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| There are many courses to take to prepare yourself for game
development. It all depends on the area you prefer. If you're interested in
programming, you should take courses in C, C++. If you're interested in writing you should
take some creative writing and technical writing courses. For graphics you may want to
take some 2D and 3D design courses, as well as some animation and physics (yes, physics is
pretty necessary for animation). Besides specific game development programs,
colleges all over the country offer the necessary courses. These include art
schools, computer science programs, liberal arts programs, etc. Here are just a few
of the colleges we've seen on resumes and whose programs we've taken a look at. Some
of them have web pages that you can go to by clicking on the school name. Boston University - School of Visual Arts California State University - Chico DePaul University (Programs in Computer Science, Art, and English) Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology University of California - Davis University of Illinois - Champaign/Urbana Gameprogrammer.com provides a list of universities and institutions to contact if you're interested in making a computer game. |
| Graphics |
| If you want to be a video game artist, it would be to your advantage to attend an art school and earn an art degree. There is really nothing differentiating between game artists and regular artists. You should try taking some computer graphics courses; virtually all video game images, from the characters to the setting, are modeled using computer programs. |
| Management |
| If you want to manage the process of making a computer game, a management degree from a major university would be beneficial. Having courses in management on your resume will look very good when it is being reviewed by the company's personnel department. The video game business is like all other business and, thus, all types of business courses relate. |
| Music |
| If you want to compose music for computer games, you are going to have to learn how to use your computer to make music. However, having a strong background in music is just as, if not more, important to produce music for computer games. Being able to play an instrument is also an obvious necessity. You will need to go to a university with a strong music school to refine your musical skills. |
| Programming |
| If you want to be a programmer, you are obviously going to need to learn some programming languages. Knowing C/C++ is a must in the game industry of today. There are many other languages to be learned and programming concepts to be mastered before you become a game programmer. Almost every major university has a computer science program which consists of this type of curriculum; however, not all universities are created equal. The Computer Science schools of some universities are much better than those of others. In general, if the university has a CS school and doesn't stick that major in another school, you'll be fine. |
| Writing |
| If you want to be a writer for computer games, you will most likely need an English degree from a major university. We can recommend that you take creative writing courses which take advantage of your cultivated imagination. Writing for computer games is no different than writing normal fiction. It needs to be interesting and pull the reader into the story; college will help you to learn this. |