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How do I get started in game design? |
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| Posted Dec 29 2011 at 6:39 PM by Benjer (benjer) |
I would love to make games. How do I get started? |
| Author | Message | |
| Andy |
Posted: Dec 29 2011 kl. 6:53 PM I hear that question a lot. Many people are interested in computing because they love video games. A career in the gaming industry sounds like a lot of fun, and it sure would be great to get paid for doing something you love. Here's the good news. You can get a job in the gaming industry. Many of my students have done so, and they've worked on major titles for major publishers. It is not an impossible task. But you knew there was bad news coming, right? All the jobs I know about involve intense preparation. There are plenty of jobs in the game industry, but most of those jobs require intensive experience in math, programming, and computer science. If you have a computer science degree (even if you didn't specialize in gaming or graphics) you have a good shot at a job in the gaming industry. Sometimes I hear from people who say "Well, that's great, but I'm not interested in programming games. I just want to design them. Well, I know of only two ways to be a game designer: Write the code, or write the check. If you can pay somebody to write a game you've thought of, congratulations. You're now a game designer. Most of us can't do that. If I want to see a game come to life, I'm going to have to write it myself. There's another truth you need to know. The game industry is not interested in more ideas. Game development isn't just about thinking "Wouldn't it be cool if we just added missiles to that penguin?" The real art form is taking all those ideas and reconciling them with the realities of art development, technology, time, and money resources. Every game programmer I know is also a game designer. If I didn't have ideas for games, I would be a database programmer. They make a lot more money. (OK, I happen to be a database programmer too, but you get my drift.) Not only do I have some good ideas for games, I understand the inherent limitations of technology, so I'm likely to have some idea how to actually bring the game to life. I'm probably not going to be too eager to take on your ideas until I'm finished with my own. I promise you: There is not some programmer out there waiting for your idea and willing to accept 10% of the profit. Anybody who takes that deal will be the kind of programmer you deserve. The idea is not 90% of the game. It's not even 10% of the game. In fact, an idea without implementation on an actual device is worth exactly nothing. This sounds like I'm discouraging you, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. By all means, think up every game you can. Write down your ideas in as much detail as you can. But don't stop there. The best way to be a game designer is to be a game programmer. Period. It's really that simple. If you don't know how to program, today's the day. Get started. I'll help. |
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| createddaisy |
Posted: Jan 03 2013 kl. 4:41 PM I agree with what you said above. I have a 14 year old that is interested in programming and design so he can do games. He has done some basic courses and has started with Unity. We need a course plan. What can we do now to prepare him for college in this field? What should he be learning? Right now it has been some classes on Udemy. Thank you for your time and your help. I found you through TOS. |
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