[bitTech] Only 5% of game design degrees accredited - Overclock.net

linskingdom · 06-19-08

Quote:

It's long been known to followers of the computer games industry that the UK doesn't hold the same sway that it used to, but according to the BBC we may now know why - a lack of proper courses for professionals.

In a survey of game development courses in the UK, the BBC found that there were a healthy 81 available courses centered around computer game development...but that only 4 of them were accredited courses.

The survey comes fresh on the heels of an outcry from the computer games industry in the UK, which claims that the UK government is not doing enough to support it compared to other arts businesses such as film. There's also a serious worry that graduates from all these 81 courses are not being properly equipped with the fundamental skills required to work in computer game development.

David Braben, creator of Elite! and chairman for the Games Up? campaign which is seeking to highlight the skills shortage in the UK put it bluntly, sayin "95% of video gaming degrees are simply not fit for purpose. Without some sort of common standard, like Skillset accreditation, these degrees are a waste of time for all concerned."

"We are facing a serious decline in the quality of graduates looking to enter the industry," continued Braben. "The death of maths, physics and computer science graduates is hitting us hard."

Comments from the BBC story are also quite interesting and eye-opening, with lecturers claiming that the problem lies in finding out what skills and tools the industry requires graduates to be skilled in.

Source

*VulcanDragon* · 06-19-08

Sounds like a bunch of whining to me. If math, physics, and computer science skills are what the games industry wants, they exist in droves. You just have to convince the engineering students to become game developers instead of engineers!

"Game developer degrees" didn't even exist back in the 90s, but what they say they want is the exact course work I took in college. (Bachelor's in Computer Science from Ohio State's College of Engineering, for the record.) Apparently I should apply for a game developer job, I've apparenbtly got in-demand talent.

SugarySnack · 06-19-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by VulcanDragon

Sounds like a bunch of whining to me. If math, physics, and computer science skills are what the games industry wants, they exist in droves. You just have to convince the engineering students to become game developers instead of engineers!

"Game developer degrees" didn't even exist back in the 90s, but what they say they want is the exact course work I took in college. (Bachelor's in Computer Science from Ohio State's College of Engineering, for the record.) Apparently I should apply for a game developer job, I've apparenbtly got in-demand talent.

I am taking a Bachelor of Computer Science next year as well. Look at what any gaming company wants the most out of a programmer. A bachelor in Math or Computer Science. Maybe I will be in demand 4 years from now.

Jarhead · 06-19-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by VulcanDragon

Sounds like a bunch of whining to me. If math, physics, and computer science skills are what the games industry wants, they exist in droves. You just have to convince the engineering students to become game developers instead of engineers!

"Game developer degrees" didn't even exist back in the 90s, but what they say they want is the exact course work I took in college. (Bachelor's in Computer Science from Ohio State's College of Engineering, for the record.) Apparently I should apply for a game developer job, I've apparenbtly got in-demand talent.

Yeah, I think it would be a better idea to keep them on track to becoming engineers and import their games. In fact if we could begin to do the same in this country it would be a REALLY good idea.

And to go one step farther, we should have the young engineers have to work with their hands in the fields that they will be designing for before they can get their certification. Somebody designing car parts should have to intern as a mechanic, architects as carpenters, landscape architects digging trenches, an on and on. Mate education with actual experience.

Sekigahara · 06-23-08

The problem with developing games is that it's still finding it's comfortable niche. It's not like movies or music, which rely on mostly artistic ability, and it's not like mathematics or engineering, which are mostly right brain functioning (I think it's right brain). Games require people who can program and code as well as the artistic ability to create a vivid and creative game.

The biggest problem has been finding people who can do both of these things, can do them both well, and are good at helping the two different groups of thinkers communicate well together so they can perform efficiently and creatively.

*VulcanDragon* · 06-24-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sekigahara

The problem with developing games is that it's still finding it's comfortable niche. It's not like movies or music, which rely on mostly artistic ability, and it's not like mathematics or engineering, which are mostly right brain functioning (I think it's right brain). Games require people who can program and code as well as the artistic ability to create a vivid and creative game.

The biggest problem has been finding people who can do both of these things, can do them both well, and are good at helping the two different groups of thinkers communicate well together so they can perform efficiently and creatively.

This isn't really true anymore...if a game is using a single person for double-duty as a coder and a content creator, that project is doomed to fail. It's not 1983 anymore, you just can't get away with that. Coders need to be true experts in their technology, and the content demands of modern gamers require experts in content creation. These are very different skill sets. It also ignores the reality that there are more than "coders" and "creatives" in games anymore; even within the technical side of the house, skill sets are highly specialized. Someone good at 3D engine development is not the same person as the motion capture personnel, the 2D interface design, the sound design, etc.

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[bitTech] Only 5% of game design degrees accredited

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