Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I agree with above but my DC is more arty.

There's plenty of room for arty. For those roles it's knowing industry standard software (e.g. Maya) and developing a portfolio. It's what you've done not the grades or credential. There are people who are working entirely with high level tools. To the extent it's scripting, it's intuitive and still dependent on background knowledge of using tools, not build from scratch. It's commonplace to understand normal vectors and rotations in context, never having taken a calc class. The tech side, programing matrix multiplication, what have you, is already coded up and stable. It would take a phd in CS to be trusted with compelling work in that realm, this isn't the jobs your DC is looking for, the comments about stem bona fides are off base.

Of course a lot of CS and engineering jobs are also automated, and they use tools.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I agree with above but my DC is more arty.

There's plenty of room for arty. For those roles it's knowing industry standard software (e.g. Maya) and developing a portfolio. It's what you've done not the grades or credential. There are people who are working entirely with high level tools. To the extent it's scripting, it's intuitive and still dependent on background knowledge of using tools, not build from scratch. It's commonplace to understand normal vectors and rotations in context, never having taken a calc class. The tech side, programing matrix multiplication, what have you, is already coded up and stable. It would take a phd in CS to be trusted with compelling work in that realm, this isn't the jobs your DC is looking for, the comments about stem bona fides are off base.

* we need

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These game design majors should make multiple art history classes a requirement. I watch my sons playing games set in the past and they totally mix up centuries with costumes being from one time period and architecture from another. The inaccuracy really bugs me.

DD graduated from SCAD majoring in visual effects, and she was required to take 5 art history classes. She works as a technical artist coding computer games.

That is good to know. I’m glad she’s a female in the industry. We. Ed more of them. They probably would pay more attention to aesthetic detail than the males currently designing.

OP here - I agree with above but my DC is more arty.

I suggest you read "Press Reset" and other books by the same author. https://www.amazon.com/Press-Reset-Recovery-Video-Industry/dp/1538735490
He's a former Bloomberg Tech new journalist. Gives you some documentary-style insight into the industry.

Also listen to a weeklong NPR series on the game industry and labor issues. https://www.npr.org/2019/07/17/742782841/game-mode-work-hard-play-hard (there was a whole week of these, so google for the rest of them).

It's not so easy to switch jobs when your employer decides to merge or just cancel the project you've been working on.

My kid was hell-bent on getting a BFA from GMU in Video Game design. Then he saw the final products (showcase) and was un-impressed. Now he's agreed with me that getting the CS degree is the way to go. He can work in that industry if he so chooses. But, for a kid who does well in math/science/logic (not art, history, english, creative things), I am relieved that he will pursue the CS degree. Much more marketable than a fine arts degree.

Honestly, I've spent some time looking at the BFA in Game Design from GMU.... and it seems like it's too fluffy. But, to each his/her own! If you and your kid are good with that, then enjoy! It's not a degree that I can see paying $100k+ for. And if you look at the SCHEV data, the average annual salary after 3 yrs is like $30k. Not so good.

IMO, it's much better to get the com sci degree with a minor in game design, and then you have options for jobs depending on what the industry and economy is looking for.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - DC doesn't want to go far so we're looking at schools in NE. What if one doesn't go to a school listed as a top game school. Do they still get jobs (in the field)?

the game industry is very competitive. Nothing is guaranteed, even with a related degree from a top school.

What are your kid's interests and strengths?
My kid is pretty artistic and interested in the field, and DC is trying to develop CS background and enhance digital art skills.

The "game design" major is pretty niche and may vary from school to school.
You will need to look at each school's curriculum to see what they offer.

My kid chose Northeastern because it offers a variety of options including a Game Design major itself.
DC chose a combined major in Computer Science & Media Art. Some of DC's classmates chose CS and Game Development.
Others who couldn't handle the CS coursework went for a Game Design major or Media Art major, and some minors in CS.
Game Design majors typically take some watered-down, easier programming classes.
In the end, you will need some programming/scripting skills, digital art skills, and a gaming background.

I have heard that some graduates with "game design" degrees from GMU or SCAD have gotten good jobs.
I am not sure how common this is. Sounds sort of risky to me.
I am hoping that my kid can break into the field after graduation.

GMU does a fantastic of trynig to anticipate where jobs will be needed nationwide, on the Dulles corrider, I-270, etc. I served on an advisory board that met monthly with the various industries in the areas to ask what they needs where, what could GMU be doing better? What skills did they need?, etc. This is how the whole cyber security concentration came into being. So when time came to hire these students guess who they hired? The GMU students.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - DC doesn't want to go far so we're looking at schools in NE. What if one doesn't go to a school listed as a top game school. Do they still get jobs (in the field)?

the game industry is very competitive. Nothing is guaranteed, even with a related degree from a top school.

What are your kid's interests and strengths?
My kid is pretty artistic and interested in the field, and DC is trying to develop CS background and enhance digital art skills.

The "game design" major is pretty niche and may vary from school to school.
You will need to look at each school's curriculum to see what they offer.

My kid chose Northeastern because it offers a variety of options including a Game Design major itself.
DC chose a combined major in Computer Science & Media Art. Some of DC's classmates chose CS and Game Development.
Others who couldn't handle the CS coursework went for a Game Design major or Media Art major, and some minors in CS.
Game Design majors typically take some watered-down, easier programming classes.
In the end, you will need some programming/scripting skills, digital art skills, and a gaming background.

I have heard that some graduates with "game design" degrees from GMU or SCAD have gotten good jobs.
I am not sure how common this is. Sounds sort of risky to me.
I am hoping that my kid can break into the field after graduation.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - DC doesn't want to go far so we're looking at schools in NE. What if one doesn't go to a school listed as a top game school. Do they still get jobs (in the field)?

Lots of degrees support the industry. Finance, management, creative writing, anything in CS/CE, data science, digital art, and so on. You don't need a specific game degree to work in the industry.

Sample Game Jobs:
Game Engineer: $131,000-$172,000
Senior Game Developer: $131,500-$167,500
Gameplay Engineer: $104,500-$163,500
Game Developer...
Gameplay Programmer ...
Game Programmer ...
Senior Game Advisor ...
Video Game Technician
Game Tester: $32,000 - $43,000

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/g/Highest-Paying-Game-Jobs

Anonymous wrote:What is starting salary for these positions?

Which of the hundreds of positions are you asking about? It's kind of like asking what the starting salary is in film.

OP here - DC doesn't want to go far so we're looking at schools in NE. What if one doesn't go to a school listed as a top game school. Do they still get jobs (in the field)?

What is starting salary for these positions?

Anonymous wrote:These game design majors should make multiple art history classes a requirement. I watch my sons playing games set in the past and they totally mix up centuries with costumes being from one time period and architecture from another. The inaccuracy really bugs me.

It's still about creative world building, not a trip to the museum. Game assets always crack me up, they'll program a tartan fabric with ability to customize every thread of a traditional weave, but more importantly all variations of blood soaking individual fibers are programed out, too. All in the gory details, but yep, there is R&D.

Anonymous wrote:These game design majors should make multiple art history classes a requirement. I watch my sons playing games set in the past and they totally mix up centuries with costumes being from one time period and architecture from another. The inaccuracy really bugs me.

DD graduated from SCAD majoring in visual effects, and she was required to take 5 art history classes. She works as a technical artist coding computer games.