How much demand is there for people with a degree in Digital Media:Concentration in Game Development?

I'm wanting to go to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) and plan on going into the program listed above. Are there a lot of jobs out there that would need the skills I will obtain? Some of the skills are:


- Introduction to Interactive Design and Game Development


- Digital Design Aesthetics


-Modeling, Materials and Lighting


- Interactive Design


- Programming for Interactivity+


- C++ Programming I+


- Environment and Level Design


-Game Design Criticism and Analysis


-Film and Digital Media Elective


I'm a little nervous about the money I will be investing so wanted to know that it WILL BE OKAY!!!! :o)





In addition to all that I'll learn Dreamweaver, Flash and Photoshop.





What do you think?


What's my earning potential do you think?





Oh man I'm stressed....

How much demand is there for people with a degree in Digital Media:Concentration in Game Development?
How much demand is there for people with a degree in Digital Media with a concentration in Game Development? In short, ZERO!





I've been in the computer game development industry for almost a decade. Believe me when I say, that program is absolute crap. It is one of several dozen programs for "game development" that has sprung up in the past few years, and like all the others, it's a waste of your time and money.





There are four basic areas of the development team: design, programming, art, and level building. Designers write up the details of every tiny aspect of the game and come up with the math to support it. Programmers take the written details from the designers and implement it using programming languages like C++ and/or in-house tools. Artists create the 3D art, animations, textures, etc for everything in the game. And level builders take assets created by the artists and create the physical layout of the world.





The program at SCAD will give you a taste for each of the four areas of development, but not enough knowledge in any of them to actually get a job. If you are very interested in level building, a program like that can be a good way to get some exposure to it (but so are the Art Institutes, and simply building mods on your own). For programming, design, or art, go to a regular 4 year college. If you want to be a game programmer, you *need* a Bachelor's in Computer Science. If you want to be anything other than a programmer, you really only need Intro to Computer Science (so that you can work well with programmers later on). If you want to be a game artist, you should get a Bachelor's of Fine Arts at any good 4 year college that offers classes in 3D/computer art and animation.





For design, there isn't a major or a school that is best -- but again, any program that has "game" in the title should be avoided like the plague. In all my years in the game industry, I have never met or heard of ANYONE who got a degree in Game Design/Development who went on to become a professional game designer. Not a single person. Every designer I have ever worked with, met, or heard of has a degree from a regular college, in anything from Biology to Theatre. So if you want to be a designer -- the person who comes up with the story, the combat moves, the mobs, every tiny detail of the game -- go to a normal college and major in anything you want.





What you major in doesn't really matter with design, but there are a lot of skills you can pick up at any regular college. Along with the courses for your major, take math up through Calculus 1, and at least two courses in Statistics, two courses in writing (the more the better), one Computer Science course, and one art course. Math and writing are the main tools of a designer, and the CS and art courses will help you work with your programmer and artist colleagues later on. Fill up the rest of your course requirement with a wide liberal arts education -- history, literature, mythology, sociology, psychology, etc, are all useful in game design.





Another thing to consider is the location of the school. Most game companies will not pay for relocation for an entry level job, and some won't even interview you if you don't live in the area, so it is a lot easier to find a job after college if you already live near several game studios. How many game companies are there in Savannah? ZERO! There are a handful in Atlanta, and a few in Raleigh (see the maps here: http://gamedevmap.com/index.php?tool=loc... and here: http://gamedevmap.com/index.php?tool=loc... ), but those are not within commuting distance, making the job much more difficult to get. There are easily 5 times as many game studios in Los Angeles, or Seattle, or San Francisco, or Austin. It is in your best interest to go to a normal college near a city with at least 10 game studios.





Save yourself the money and the stress. Go to a college that will actually prepare you to work in the game industry, in a city with actual game studios.





Good luck!
Reply:This post fails to address one issue. A pre established biasness of the Game Industry against people who can't afford to go to these prestigious 4 year colleges, like MIT or Georgia Tech. . There are more than a handful of companies in Atlanta, they are just small and Indie. Report It

Reply:The game industry has it's own market from the rest of software development. Things to note:





Gaming companies are notorious for requiring crazy work hours, though some are actively trying to improve this.





Tons of people want to work on games because "it's fun", which often means more people competing for these jobs.





The gaming industry is still very largely dominated by males. If you are comfortable in that environment, this can work to your advantage because many companies are actively seeking females.





You major sounds extremely interesting and as long as you have the passion to work hard at it and become good at what you do, I am sure you will find a job with those skills.
Reply:Game design is a rapidly growing market right now. And why not? People love them! Digital media is huge to be in right now since it's so popular! Even if you don't go into a concentration in game development... What about animating? Animation in movies is huge as well right now! I'm sure you'll do just fine :)
Reply:Although i never think its a bad idea to go to school and get more educated on anything, keep in mind that this is a talent based industry. Whether you are looking at Game Design, Graphic Design or the Film industry, they are all going to be based on skill. The school will help you develop this to a degree, but it is an artistic talent.





I know and am proficent in:


all adobe (premiere, after effects, photoshop, illustrator, etc...)


macromedia~now adobe(flash, dreamweaver and macromedia fireworks)


3d studio Max


and a few other design programs





I earned a degree just as your are, just make sure that you focus heavily on creating a demo reel while in college! Trust me thats going to be more important then your degree itself-ive talked to people from disney, pixar, skylabs, dreamworks, industrial lights and magic and EA games and they all agree.





Oh yeah, almost forgot this is also a VERY competitive industry to be a part of. You usually are not just competing with people in the usa, but more people around the world.