the problem I had. I never studied and never did homework.

 

[oddyager]

Most kids major in CS because they like games and think it will be cool to make games. Most kids realize they have neither the aptitude nor the desire to be a developer and quit then become art-history majors.

Or they realize that it was only a fad so they become programmers, QA analysts, etc, in a non-gaming industry.

 

[Farang]

I'm a teacher. I've known hundreds of students. Students who get good grades without having to study often struggle for a while when they get to college. Unlike other students who have had to study to get good grades, many "smart" kids have zero study skills. It's important to make sure that he's challenged now, so that he DOES develop good study skills & so that he can also work on organizational skills.

This man speaks the truth.

OP, as long as your kid is going for a useful degree, I wouldn't worry about the particular career. He'll be successful if he continues to get good grades and goes for a CS or engineering degree, even if the particular thing he is chasing doesn't work out. If he starts to pursue something that has no other option (say, training to be a pilot) then you can worry about the potential for that specific career.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

This man speaks the truth.

OP, as long as your kid is going for a useful degree, I wouldn't worry about the particular career. He'll be successful if he continues to get good grades and goes for a CS or engineering degree, even if the particular thing he is chasing doesn't work out. If he starts to pursue something that has no other option (say, training to be a pilot) then you can worry about the potential for that specific career.

I pull the same shit I did in high school and Im doing fine. Although im not a Math/Science major.

 

[LtPage1]

The Game Design degree from UCSC is part of the Computer Science department, so it's legit (actually one of the top in the country).

Being a *successful* game designer might be another story. As will being socially well-adjusted after starting college at 16. Seriously? Tell him to get a job and hang out with his friends for another year. He'll be happier and work harder after a taste of what life without a degree is like.

I'm a teacher. I've known hundreds of students. Students who get good grades without having to study often struggle for a while when they get to college. Unlike other students who have had to study to get good grades, many "smart" kids have zero study skills. It's important to make sure that he's challenged now, so that he DOES develop good study skills & so that he can also work on organizational skills.

This was me, too. Never studied or did more than an hour or two of homework at a time in high school, and had to learn how to study really quickly my first few quarters at college.

 

[Farang]

I pull the same shit I did in high school and Im doing fine. Although im not a Math/Science major.

What is your major?

 

[meltdown75]

I would support his dream no matter what. He can do it!

ACHIEVEMENT
the realization of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it

 

[nerp]

Tell him to appreciate good fiction. Too many games have the absolute WORST storylines, characters, etc, and are riddled with cliches and hollow themes.

 

[iGas]

He's 13 but he seems pretty passionate about it. He regularly reads gaming magazines cover to cover.

I'm not sure that one have to be the best of the best to be in the gaming business, but IMHO it is more to do with who you know and what ass/es you kisses.

I only know 1 person that made it into gaming with a CS degree, while 4 of my school buddies made it with arts degrees (1 was an English major, with coding background, 3 were film & animation majors with coding background), and 1 of them was my roommate for 2 years. And, they all works pretty hard but everyone of them got their foot in the door by partying (lots of drugs/alcohols) with important people in the gaming field.

And, yes it is possible to become a game developer.

 

[Hacp]

yup, same here. I breezed through high school after freshman year. I only studied for my history class because i never remembered jack. Everything else was too easy. Come college, yeah, after freshman year, that crap did not fly anymore. I had one semester where I got nothing but C's and D's. O barely got a 3.0 when i finished. NOw I am in the work world....I need to study for my FE exam. Yeah, it has not gone so well.

Wow similar stories all around. Got all Fs first semester in college and had to go on probation. I managed to work a .3 gpa up to a 3.3. Retakes don't wipe the former grades out lol.

 

[nerp]

Game companies are now looking for innovative thinkers who have lots of skills but more importantly, new, fresh ideas and lots of creativity. They're up to their eyeballs in programmers, CS majors and other people who have gone through the motions but really don't realize that the business should be about art and craft.

 

[Chaotic42]

Game companies are now looking for innovative thinkers who have lots of skills but more importantly, new, fresh ideas and lots of creativity. They're up to their eyeballs in programmers, CS majors and other people who have gone through the motions but really don't realize that the business should be about art and craft.

Also people who like working 16 hour days, living with several roommates, and eating ramen noodles in lieu of food.

I'm not in the industry, but I would suggest that your kid knock out a few small games to build up a portfolio and to show what he's capable of.

 

[paulney]

No one mentioned that lady who paid $70k to become game designer, and now works as a stripper?