Kid wants to design video games

[Anonymous]

DS is heading to a top 10 school, after winning the admissions lottery. Bright guy, high stats, but it’s a crapshoot. Great! We’re excited for him and want him to follow his dreams. His only interest, and I mean his ONLY interest, is designing video games. He aces classes but is not academically inclined. Is this unusual? Crazy? Likely to change? I suspect he’s not so different from other 17 year old boys, but he’s our only boy so we don’t know. Thoughts appreciated.

[Anonymous]

You don’t say but is he enrolled in a Game Design major. DD completed one at GMU and gas been employed by Microsoft for five years. Can he code? How is he at calculus? Happy to answer any questions.

[Anonymous]

It sounds as if you're somewhat hoping he might outgrow this, perhaps? And he might, but it's a legit field, OP, and has other applications in fields like simulation and modeling (think: medical, military, etc. etc.).

Game design is a major at quite a few colleges. Does the college he's going to attend have it as a major he could pursue? Or a minor, possibly?
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/computer-science/game-simulation-development

Of course he doesn't have to have a game design major, per se. He should talk to his academic advisor at college about the best path and major for going into the field without a specific game design major.
https://www.gamedesigning.org/learn/majors/

If your son's serious, guide him toward finding out, freshman year (don't wait!) what the course selection path as an undergrad should look like if he wants to go into game design as a career. Whether there are internships or training courses he should be pursuing in the summers. And so on. Note that I say, guide him, don't do it for him. He also should seek out gaming clubs and groups on campus for sure, both for fun and possibly to get ideas and make contacts with other students interested in game design.

.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is heading to a top 10 school, after winning the admissions lottery. Bright guy, high stats, but it’s a crapshoot. Great! We’re excited for him and want him to follow his dreams. His only interest, and I mean his ONLY interest, is designing video games. He aces classes but is not academically inclined. Is this unusual? Crazy? Likely to change? I suspect he’s not so different from other 17 year old boys, but he’s our only boy so we don’t know. Thoughts appreciated.

While we are inclined to think video games are too narrow a field, they are in fact a field and I know people who are very wealthy now having worked for EA and other gaming companies. Plus add in the metaverse and he may be on to something.

The key to not f-ing this up, is to get a broad CS education where it can be applied to other fields if the gaming pursuit doesn't work out. It sounds stupider to our generation than it actually is, gaming is a legit field now.

That said, what top 10 college has a gaming program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS is heading to a top 10 school, after winning the admissions lottery. Bright guy, high stats, but it’s a crapshoot. Great! We’re excited for him and want him to follow his dreams. His only interest, and I mean his ONLY interest, is designing video games. He aces classes but is not academically inclined. Is this unusual? Crazy? Likely to change? I suspect he’s not so different from other 17 year old boys, but he’s our only boy so we don’t know. Thoughts appreciated.

While we are inclined to think video games are too narrow a field, they are in fact a field and I know people who are very wealthy now having worked for EA and other gaming companies. Plus add in the metaverse and he may be on to something.

The key to not f-ing this up, is to get a broad CS education where it can be applied to other fields if the gaming pursuit doesn't work out. It sounds stupider to our generation than it actually is, gaming is a legit field now.

That said, what top 10 college has a gaming program?

Uh, you didn’t read up thread: MIT, Carnegie Mellon, USC (Cal), NYU, UCLA, etc

[Anonymous]

yes I didnt read the links. the fact that schools offer degrees dont make them a top 10 school. I wouldnt say CMU is top 10 for game design. Princeton is top 10- do they offer game design? Phrasing is important.

[Anonymous]

Lots of kids want to game design. It’s a miserable job — the hours are looooong. It’s a huge industry, though, and the programming skills are useful in lots of area. I’d be fine with my kid studying this sub field of computer science

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:yes I didnt read the links. the fact that schools offer degrees dont make them a top 10 school. I wouldnt say CMU is top 10 for game design. Princeton is top 10- do they offer game design? Phrasing is important.

go to 21:14 above. Click on the first link to USNWR top 10 programs in Gaming = MIT, Carnegie Mellon, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of kids want to game design. It’s a miserable job — the hours are looooong. It’s a huge industry, though, and the programming skills are useful in lots of area. I’d be fine with my kid studying this sub field of computer science

DC works for Bethesda Software/ Microsoft snd normal 9-6 hours with occasional overtime .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds as if you're somewhat hoping he might outgrow this, perhaps? And he might, but it's a legit field, OP, and has other applications in fields like simulation and modeling (think: medical, military, etc. etc.).

Game design is a major at quite a few colleges. Does the college he's going to attend have it as a major he could pursue? Or a minor, possibly?
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/computer-science/game-simulation-development

Of course he doesn't have to have a game design major, per se. He should talk to his academic advisor at college about the best path and major for going into the field without a specific game design major.
https://www.gamedesigning.org/learn/majors/

If your son's serious, guide him toward finding out, freshman year (don't wait!) what the course selection path as an undergrad should look like if he wants to go into game design as a career. Whether there are internships or training courses he should be pursuing in the summers. And so on. Note that I say, guide him, don't do it for him. He also should seek out gaming clubs and groups on campus for sure, both for fun and possibly to get ideas and make contacts with other students interested in game design.

.

I was about to say something similar, but you said it far better!

[Anonymous]

USC - Computer Science Games
https://www.cs.usc.edu/academic-programs/undergrad/computer-science-games/

Northeastern - Computer Science & Game Development
https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/programs/bs-combined-major-in-computer-science-and-game-development/

[Anonymous]

Check out the degrees of the professors who teach in those majors. I bet their degrees are in CS.

If you think about it, a video game design major is the application of other majors in a specific field. Keep the options open!

[Anonymous]

It may work out as a career--it's a huge and growing industry. What most people actually do in game design is not what most kids fantasize about though. But still dreams are what get people through the work to move towards them.

CS degrees can be rough and tedious if he's not committed to that though.

College--especially at a really good school--is a place where you discover your interests. You're exposed to ideas/areas of study you've never encountered before. So I would just let him be and figure out what he wants to do. Congrats on the admission!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is heading to a top 10 school, after winning the admissions lottery. Bright guy, high stats, but it’s a crapshoot. Great! We’re excited for him and want him to follow his dreams. His only interest, and I mean his ONLY interest, is designing video games. He aces classes but is not academically inclined. Is this unusual? Crazy? Likely to change? I suspect he’s not so different from other 17 year old boys, but he’s our only boy so we don’t know. Thoughts appreciated.

Don't think its odd - plus there are some amazing programs out there that combine engineering with film and storytelling - which sounds fantastic if that's what a child wants to do. I think my child will want to go that route if he can keep his grades up.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for these responses! He is, let’s say generously, “undecided” as a major. I could see him in computer science. Or English. Or physics. Who knows? I think he’ll major in whatever strikes his fancy on the day they make him choose. I will remind him that comp science can have a lot of required courses, great tip.