How did you get into the gaming industry?

[Francisco Rivas]

Hey guys, you all talk about modding. So is that really the best way to get into the industry? What if you'd been working on open source projects with a team and things like Subversion - would that stand out or not?

There is no one BEST way. Different things work for different people. It also depends a little on what area of game development you want to get into. Open source projects can indeed get you noticed. It all depends on how much work you actually contributed to the effort and how you can demonstrate that to someone else. The main idea is to do SOMETHING that shows off your skill and talent. Don't rely solely on education because in the end, your piece of paper looks exactly the same as the person sitting next to you at graduation. Education is important to give you the skills you need in the game industry, but you need to take it a little further to distinguish yourself from the competition.

 

Here are some tips for different areas of game development:

Art - If you want to go for art, modding is one way to get things into your portfolio. Internships and hobby projects are others. There are many programmers out there that would love to work with an artist or two on a small project that you could all then use as a game demo and for experience.

 

Design - Modding and scripting are good for designers. Well layed out levels that demonstrate understanding of the particular goals for the level story-wise and also an understanding of how to do it so you don't cripple performance are good showcases. I'm sure some of the designers/producers could chime in on this with more detail.

 

Programming - Game demos, hobby projects, engines, tools. These are tangible demonstrations of your skill and knowledge. Being able to explain why you did things a certain way and how you could improve on them is also key.

[Adam Brennecke]

My Short Story:

 

I've been a gamer my entire life and as I kid I wanted to be a Ghostbuster or a game developer. As I grew older, I knew that being a Ghostbuster wasn't a reality, so that left me with only one choice. Even as a kid game development was appealing because it allows for extreme creativity and is on the front end of new technology.

 

When I was in my early teens I read about a new school (DigiPen) with a curriculum specifically for training game programmers in Nintendo Power. My new #1 priority in life was getting into the school so I could more easily get a job in the industry - the school also provided a great education for the fundamentals of making video games. To prepare myself for DigiPen I was a excellent student in high school, and after school I would spend time learning how to program and making mods for my favorite games.

 

I got into DigiPen and I graduated at the top of my class three years later with a B.S. in RTIS and a minor in mathematics. Months before graduation I started sending my resume out to companies (specifically in SoCal because that's where I wanted to live) and I had a few interviews. On Gamasutra I noticed a company in Orange County was hiring. At the time I've never heard of Obsidian but after doing some research it was started by five awesome dudes that were responsible for some of my favorite games. Also at the time Obsidian was less than a year old, and rumors were circulating that they were either making K2 or NWN2!

 

So I applied and got the job, and my dreams came true.

 

The End.

[Jorian Drake]

sorry that i hijack the thread, but could someone please notify Fionavar that i also sent him a new avatar? He doesn't seem to read PM-s lately, thanks

 

 

EDIT: OK, managed to get connected with him

Edited June 6, 2008 by Jorian Drake

[Jeff Husges]

Armed with a degree in English Literature, I was getting prepped for law school until I decided I was sick of school and wanted out. After having nearly failed a class thanks to Fallout, I looked up Interplay's employment section late one night and saw that they were hiring game testers. I never imagined such a position existed, so I went for it, was hired, and joyously tested Baldur's Gate 1 for exactly one hour, after which I was promptly unhired. Thanks to a miscommunication, the QA department wasn't supposed to be hiring any more people at the time, and I was cast from Paradise. What I'd lost didn't hit me until I started a mundane office job the very next week. It was pretty much straight out of Office Space. Lost a bit of my soul in that place.

 

Fast forward one year. Interplay owed me one, so I once again ended up in QA. I didn't mind the puny paycheck - I was back in the video game industry, and to hell with everything else. Being the oblivious, unambitious type, it never occurred to me to even try to get a position in development. I was actually pretty happy in QA - good friends, fun job, shared misery, etc. The time wasn't a complete waste, though - my team ended up being the primary team for several Black Isle projects, and as a result I got to know the devs, and when someone finally prodded me to take a shot at a junior designer position, being a known quantity undoubtedly helped me get the position. Networking at its finest.

 

So, there I was at Black Isle for nine months. I was on Baldur's Gate 3 until it was canceled, and then on Fallout 3 until it was canceled and Interplay told most of Black Isle to go home and never come back. At least I got all my vacation pay.

 

Several odd jobs and a year and a half later, I landed at Obsidian and resumed my designing career. Three years later, I'm still here with two actual shipped titles to my name. I must be having fun, because there are sure as hell much more stable ways to make a living.

[Jorian Drake]

Armed with a degree in English Literature, I was getting prepped for law school until I decided I was sick of school and wanted out. After having nearly failed a class thanks to Fallout, I looked up Interplay's employment section late one night and saw that they were hiring game testers. I never imagined such a position existed, so I went for it, was hired, and joyously tested Baldur's Gate 1 for exactly one hour, after which I was promptly unhired. Thanks to a miscommunication, the QA department wasn't supposed to be hiring any more people at the time, and I was cast from Paradise. What I'd lost didn't hit me until I started a mundane office job the very next week. It was pretty much straight out of Office Space. Lost a bit of my soul in that place.

 

Fast forward one year. Interplay owed me one, so I once again ended up in QA. I didn't mind the puny paycheck - I was back in the video game industry, and to hell with everything else. Being the oblivious, unambitious type, it never occurred to me to even try to get a position in development. I was actually pretty happy in QA - good friends, fun job, shared misery, etc. The time wasn't a complete waste, though - my team ended up being the primary team for several Black Isle projects, and as a result I got to know the devs, and when someone finally prodded me to take a shot at a junior designer position, being a known quantity undoubtedly helped me get the position. Networking at its finest.

 

So, there I was at Black Isle for nine months. I was on Baldur's Gate 3 until it was canceled, and then on Fallout 3 until it was canceled and Interplay told most of Black Isle to go home and never come back. At least I got all my vacation pay.

 

Several odd jobs and a year and a half later, I landed at Obsidian and resumed my designing career. Three years later, I'm still here with two actual shipped titles to my name. I must be having fun, because there are sure as hell much more stable ways to make a living.

grats, you finally landed back at Black Isle, like a boomerang

[Montgomery Markland]

I knew that being a Ghostbuster wasn't a reality

 

This part isn't true

[Moatilliatta]

I knew that being a Ghostbuster wasn't a reality

This part isn't true

When there is something strange in your neighbourhood...

 

 

Obsidian should do a Ghostbusters RPG.

[Jorian Drake]

I knew that being a Ghostbuster wasn't a reality

This part isn't true

When there is something strange in your neighbourhood...

 

 

Obsidian should do a Ghostbusters RPG.

you know, this is an awesome idea!

[Adam Brennecke]

I'm really looking forward to the new Ghostbusters game from Terminal Reality. It's looking mighty fine.

 

Let's get back on topic - enough Ghostbuster talk!

[AnthonyD]

I don't even know if I should tell my story, because I'll be honest, it can make people uncomfortable. I'll tell the story because I am not ashamed of where I came from, and most importantly, if there is someone out there who it might help or encourage then it will be worth it.

 

My parents divorced when I was 3 years old. My Mother, bless her heart, had several substance and emotional problems. Life at home frequently involved physical and emotional abuse. In addition, we lived in a very rough part of town and youth violence was very frequent, and I was frequently a target of it.

 

We were very, very poor growing up. Still, my Mom found ways to provide for us. I had to have surgery on my legs at one point in my life and was subsequently bedridden for a length of time. My Mom bought my a c64 and a 1541 floppy drive to help me get through that period. Thanks to my Mom, I was able to mentally escape into the worlds of Archon, Telengard, and M.U.L.E.. My Mom also got me a BASIC language programming book which I used to make my own games. That was when I first dreamed of making video games and I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life.

 

That dream would fade away though for a very, very long time. Life, as it is want to do, has a way of taking you down paths you least expect or want to take.

 

I could go into the sordid details about the abuse I lived with, both at home and at school. I could go into the details explaining what I'm sure some of you have already experienced - hiding from the gangs during the day, and locking yourself in your room at night. Dreading every single day - going to school and the bullies and desensitized teachers. Dreading the moments at home where you might set off the domestic volcano. With the exception of only a very few individuals, even my 'friends' would tear me down and abuse me. I could go into details about the constant fights to defend myself, or the running away, but the sad truth is, as bad as my childhood was, someone out there has or had a worse one.

 

Despite being rated as 'Gifted and Talented', school was a battleground. I cared for it not one iota. The only class where I came out of my shell was the Computer Programming courses my high school offered. I barely graduated high school...and I do mean barely. I couldn't get into a 4 year college, despite my ACT and SAT scores, not that college would have been a good place for me at that juncture in my life.

 

Whatever the cause or the reason, the bottom line was that at that point in my life, I was a loser. I had no drive, desires, or goals in life at all. Once again, with the exception of a few true friends, I had no support.

 

The year was 1989, and bereft of any real choices and facing being kicked out of the house, I decided to join the Army. Some people talk about why the enlist and they list reasons like patriotism, or college money, or many other valid reasons why they join. For me, I simply had no place else to go.

 

I was so goalless with my life, I couldn't even chose a MOS (Military Occupation) when I went to enlist. At the guidance of my recruiter I picked 19K, which was M1A1 Armor Crewman. It was what he did and he loved it, and he pointed out that going Combat Arms offers the most money for college if I decided later that I wanted to do that.

 

I know that in today's politically charged environment, there are some who would berate the military, or try to paint it with some broad political stroke as being a tool for politicians. The bottom line for me is, the military saved my life. The Army took the sad, pathetic loser I had become and broke me down even more - then they proceeded to build me back up in ways that really mattered, self-reliance, teamwork, pride, honor, duty, all of it. After graduating training, I was sent to Kitzingen, Germany for 2 years.

 

During that time, me and my unit pulled one of the last border patrols on the Fulda Gap, witnessed the re-unification of Germany, saw the Berlin Wall come down - of which I knocked a piece out of with my own two hands, served in Desert Storm, learned to snow ski, learned to foxtrot, and even got to take some correspondence college courses.

 

Upon returning to the States, I used some of my savings to buy a new PC computer and started to learn all over again. With some encouragement from my friends, I through myself into learning everything I could. I was even working two jobs at the same time. During the day I worked for VERY little money as a junior software consultant for Enron, yes, THAT Enron. During the nights, I worked as a waiter for TGIFridays and I also started to take night school courses at my local community college.

 

Eventually I left Enron and joined BDM Systems as a senior software consultant. I traveled across the country writing software and advising other companies. Companies like Xerox, Dow Chemical, Generon, and many more. I was also one of the first Microsoft Certified Engineers in the Houston area, and I was making a LOT of money.

 

Right when everything seemed to be looking up, I decided to quit the consulting business and try to get into Texas A&M at College Station, the college I had always dreamed of going to now that I allowed myself to dare to dream. I know that for some people who have gone to more prestigious universities that dreaming of going to TAMU might seem pretty paltry, but not to me. The TAMU College of Engineering is legendary. I applied, but this time not as a loser high school student with a terrible GPA, but rather as a community college transfer student with a 3.9 GPA.

 

I got in. I naturally chose to major in Computer Science. I spent my summers interning at software jobs in other parts of the country like Boston or San Francisco. To be fair, I had and advantage over other students applying when they are busy submitting a mostly empty resume and mine has names like Xerox and Dow Chemical on it. During my 3rd year at TAMU, I was interning for a young internet web browser company by the name of Netscape Communications, you may have heard of it. I was also long distance dating a beautiful California girl by the name of Sonja. Life was good, but things have a way of sneaking up on you.

 

You see my Mother who had long since conquered her demons, had married a great guy who had helped her get past those demons and find peace. During what would end up being my last semester at TAMU, he died of pancreatic cancer. I was crushed, utterly. Three years after getting accepted to TAMU and about to start my senior year, believe it or not, I quit.

 

Netscape had been actively trying to recruit me out of college, and suddenly I felt the most important thing in my life was to be with the woman who loved me and moving forward with my life.

 

I spent the next 7 years of my life working to win the Browser Wars and to stay happily married. I would eventually fail on both accounts. My best friend, Mike judge (not the cartoonist) and I both sensed the end was near for Netscape and we found ways to fill our time as the beast died. Don't be too sad, my code still lives on in Firefox.

 

Rediscovering my forgotten dream of being a game developer, Mike and I made and released a video game for the palm pilot called Aldon's Crossing (you can Google for it if you want). Convinced now, more than ever that this was what I wanted to do, I quit Netscape. Mike also jumped ship and went to what would eventually become XFire where he would design and write the actual XFire client.

 

I would end up applying to only one game developer, because there was only one place I wanted to work, Black Isle. Once again, and this is what I honestly love about life, life would throw me a curve ball as during the interview process, Black Isle closed its doors. Well, at this point I was ready to pack up my things and move my newly divorced self back to Texas and begin life anew as a construction worker when my ex-wife sent me an email.

 

Somehow my ex-wife had found out that the big 5 from Black Isle had started a NEW company called Obsidian Entertainment. Armed with this new knowledge, I sent off my resume and examples of my palm pilot game, Aldon's Crossing.

 

I still remember the phone call from Chris Jones like it was yesterday, I remember him saying that he was impressed by the fact that I had actually FINISHED a game on my own (albeit with my best friend) and that we actually were able to sell several thousand copies.

 

I remember flying down to SoCal and being interviewed by Chris Avellone, who was gracious enough to overlook my fanboy transgressions.

 

Well, at this point you can probably guess where the story is going. I got hired.

 

Since then I have worked on every single game that has exited Obsidian's doors, KOTOR2, NWN2, NX1, Alpha Protocol, Aliens RPG, and now NX2. I am not the best engineer here by a long shot, and you know what, that is okay, only one person can be the best, and as cheesy as it may sound, it takes a team to make a game.

 

There have been some rough times too, it's not all hookers and blow I'll have you know (that's a joke). We work hard here, and sometimes things don't work out the way you want, or as well as you want. Learning how and when to make sacrifices is part of the job.

 

Unlike Netscape and Enron before it, we LEARN here and we move forward and apply what we LEARN.

[Xard]

 

 

 

 

 

edit: Clapping hands (if they come from me) are reference to NGE's "Congrazulations" ending and pretty much greatest, most sincere congratz one can get from me

Edited June 10, 2008 by Xard

[serch]

That's in a good way moving, man.

[Zoma]

Hey Anthony, we're all right behind you

 

Glad to see that MCA also considers you as his good friend and bud. You're no longer who you were now and I hope you'll keep looking forward from now and then, here and there ever.

[Humodour]

I don't even know if I should tell my story, because I'll be honest, it can make people uncomfortable. I'll tell the story because I am not ashamed of where I came from, and most importantly, if there is someone out there who it might help or encourage then it will be worth it.

 

My parents divorced when I was 3 years old. My Mother, bless her heart, had several substance and emotional problems. Life at home frequently involved physical and emotional abuse. In addition, we lived in a very rough part of town and youth violence was very frequent, and I was frequently a target of it.

 

We were very, very poor growing up. Still, my Mom found ways to provide for us. I had to have surgery on my legs at one point in my life and was subsequently bedridden for a length of time. My Mom bought my a c64 and a 1541 floppy drive to help me get through that period. Thanks to my Mom, I was able to mentally escape into the worlds of Archon, Telengard, and M.U.L.E.. My Mom also got me a BASIC language programming book which I used to make my own games. That was when I first dreamed of making video games and I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life.

 

That dream would fade away though for a very, very long time. Life, as it is want to do, has a way of taking you down paths you least expect or want to take.

 

I could go into the sordid details about the abuse I lived with, both at home and at school. I could go into the details explaining what I'm sure some of you have already experienced - hiding from the gangs during the day, and locking yourself in your room at night. Dreading every single day - going to school and the bullies and desensitized teachers. Dreading the moments at home where you might set off the domestic volcano. With the exception of only a very few individuals, even my 'friends' would tear me down and abuse me. I could go into details about the constant fights to defend myself, or the running away, but the sad truth is, as bad as my childhood was, someone out there has or had a worse one.

 

Despite being rated as 'Gifted and Talented', school was a battleground. I cared for it not one iota. The only class where I came out of my shell was the Computer Programming courses my high school offered. I barely graduated high school...and I do mean barely. I couldn't get into a 4 year college, despite my ACT and SAT scores, not that college would have been a good place for me at that juncture in my life.

 

Whatever the cause or the reason, the bottom line was that at that point in my life, I was a loser. I had no drive, desires, or goals in life at all. Once again, with the exception of a few true friends, I had no support.

 

The year was 1989, and bereft of any real choices and facing being kicked out of the house, I decided to join the Army. Some people talk about why the enlist and they list reasons like patriotism, or college money, or many other valid reasons why they join. For me, I simply had no place else to go.

 

I was so goalless with my life, I couldn't even chose a MOS (Military Occupation) when I went to enlist. At the guidance of my recruiter I picked 19K, which was M1A1 Armor Crewman. It was what he did and he loved it, and he pointed out that going Combat Arms offers the most money for college if I decided later that I wanted to do that.

 

I know that in today's politically charged environment, there are some who would berate the military, or try to paint it with some broad political stroke as being a tool for politicians. The bottom line for me is, the military saved my life. The Army took the sad, pathetic loser I had become and broke me down even more - then they proceeded to build me back up in ways that really mattered, self-reliance, teamwork, pride, honor, duty, all of it. After graduating training, I was sent to Kitzingen, Germany for 2 years.

 

During that time, me and my unit pulled one of the last border patrols on the Fulda Gap, witnessed the re-unification of Germany, saw the Berlin Wall come down - of which I knocked a piece out of with my own two hands, served in Desert Storm, learned to snow ski, learned to foxtrot, and even got to take some correspondence college courses.

 

Upon returning to the States, I used some of my savings to buy a new PC computer and started to learn all over again. With some encouragement from my friends, I through myself into learning everything I could. I was even working two jobs at the same time. During the day I worked for VERY little money as a junior software consultant for Enron, yes, THAT Enron. During the nights, I worked as a waiter for TGIFridays and I also started to take night school courses at my local community college.

 

Eventually I left Enron and joined BDM Systems as a senior software consultant. I traveled across the country writing software and advising other companies. Companies like Xerox, Dow Chemical, Generon, and many more. I was also one of the first Microsoft Certified Engineers in the Houston area, and I was making a LOT of money.

 

Right when everything seemed to be looking up, I decided to quit the consulting business and try to get into Texas A&M at College Station, the college I had always dreamed of going to now that I allowed myself to dare to dream. I know that for some people who have gone to more prestigious universities that dreaming of going to TAMU might seem pretty paltry, but not to me. The TAMU College of Engineering is legendary. I applied, but this time not as a loser high school student with a terrible GPA, but rather as a community college transfer student with a 3.9 GPA.

 

I got in. I naturally chose to major in Computer Science. I spent my summers interning at software jobs in other parts of the country like Boston or San Francisco. To be fair, I had and advantage over other students applying when they are busy submitting a mostly empty resume and mine has names like Xerox and Dow Chemical on it. During my 3rd year at TAMU, I was interning for a young internet web browser company by the name of Netscape Communications, you may have heard of it. I was also long distance dating a beautiful California girl by the name of Sonja. Life was good, but things have a way of sneaking up on you.

 

You see my Mother who had long since conquered her demons, had married a great guy who had helped her get past those demons and find peace. During what would end up being my last semester at TAMU, he died of pancreatic cancer. I was crushed, utterly. Three years after getting accepted to TAMU and about to start my senior year, believe it or not, I quit.

 

Netscape had been actively trying to recruit me out of college, and suddenly I felt the most important thing in my life was to be with the woman who loved me and moving forward with my life.

 

I spent the next 7 years of my life working to win the Browser Wars and to stay happily married. I would eventually fail on both accounts. My best friend, Mike judge (not the cartoonist) and I both sensed the end was near for Netscape and we found ways to fill our time as the beast died. Don't be too sad, my code still lives on in Firefox.

 

Rediscovering my forgotten dream of being a game developer, Mike and I made and released a video game for the palm pilot called Aldon's Crossing (you can Google for it if you want). Convinced now, more than ever that this was what I wanted to do, I quit Netscape. Mike also jumped ship and went to what would eventually become XFire where he would design and write the actual XFire client.

 

I would end up applying to only one game developer, because there was only one place I wanted to work, Black Isle. Once again, and this is what I honestly love about life, life would throw me a curve ball as during the interview process, Black Isle closed its doors. Well, at this point I was ready to pack up my things and move my newly divorced self back to Texas and begin life anew as a construction worker when my ex-wife sent me an email.

 

Somehow my ex-wife had found out that the big 5 from Black Isle had started a NEW company called Obsidian Entertainment. Armed with this new knowledge, I sent off my resume and examples of my palm pilot game, Aldon's Crossing.

 

I still remember the phone call from Chris Jones like it was yesterday, I remember him saying that he was impressed by the fact that I had actually FINISHED a game on my own (albeit with my best friend) and that we actually were able to sell several thousand copies.

 

I remember flying down to SoCal and being interviewed by Chris Avellone, who was gracious enough to overlook my fanboy transgressions.

 

Well, at this point you can probably guess where the story is going. I got hired.

 

Since then I have worked on every single game that has exited Obsidian's doors, KOTOR2, NWN2, NX1, Alpha Protocol, Aliens RPG, and now NX2. I am not the best engineer here by a long shot, and you know what, that is okay, only one person can be the best, and as cheesy as it may sound, it takes a team to make a game.

 

There have been some rough times too, it's not all hookers and blow I'll have you know (that's a joke). We work hard here, and sometimes things don't work out the way you want, or as well as you want. Learning how and when to make sacrifices is part of the job.

 

Unlike Netscape and Enron before it, we LEARN here and we move forward and apply what we LEARN.

 

That was a really interesting story. There are parts I strongly identify with (your childhood, horrible school-life, I've dropped out of university due to my ADHD), and others I don't (army, employment, etc), but it was nonetheless very inspiring. I think you paint a good picture of why no matter how badly you screw up, you can always pull yourself back up, which is why I'm going to try and go back to uni next year and do computer science.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Xard]

Yeah, there was a lot stuff I could identify with too.

 

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

One of the things which hasn't been mentioned, or atleast I haven't picked up on it being mentioned as of yet, is that programmers are often required to take "Technical" C++ tests, aswell as answer OOP based questions, its important to be prepared and have enough knowledge to be able to demonstrate complex understanding of the language.

 

Const Correctness, Pure Virtual Functions and Virtual Destructors appear to be favourites, along with lovely questions related to polymorphic principles, I've even been asked what occurs when the compiler compiles, as in make files and .obj files etc...

 

Needless to say, you have to have a fair bit of knowledge just to get to the point of sitting down with folks to be considered.

[Humodour]

Yeah but you cover all that stuff in 2nd and 3rd year of a computer science course.

 

Edit: although the fact that they quiz you on it is surprising and I suppose that's the point you're making.

Edited June 14, 2008 by Krezack

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

Yeah but you cover all that stuff in 2nd and 3rd year of a computer science course.

 

Edit: although the fact that they quiz you on it is surprising and I suppose that's the point you're making.

 

Indeed people should be aware, and naturally it isn't easy to retain everything all of the time, but you sure can do ya best to brush up on the principles, use them and remember them, and expect to be able to cover it during a job interview.

 

I know that on my particular course, we covered such topics in the 1st year, and 2nd year. Some topics involved with some elements of C++ were never touched upon, and naturally I've learnt them myself.

 

Also you have to bare in mind that a computer science degree will teach you how to program in object orientated languages, but its not likely to cover anything in regards to practical pragmatic games programming principles, which if you're genuinely interested in working in the games industry, understanding how API's such as DirectX and OpenGL function along with the relevent mathematics is very useful.

 

I certainly feel like I have an advantage over any computer science students, afterall I know what they know, but I also understand techniques that are useful for games programming, be it graphics, physics, audio, AI, user input, gameplay, scripting languages, spatial partition etc...

 

That said academic approches to programming won't always yeild the best results in regards to performance, which is an essencial part of games programming, so by taking a course in computer science you will learn alot of stuff, most of it will be relevent at some level, but you've still got a bunch of moutains to climb.

 

My old lecturer refered to the games programming degree as being the toughest course available from that school of the university, clearly it is due to the fact that not only are you expected to cover computer science, you're climbing the second mountain at the same time, this coupled with the amount of extra time required to create anything akin to a game certainly makes such a course more challenging.

[Gorth]

Const Correctness, Pure Virtual Functions and Virtual Destructors appear to be favourites, along with lovely questions related to polymorphic principles, I've even been asked what occurs when the compiler compiles, as in make files and .obj files etc...

Wouldn't it sort of insult peoples intelligence asking such questions?

 

That said academic approches to programming won't always yeild the best results in regards to performance, which is an essencial part of games programming, so by taking a course in computer science you will learn alot of stuff, most of it will be relevent at some level, but you've still got a bunch of moutains to climb.

(Bachmann) Landau notation... It still gives me nightmares

 

Your mileage may vary, but I wouldn't underestimate a CS degree

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

Wouldn't it sort of insult peoples intelligence asking such questions?

 

Considering the number of applicants companies must get, I'd say it's a good way of weeding out the weak applicants who are clearly unable.

 

(Bachmann) Landau notation... It still gives me nightmares

 

Your mileage may vary, but I wouldn't underestimate a CS degree

 

I don't underestimate a CS degree. I basically did a CS + Games degree, doing a lone CS degree would have been easier, but I would have also been alot more ignorant. That was my point, all said mind, a CS degree is always better than nothing.

 

Lots of stuff gives me nightmares .

[SteveThaiBinh]

"Nearly all degree courses in video gaming at British universities leave graduates unfit to work in the industry..."

Link

[Gorth]

"Nearly all degree courses in video gaming at British universities leave graduates unfit to work in the industry..."

Link

So that is what David Braben is doing these days

 

The split between him an Ian Bell was a sad thing.

[Humodour]

"Nearly all degree courses in video gaming at British universities leave graduates unfit to work in the industry..."

Link

 

Indeed it seems you'd be safer doing some courses in computer graphics or scientific visualisation in a straight mathematics or CS degree. I'm always wary of places that try to 'teach' game design or game programming.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

"Nearly all degree courses in video gaming at British universities leave graduates unfit to work in the industry..."

Link

 

I read that too.

 

The issue is actually more to do with the obsession Universities have with teaching Java (A shower of ****e if I ever saw one), and the general "shying" away from low level control. Making a degree hard by having an emphisis on low level control, hence alienating students.

 

It's not just the games degree's it's CS degree's in general. Universities are interested in "getting students", and "passing students", this ironically ==

Edited July 3, 2008 by @\NightandtheShape/@

[Joseph Bulock]

"Nearly all degree courses in video gaming at British universities leave graduates unfit to work in the industry..."

Link

 

I read that too.

 

The issue is actually more to do with the obsession Universities have with teaching Java (A shower of ****e if I ever saw one), and the general "shying" away from low level control. Making a degree hard by having an emphisis on low level control, hence alienating students.

 

It's not just the games degree's it's CS degree's in general. Universities are interested in "getting students", and "passing students", this ironically ==