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Oh shit, I'm graduating: Career prospects, including Game Design
Lateralist
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey penny arcade, I am a long time lurker around these parts and I am sure you guys can lend some useful advice on my situation. I am about to graduate from college and am facing the terrifying prospect of what to do next. In general my life is pretty sweet: I have friends, family and girlfriend that I love and who love me; lots to do, experience, think about and enjoy in my life. However I have no clear, confident vision of where I am headed in life, and suffer from a problematically low ambition to laziness ratio. I am 25 years old, much older than your typical college graduate, as I have wasted a lot of time in my life dicking around without much ambition, direction or discipline. I have gotten much better over the years, though.
Really, my aspirations mostly involve living the good life: enjoying culture, keeping up with current events, spending time with a special significant other, doing outdoorsy type stuff, having a great group of friends to hang out with and BBQ with on a warm summer evening. My greatest passion is playing competitive ultimate frisbee, but sadly this like the rest of the above will not pay for rent, food or health insurance. Coaching ultimate at an elementary, middle, high school or college level can get you a stipend, but not a subsistence wage. So basically, I need a financially viable career.
I have narrowed my future down to a few basic prospects, though, ordered from least to most interesting:
1. Get an uninteresting day job that does not particularly challenge me, subsist on that while enjoying all the other things in my life. Could be easy enough, but also unfulfilling and might not bring in enough $$$ to do everything else I would like to do. This is what I have done off and on to support myself in colllege, without ever really enjoying it much.
2. Get a teaching degree and teach social studies/history/politics in high school. This is not really a dream job, so much as a practical meeting of ends. I am quite intelligent, well informed and interested enough in these sort of things I would like to teach, and I figure that the demand for good high school teachers should be inelastic. It seems like the sort of thing I could be good at, that will always be needed during my life, and that will return the value of information that my society has invested in me. Sure, it's a cliche that "those who can't, teach", but I think it would be a comfortable enough life, and again allowing me to pursue the good life outside of it. I have friends who are teachers that say you really have to like kids, and I don't really know it that is true of me or not. Any teachers out there want to share some insight?
3. Go to grad school, pursuing the field that I have studied as an undergrad... basically "philosophy of evolution". I am fascinated by the theory of evolution as an explanatory, reductionist principle applying to fields outside of strict biology... memetics is a good example. This shit is really interesting to me, but again there is the question of whether it can put food on my plate and a roof over my head. I feel like this is definitely something I could pursue of my own ambition, provided I can find a graduate program that suits it. Is this something the government would pay me to study? How do I go about finding a grad program that suits my interests? Additionally, I'm not confident that I have the discipline to be a full-on academic. Like teaching, though, I would probably enjoy being a college professor as a long term career, especially if I could teach in this field.
4. Finally, I am interested in pursuing a career in computer game design. If I have a "dream job", this is probably it. I have always been fascinated by computer and video games (often to the detriment of my college studies!) and at various times have occupied myself with drafting computer game design ideas, just for fun. I am a very logical individual and as such I think that computer programming would be something I would take to well. Furthermore, the gaming industry is one of the few still on the rise in these troubled economic times. For these reasons I am considering enrolling in a computer/video game design school.
I am skeptical about my prospects, for a number of reasons. To start off with, my only hands-on experience with this sort of thing is a brief stint as a coder on an LPC MUD a few years ago (I quite enjoyed it, though I only really scratched the surface of the programming stuff). At 25 years old, I feel that I would be way, way behind peers who have already been coding and programming as a hobby. Virtually none of my undergrad studies (mostly philosophy) would prepare me for this career. I feel like I would have huge ground to cover.
Also, it seems like the type of games I love and would love to create are on the wane. My favorite genre is serious, turn-based tactics/strategy stuff for the PC like Jagged Alliance and X-Com. And I also love games with a great story like Deus Ex and Planescape: Torment. However, it seems like the more visceral, fast-paced, sensorally immersive console games dominate the industry more and more. I'm not trying to perpetuate the old PC smart, console dumb elitism -- I know it's all about good design regardless of platform. Bioshock is a great example of a multiplatform game that balanced "smart" and "dumb" design elements very successfully. Aaaaanyway, what I am asking is, is there still a commercially viable niche for the nerdy, slow-paced, thinky type games I love in an industry increasingly dominated by bombastic production value?
About game design academies in general: Is anyone out there a graduate from one?
what are some good game design academies?
What sort of post-graduate employment rates to these academies boast?
What sort of minimum requirements will they expect me to have, in terms of degrees, credits, and coding ability?
Can you get grants and Financial Aid for them?
I know you can't become Sid Meier or Warren Spector overnight, so what are some other first steps in that direction?
If I wanted to gain some practical, relevant programming proficiency to prepare me for game design school (for cheap or free, ideally), what is a good place to start?
I would love to design the sort of computer game I love to play, and get paid for it, but I also don't want to end up working on projects I would not enjoy. Any advice on getting started in the gaming industry would be great. Thanks!
TL;DR: I'm not sure what to do with the rest of my life; among other options, I think being a computer game designer would be really awesome, but I'm not confident or knowledgeable about the path towards that goal.
Really, my aspirations mostly involve living the good life: enjoying culture, keeping up with current events, spending time with a special significant other, doing outdoorsy type stuff, having a great group of friends to hang out with and BBQ with on a warm summer evening. My greatest passion is playing competitive ultimate frisbee, but sadly this like the rest of the above will not pay for rent, food or health insurance. Coaching ultimate at an elementary, middle, high school or college level can get you a stipend, but not a subsistence wage. So basically, I need a financially viable career.
I have narrowed my future down to a few basic prospects, though, ordered from least to most interesting:
1. Get an uninteresting day job that does not particularly challenge me, subsist on that while enjoying all the other things in my life. Could be easy enough, but also unfulfilling and might not bring in enough $$$ to do everything else I would like to do. This is what I have done off and on to support myself in colllege, without ever really enjoying it much.
2. Get a teaching degree and teach social studies/history/politics in high school. This is not really a dream job, so much as a practical meeting of ends. I am quite intelligent, well informed and interested enough in these sort of things I would like to teach, and I figure that the demand for good high school teachers should be inelastic. It seems like the sort of thing I could be good at, that will always be needed during my life, and that will return the value of information that my society has invested in me. Sure, it's a cliche that "those who can't, teach", but I think it would be a comfortable enough life, and again allowing me to pursue the good life outside of it. I have friends who are teachers that say you really have to like kids, and I don't really know it that is true of me or not. Any teachers out there want to share some insight?
3. Go to grad school, pursuing the field that I have studied as an undergrad... basically "philosophy of evolution". I am fascinated by the theory of evolution as an explanatory, reductionist principle applying to fields outside of strict biology... memetics is a good example. This shit is really interesting to me, but again there is the question of whether it can put food on my plate and a roof over my head. I feel like this is definitely something I could pursue of my own ambition, provided I can find a graduate program that suits it. Is this something the government would pay me to study? How do I go about finding a grad program that suits my interests? Additionally, I'm not confident that I have the discipline to be a full-on academic. Like teaching, though, I would probably enjoy being a college professor as a long term career, especially if I could teach in this field.
4. Finally, I am interested in pursuing a career in computer game design. If I have a "dream job", this is probably it. I have always been fascinated by computer and video games (often to the detriment of my college studies!) and at various times have occupied myself with drafting computer game design ideas, just for fun. I am a very logical individual and as such I think that computer programming would be something I would take to well. Furthermore, the gaming industry is one of the few still on the rise in these troubled economic times. For these reasons I am considering enrolling in a computer/video game design school.
I am skeptical about my prospects, for a number of reasons. To start off with, my only hands-on experience with this sort of thing is a brief stint as a coder on an LPC MUD a few years ago (I quite enjoyed it, though I only really scratched the surface of the programming stuff). At 25 years old, I feel that I would be way, way behind peers who have already been coding and programming as a hobby. Virtually none of my undergrad studies (mostly philosophy) would prepare me for this career. I feel like I would have huge ground to cover.
Also, it seems like the type of games I love and would love to create are on the wane. My favorite genre is serious, turn-based tactics/strategy stuff for the PC like Jagged Alliance and X-Com. And I also love games with a great story like Deus Ex and Planescape: Torment. However, it seems like the more visceral, fast-paced, sensorally immersive console games dominate the industry more and more. I'm not trying to perpetuate the old PC smart, console dumb elitism -- I know it's all about good design regardless of platform. Bioshock is a great example of a multiplatform game that balanced "smart" and "dumb" design elements very successfully. Aaaaanyway, what I am asking is, is there still a commercially viable niche for the nerdy, slow-paced, thinky type games I love in an industry increasingly dominated by bombastic production value?
About game design academies in general: Is anyone out there a graduate from one?
what are some good game design academies?
What sort of post-graduate employment rates to these academies boast?
What sort of minimum requirements will they expect me to have, in terms of degrees, credits, and coding ability?
Can you get grants and Financial Aid for them?
I know you can't become Sid Meier or Warren Spector overnight, so what are some other first steps in that direction?
If I wanted to gain some practical, relevant programming proficiency to prepare me for game design school (for cheap or free, ideally), what is a good place to start?
I would love to design the sort of computer game I love to play, and get paid for it, but I also don't want to end up working on projects I would not enjoy. Any advice on getting started in the gaming industry would be great. Thanks!
TL;DR: I'm not sure what to do with the rest of my life; among other options, I think being a computer game designer would be really awesome, but I'm not confident or knowledgeable about the path towards that goal.
Lateralist on
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Economically speaking, your best bet is probably grad school. Riding out bad economic times in school is a time-honored tradition, and usually a good bet, because when you're done, not only are times better, but your earning potential is higher, too.
Check out The Guildhall at SMU. It's a great Master of Interactive Technology program put together by industry professionals for those wanting to study game design at a level that builds on the value of a complete undergraduate education.
There is evidence that gaming is fairly resistent to market downturns. Video games provide a pretty low marginal cost in return for the utility they provide. I'd contest the view that they are really 'pricey' in terms of recreation. Movie theaters used to fill this role in the 30's, but IME they have been replaced now by DVDs and other forms of electronic entertainment.
That said, game design is pretty horrible from what I hear if you want to enjoy the finer things in life. Death marches seem common and project management seems to be severly lacking.
You would want to talk to your professors if you want to pursue a graduate degree. They will likely know more than most of the PA'ers here.
So go back to school and try to get something lined up before you graduate, don't expect to just fall into something right after school. The best time to look for an after college job is when you're still in college. Talk to professors, join clubs, look for internships, do anything you can to network your ass into a job before you walk across that stage.
While the video game product itself seems to be stable(probably in large part thanks to the used market), videogame companies aren't in the same boat. There's been tons of them going under this last few months, and not even little ones, but also some of the biger ones like Ensemble and the guys that made Timesplitters..so you know, mileage might vary.
To the OP- It kinda sounds like you haven't grown up yet. This isn't an insult or anything, cause hey, who doesn't like the type of life you're leading? But still, that and the fact you want to jump into videogames cause you like them sort of made me think that.
What's your degree in? I might have missed it, but you didn't seem to post it.
Don't go into teaching if you aren't passionate about it. There's already enough crappy teachers as it is.
Teaching is an option. Just realize that the lifestyle is pretty good but the pay really is shit. If you don't really like dealing with kids, don't even attempt going into it. Teaching is much more about your ability to deal with kids than it is your speciality knowledge.
This, pretty much. Everyone thinks they can be a game designer. You pretty much have to bring something else to the table than just ideas.
Also, others have said it, but I'll say it anyway. For a major game studio no one starts off right away as a designer. It's like getting a job on a ship when you've never been to sea before and saying "I want to be the captain!" You don't get to be the captain without paying your dues first, unless you buy your own boat. Coding, creating art assets, doing level/encounter design, or even testing are far more likely to be your entry level positions. If you want to be the "captain" right out of the gate, you'd have to fund your own project. I know a few local people who have done this, making their own indie games, with varying degrees of success. They're producing some pretty cool stuff and I totally respect what they do, but it is very much a hand-to-mouth existence.
You might want to try taking a course in computer science and I'm not really sure that coding is going to help you land a job as a game designer. There's a huge difference between coding for fun and coding to earn a living -- I went into Computer Science based on my experiences coding in high school and when I actually had to do it all the time and didn't get a choice in what I was coding I realized that I was starting to hate it and got the hell out.
If it's something that you think you might want to pursue, I'd recommend starting on some personal coding projects to see how you like it. If you already know the basics you'll learn much faster working on something you're interested in and having to figure things out for yourself, plus every coder I know who is really good isn't good because of school, they're good because that's what they love doing and they do it all the damned time.
Other than that, while grad school might be a good idea the economy is making it really competitive since a lot of people have the same idea of riding things out by getting more of an education. It's just something to keep in mind, I've heard the local university had quadruple the number of grad school applications this year.
I'd contend that game companies are run god damn awfully from a business perspective. I mean, some of that is probably due to the inaccurate nature of sales forecasting in the medium, but even stripping that out, god damn. I am skeptical of the claims that there is any underlying market demand reasons for the companies doing so poorly right now.
But that is probably a whole different thread. Suffice to say, you probably don't want to be in the games industry without some other skill (programming, art creation, etc), stick to just playing games.
You aren't going to get a job in the game industry outside of maybe a QA monkey (which makes crap money), and in the current economy those are the first to go (and most have already gone). You have a better chance if you have a CS or relevant game design degree, but without any experience you won't even get your foot in the door.
I'm a refugee of the game industry myself - completely due to the state of the economy. Publishers are putting far fewer dollars into new games, opting instead for licensed titles. What this means is independent devs have a much smaller chance (and their chances were already small) of having their own IP picked up.
Furthermore, in an existence that is already hand to mouth, publishers are now neglecting to pay developers on time - and I'm not only talking about small publishers, I saw it happen with the bigs as well. This is resulting in some very hard times for developers.
I'll disagree here. The game industry is restructuring right now. A lot of studios have closed, yes certainly, but in the end, they just weren't profitable. It's a natural cycle. If we look at the overall state of the video game industry, overall revenue is up, despite the crappy world economy.
Casual gaming is also really growing by leaps and bounds with the advent of iphone app stores, xbox live arcade games and the PSN network.
Jobs are scarce right now, but the industry is strong and will be fine.
As far as becoming a game designer, you can't get hired for that job. Period. The most common position promoted to game designer is from a level design position. I'd suggest you start working with level editing programs and work on a few popular mods for HL2 or Unreal. If you want to be a programmer, that's a seperate career path.
Unless you have some very easily measurable skill in the form of a portfolio of works, you will not get a job in games.
full disclosure: I'm a programmer at a large developer.
You aren't really disagreeing with me. Although calling this a natural cycle is somewhat irresponsible since the current state of the economic climate is due to the actions of specific corporations and industires. My point was that the state of the economy is causing a hiring freeze amongst devs and pubs alike. The fact is that fewer titles are being made and the ones that are being made are being done "in house".
So sure, the game industry is still selling well but that is because of consumers. Publishers are consolidating, you cannot deny that, and that causes a trickle down effect.