Video Game Design Colleges

Serious about your pursuit of making video games for a a career? Here is a guide to some things about colleges, how they work, how you can prepare. And there are some links to colleges that offer video game and animation degrees.

There are two very important things to consider when you think about video game schools and what you want to achieve by going to one. .

1. Overall Knowledge of the Process The first to consider is that you will need to gain an overall knowledge of what video game making is all about. What is the process? What are the steps that are taken from start to finish? This means from concept to shipping and support. What software tools are used?
2. Specialized expertise you are going to focus on. Video game design is no longer in the world of a couple of guys working long hours in the garage and coming out with a full-fledged blockbuster game. The industry is mature now and it takes a whole host of specialties to create a modern video game. While it is possible for you to do everything it is impractical. You will need to decide what aspect of game design you will focus on. Note: If the whole process is what you really like then a good option for you might be to consider project management where you handle the team and the project as a whole.

Overall Knowledge - This is referred to as " Game Design" It gives you the whole process from concept to completion of the game. You get a good understanding of how a game making company runs their projects and what is entailed all the way through the various stages of paper and software development.

Specialized Knowledge - This is a very broad category with a lot of choices. Here are thumbnail sketches of some of the common specialized skills in the game industry

Programmer - This is something that is a little more traditional when we think of video game making "Programming" and it is a very wide field that can find you doing almost anything in the video game making arena. Here are some possibilites:

• Database manager A game has to store and manipulate a lot of information and somebody has to maintain this
• Artificial Intelligence Designer - Todays games are very heavy into artificial intelligence and a lot of thought and work goes into making characters and objects intelligent in their behavior.
• Tools Designer - You don't actually work on the game. You create software tools for the game designers. This makes their job easier
• Engine Programmer - A video game runs on what is called an engine.
• Wire Framer - You build all the empty shells in the game
• Texture manager - Manage and place the textures in the game
• I have a more in depth tutorial on programming for video games

Artist - An artist can specialize in any one of several areas of art for the video game industry

• Concept artist -works with traditional tools like paint, pencil and acrylics
• 2d Artist works with Photoshop and can manage and create textures and environments
• 3d artists create models and objects placed in a world
• Animation artists create the animated motion effects of objects and characters in the game world

You Are Here 2008 Edition: A Guide to Over 380 Colleges and Unlimited Paths to Your Future

Video game design Colleges

Here are some colleges that Offer a Game design, game art, and game animation Curriculum. There are plenty of schools both online and on campus that offer great curriculum in game design and programming. Take a look at some of these to get a sense of what a curriculum is all about and what it entails.

• The Art Institutes - various programs including art and animation
• DeVry Institute - game and simulation programming
• ITT Tech - Digital Entertainment and Game Design (they have over 85 campuses nationwide) and some online programs
• Westwood College Online - game software development and game art design programs
• Digital media Arts College - Computer animation , Graphic Design, Special Effects Animation
• 3D Training Institute Online - 3d Animation software training
• Collins College - BA in game design
• The University of Advancing Technology - BA in Game Design
• The Art Institute of California - game art and design

Considering an Online Degree?

There are many top-notch colleges that offer degrees in video game design with the curriculum being totally online. Yup you don't have to show up at a brick and mortar institution anymore. Check out my article about Online Colleges and video game making