Should I Go to a School to Become a Game Designer?
With the rise of the video game field and the responsibilities of Game Designers becoming more standard, many schools are offering courses that teach the fundamentals of game design and game development. Do you need a formal education to get a job in the industry?
Last post, we talked about mindset and understanding how Game Design isn't limited to a job title but instead can be something that feeds into how you entertain yourself. Today I am talking about some of the options available for formal game design training.
Training yourself comes in three main paths: a University Degree, a game design school, or self-education.
University Degrees
In recent years universities and colleges started to offer degrees in Game Design. This can be a great option if you're interested in pursuing the traditional path and committing to a four-year program through an accredited university.
This education comes in the form of a Bachelor's Degree. These programs vary, but they will generally take between two and three years to complete. University programs not only allow you to focus on your niche but will also prioritize a general education. While you're going to school for Game Design, there will be requirements to take classes in areas that aren't directly teaching you about your specific interest. You will be required to take Credits in different areas of study. For example, many universities require around 120 Credits to graduate with your degree. You will fill your course load with credits from different areas to achieve a balanced education. While your degree will have lots of great information about your field of study, it's a lot less focused than the alternatives, the Game Design Intensive.
While it is a long road to graduation with the four-year plan, don't underestimate the value of pushing yourself to learn different topics. These can be valuable insights you'll build upon in your future career. I had a wonderful time taking courses in Archaeology and Geology that I would have never normally exposed myself to otherwise. It sparked an intense love of old cities and cultural expression that I'm sure to weave into my future game projects.
A picture of the University of Saskatchewan where I went to school for two years in their Interactive Systems Design program. Photo by Kyla Duhamel.
After I graduated High School, I went to the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. They had started their Interactive Systems Design program and were still fleshing out the formats. I took two years in the program, and my personal learning style didn't mesh well with the lecture format at the time. At the end of year two, I decided this style wasn't for me, and I transitioned to the other primary type of education, the game design school.
Game Design Schools
The difference between a university program and a game design school is emphasizing a specific topic rather than a longer broad education in many subjects. While you'll learn about non-Computer Science and Design topics at University, the Game Design schools will focus on Games.
At a game design school, you'll learn all about the process of Pre-Production, Game Development, and Release. This process often concludes with a complete video game that is playable and reasonably polished. These programs usually provide a Diploma or Certificate of completion rather than a Bachelor's Degree.
It's worth noting that these schools are private for-profit companies, and the quality of education is not required to be held to specific standards. This ultimately means that as a customer (aka a student), you need to be diligent in which program you choose, as these for-profit schools make money off of getting as many students through the program as possible while maintaining as high of a reputation as possible. Read plenty of reviews and industry feedback about these schools online. There's more possibility here of making a wrong choice than taking a Degree program.
The most prominent Game Design used to be Digipen, famous for producing high-profile graduates, some of which even spun up their school projects to being picked up by Valve and developed into the acclaimed series Portal.
It's been around ten years since I graduated. Still, I had a great experience at Vancouver Film School's Game Design Program (the "Film" component is a misnomer - the school has a robust Game Design program). Fortunately for everyone, there are plenty of options available. Be sure to talk to graduates and determine which aligns best with your goals.
I have found that the biggest strength of these schools is not necessarily the curriculum but your classmates. Being surrounded by passionate gamers who have the fire of creation in mind is rocket fuel for learning. The amount of camaraderie you can experience in these settings will help teach you other perspectives, be able to get inspired by different ideas and push yourself to learn.
A major component of these schools is that the value comes through the opportunity to Network with the industry. Networking refers to your ability to connect with people and build relationships that allow you to have access to information and opportunities. That's a topic for another day, though!
Online Tutorials and Courses
More options exist today than ever before regarding online learning. Game Design isn't a subject where you need to sit in a physical location with restricted equipment or be in a location. Many games are developed on laptops in cafes. At a neighbourhood pub I would frequent, I'd spot one of the regulars up at the bar, typing code into Visual Studio while sipping a pint.
Going to post-secondary education is only an option that's available to some. The cost of education has been getting increasingly out of reach. When you go to either type of school, just because you're paying for the degree, the value you get out of it depends on your effort. Suppose you coast through these programs without applying your personality, learnings, or good nature. In that case, the high cost of tuition won't be worth it.
There are many accreditations out there for eager learners. However, the biggest challenge in Online Tutorials and Courses is just how reliant Game Design is on other fields. As a Game Designer, your work often depends on others to implement or take to the next step.
In my view, the biggest skill a Game Designer needs to have is that of Problem Solving. When you design a feature, once it gets implemented, You discover there are issues with other elements in the game, a Game Designer will need to step in to find the best answer (or more often than not, what we like to call the Least Bad Answer). So while these courses are best at teaching you the more technical side of games, Game Development rather than Game Design, they don't do as well to teach you the problem solving process and working with others.
Making Your Own Games!
We talked about universities, game design schools, and online courses, so with all that in mind...
You don't need to go to school to be a Game Designer.
There, I said it! My Diploma on the wall is shooting me a dirty look as I say this, but it's true. In fact, the most influential Game Designers in the world didn't go to a Game Design school. Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario and The Legend of Zelda, studied mechanical engineering rather than game design. Sid Meier, who created the Civilization series, worked on developing cash registers before games. We're lucky to be in such a dynamic, accessible industry. As long as you bring passion, a desire to learn, and bring positive energy to those around you, there's always a path in.
You can start being a game designer today! Game development software like Unity, Unreal, and Godot are only a few clicks in your browser away. A paper and pencil offer a broad potential to start sketching ideas and mechanics. You can work on any game you want, and you'll learn the process as you go!
Let's say, though, you are eager to start with any job in the industry. A common other path involves creating an entry-level path and working your way up into a design role. In a future post, we'll discuss starting in a position like Games Testing and how you might grow from there!
Keep Designing!
- Dave
