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[jcorb]

I just happened to see an ad for DigiPen, and recognizing the name from *way* back, I decided to look into it. I saw they offer a BA in Game Design, which *sounds* like it would be my dream job (I've been in digital marketing for years, so I think I already have a pretty solid foundation on understanding peoples' behavior and motivations).

But then, I also feel like that's almost like having "a degree in nothing", that I have a hard time believing that degree would land you directly in a Game Design job with any regularity (after all, the Gaming industry have proven to be a pretty volatile market, so you probably need to be prepared to apply for a new position every year or two, just in case).

But I'm also pretty cynical, so it would be interesting to here from those who've actually gone to DigiPen (or another similar "video-game school"), and what the job prospects actually looked like after the fact?

 

[PonyStation4]

A degree is just a checklist in the gaming industry. What matters more is your experience, projects you've worked on and your network of acquaintances.

Also, I'm 90% sure they have you make an entire game engine from scratch in C and that's not easy to do.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I wanted to go to DigiPen so bad back in 2007-2008. I was going to go for their game design programming degree. I didn’t have the classes to go and they didn’t have dorm rooms. The game Portal came from students at DigiPen. I signed up for ITT Tech’s game design program. That got me an associates and 40k in debt. I paid it off and I get checks for $200 every six or so months because the school collapsed.

Looking back on it now, I wish I would have gone, but if you have talent… learn from the internet. College debt sucks ass and will follow some people for life.

Also, a lot of artists don’t need a college degree, but maybe some classes on things they didn’t know. Build a portfolio. If you’re looking at the tech side. Get an engineering or programming degree. If Activision or EA doesn’t hire you, you can make a comfortable living in the tech industry making six figures.

The tech industry is probably a lot safer, but don’t let that get to you. You go for whatever you want.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

To get a job as a dev specifically you need to show your portfolio of tools and software etc that youve done.

If you want to work in gaming i would say try to do marketing or a similar field for a studio.

Also, It would prob be better for you to get a comp sci/mathematics/programming degree than a niche gaming degree. If you can get a comp science degree you can do game dev, without all the tertiary game electives youre not interested in.

Honestly though, you better be truly passionate about it. Ought to be already exploring coding on your own to be frank.

 

[TransTrender]

I remember seeing commercials for Full Sail University for gaming regimens back in the day. They're still open.

Yeah it was wild when ITT Tech folded.

 

[EviLore]

Message some alumni on LinkedIn and get their thoughts. See what kind of roles they landed after graduation too.

Consider a more generalized technical degree like computer science which is useful for life. Game devs typically burn out and leave the industry after ~7 years. A highly specialized industry-specific qualification may not be the greatest choice later on. And if you can’t successfully land a job in the game industry after getting a game design degree you’re back to square one with a lot of debt. Unlikely to happen with a normal STEM degree.

Start learning and building now using online resources and see if you take to it. A portfolio goes a long way.