Life related help, my future & school!

[MarsipanRumpan]

Hello, this is maybe a weird thread, but PSNP is kind of my family (haha) so I ask you guys for help.

I go to school and well its the final rush now this spring. Then im going off to another school, and well. I don't know what to do.

Here is the deal. We have alot of tests (exams kind of) and in one month we are sending requests to other schools kind off. I don't really know how to explain. But I guess you understand because yourself has probably searched to a school sometime in your life (I think so, right?)

The thing is. I want to make games. There is schools for that, there is 'things' that can make me get a life in the gaming industry wich is my dream.

My parents is really supportive of this, that's not the problem. The problem is that they can't really help me because they don't know what I need to be able to do to become a developer. They tell me to go to one 'program' but that 'program' is about building computers.. And thats not what I want at all..

Should I study C++? Digital Design? Computer programmimg? Computer Engineer? Like I have no clue whats good to choose

I want to be an developer, a programmer. You know codes and such (this sound so unproffesional, but Im tired as bananas but I can't sleep because my mind is bananas) and I know that you don't know what kind of schools and so called 'programs' we have in Sweden.. But just give me an headsup what its good to have to get into the gaming industry, because I burn for games. Its my passion, I really want this to be my future.

My grades are good so that isn't any problem, just help me out please, because im so goddamn stressed right now

Conclusion:

Tell me about what I need to know and what experience I need to have, so I can get a future with games in any kind of way. Preferable programming. But I kid you not, anything that has to do with games im up for

If this is confusing as popsicles. Im so sorry, im stressed and its 5 am and Im a bit worried about this thing

Well goodnight, and if you don't understand what the fudge im talking about. Ask in the comments and I'll try to explain a bit more.

Thank you the amazing PSNP forums

[glassthursday]

Programming-wise, I would look into schools that utilize Python because that's a gateway for everything else. Once you learn that, you can utilize it to make scripts in Maya. From there, you might to consider making games in Unity, which is something I've started doing myself.

 

As for getting into the games industry, this video may be helpful. I'm considering itself, but more on the artistic side of things since I'm not good with technical stuff. Regardless, this video helped me out a lot...

 

[xZoneHunter]

isn't there something like game design in your country? I'm currently studying multimedia technology. Wich is kinda like game design, but we also get other things like computer networks, html, etc.

 

The best advice i can give you, when choosing a course, is to look wich things you'll get besides programming. Because you'll need to do them too in order to get your degree. After all if you really only want to program, you can still teach it yourself. C# is a great language to start with.

Edited January 11, 2015 by xZoneHunter

[antithesis]

Digital design, programming and engineering are very different skillsets, so your decision ultimately rides on what you're good at, and you will not be good at everything...no-one is. Find your niche and run with it. If you're a great artist, graphic design or fine art is a lead-in to the video game industry. If you're a maths genius and understand how to read / write algorithms (I could never completely grasp the concept myself), then programming is your thing. If architecting high-level systems is for you, then go with engineering.

 

But then there's systems engineering (hardware + software), network engineering (hardware + software), information systems and a myriad of other specialisations that you really won't know if is your cup of tea until you get a taste of it. You'll find a little bit of everything in every industry, so don't box yourself into programming if something else floats your boat.

 

Even a relatively simple professionally-developed website typically requires at least a UX engineer, a web designer, a front-end programmer (HTML,CSS, JS), a back-end programmer (PHP, MySQL, ASP, webserver setup / management etc), a copywriter, a photographer, not to mention SEO, PPC, Social Media marketing, analytics etc post-launch. Each of those roles could be filled by different people with very different skills, so you can only imagine what a multi-million to tens-of millions dollar game with exponential complexity compared to a website requires in terms of resources, and most of them will be specialists in one thing only, like AI programming, level design, concept art, modelling, textures, sound design etc.

 

Do some research into the courses offered in your country that specialise in video game development. I know we have them here in Australia, so I imagine it'll be a similar scenario in Sweden. In terms of software development, C++ is usually the language of choice - if you know some variant of C, you'll know the core of most other languages. Universities don't teach just one language, you'll typically learn multiple languages that can be applied to mobile & desktop app development, banking, web and ultimately, games development. Their job isn't to teach you language A, B or C, it's to teach you to think like a programmer. The language you use to code your program will depend on the project, so don't get too hung up on one or another...you'll learn what you need to know.

 

Keep in mind, the video games industry has an incredible churn-and-burn rate on a temporary employment basis with very high levels of stress and mountains of unpaid overtime, so don't pin your hopes on it alone. Get a base skill-set that can be applied to any industry, then find your way into video games, over time, by demonstrating your talents. Start with mobile or web apps to cut your teeth. Bank on it taking a decade to get "into" the video games industry...mastery does not happen overnight.

 

Lastly, and this applies to every industry, the guy who runs the show makes the most money. The grunts in the trenches do all the work, but they make the least. So business and management skills would be a wise choice as your non-core subjects to help you climb the ladder. You don't want to be burning the midnight oil by the time you're 40, let alone 65, so find a way to get above the competition in the bull-pit by demonstrating leadership.

Edited January 11, 2015 by ant1th3s1s

[Beyondthegrave07]

Getting a BA in computer science (that's what it's called in the U.S.) will give you all the building blocks you need to get into the industry. It's also suggested that you take a lot of advanced programming classes (whether or not they are required for your major) and to maybe even double-major with mathematics or go for your MBA as soon as you get your BA. After that, you really will have to just do job searches until you find the type of job you want. When you are newly hired out of college, companies don't expect you to know how to use everything straight off the bat, that's why many jobs have training beforehand. So, if you feel like the stuff you are learning in college doesn't always tailor to designing video games, that's OK. You aren't expected to learn everything in college.

 

On the other hand, if you are wanting to be a video game director and create your own games, you'll either need a LOT of cash to assemble your own team (along with the BA in computer science) or do it the old-fashioned way, and work from the very bottom and work to the top.

 

Also, don't expect to just jump right into the gaming industry either. You'll most likely need a lot of experience before they'll even look at your resume. Start off small. Take a job that'll give you the skill-set to set you up for your dream job or get a job that'll make you versatile and make your resume more attractive. Rome wasn't built in a day you know!

Edited January 11, 2015 by Beyondthegrave07

[CasaDeBen]

Depending if youre willing to travel there are programs around the world tailored to game design. If travel is something youd be up for its worth checking out

[ExHaseo]

ant1th3s1s really said everything the best.

 

But I want to help stress that you should learn a skill that's applicable to other industries.

 

A field like game design is very hard to get into, and it's incredibly risky even if you do. So, you should make sure you're still able to work if you can't get into game design. I've known a disturbing number of people who went to college/trade school and ended up working crappy retail and food service jobs after graduating, because they chose a field that's too hard to get into, and the skills they learned at school couldn't be applied to anything else. They're now in tons of debt and making barely above minimum wage at a job that anyone can do. One especially sad story (to me at least), is someone I know who got a Bachelor's in Journalism, and has been working at a movie theater since graduating over a year ago. All because he chose a skill that can't be applied to anything else, in a field that's incredibly hard to get into. He also never had a job during the entire time he was in school, so he had no other kind of experience to fall back on. He's now in his mid 20's making minimum wage cleaning theaters. I know it can be discouraging having a backup plan, but it's really for the best. You don't want to end up in your 20's, or even 30's, working a crappy job, even though you went to school.

[MarsipanRumpan]

Thank you every single one of you, it means A BUNCH! You can't imagine how thankful I am!

Once again, you prove yourself to be the best place on the entire Internet, thanks