Maybe this has been discussed before, I don''t know, but has anyone ever taken any classes through GameInstitute.com? If so, what was you experience like? Was it tough just taking a class over the internet? Did you think it was worth the money? I''d like to hear anyone''s thoughts on this. Thanks.

Hi,My experience with Game Institute has been ALL positive.
The course i took was the c\c++,i found it fast paced(but i like that,as it made me study harder so i didn't fall behind that week)but you have the option to take as long as you need,if you want to do it that way.

On the c\c++ course,it was 6 weeks(6 lessons),which eased you from the basics through to the more advanced.They have Lectures(which are Audio,and slides)which you'd normally start off with,and then go to the Texts,which are more detailed versions(explains in much more detail)about that particular lesson.

it wasn't easy,but if you study hard,and give it your all,for me it was a better experience than previous attempts from trying to learn from books.You can ask questions on their forum,and join chat sessions with the tutor,and other students,where as learning from a book you may think you have understood certain parts,and haven't,at Game-Institute they will aswer any questions you have,and give you the best advice to that particular question.

Yes,i thought it was worth the money,as a start into c++,after that i bought the book 'Effective C++'which is a fantastic book,and i plan on taking some of the more advanced courses at Game-Institute later this year.

This was just a begginer course that i took,they have some very advanced courses,but based on my first experience,i will take more as it was a very enjoyable learning experience.

Hope this helps,
Steve.

oh,at the end of the course,you have a test(a bunch of questions)
i passed with 82% of correct answers,and you get a certificate(not REAL qualifications obviously)but saying,you passeD all the requirments that Game-Institute had set for you.





[edited by - SteveB on February 19, 2003 10:34:41 PM]

[edited by - SteveB on February 19, 2003 10:37:31 PM]

I was thinking that for $70 to $90 per class it may be a helpful way to learn. Thanks for the input.

Glad to help,i don't think you'll regret spending the cash for one of their courses,they really are Top-Notch,and know there stuff.They're all professional teachers and have industry
background or REAL experience in this field.
Steve.


[edited by - SteveB on February 19, 2003 11:25:15 PM]

90% of the classes GI offers are totally worth the money. The only class I regret signing up for was the AI one - Genetic algo or something to that effect. It was basically like paying for a $15 screen saver..

Personally, I'd take the BSP/CSG class created by Gary Simmons & Adam Hoult.. It's by far the best resource on these topics you can find anywhere.. I signed up for it when GI first came out, and they are still updating this course with new material


Regards,
Nate Strandberg

[edited by - nstrg on February 19, 2003 11:40:12 PM]

I did take Terrain rendering course. It has been pretty well explained. PDF of the lectures are also nicely done, so if you print it youhave pretty nice studying material. What is most important is that you can actually ask any questions related to course material and you get a real answer from somebody who understands this. So yes, it`s worth the money. Personally for me, it has been pretty easy since I`ve already been through the basics of terrain rendering. And you have classes only once a week - we had them on Thursday so you had whole weekend to play with it. I`m definitely betting on taking some advanced ones in the future.

i enrolled for the c/c++ class, and it''s worth the money IMO. you got a downloadable textbook, audio lectures/slides, forums to post questions in, and chat sessions. i still haven''t finished it but i plan to. i think it''s a good experience. i''ll be going back to the univ. soon, but i still plan on doing gameinstitute on the side. wish they''d give real credits etc tho, but still pretty cool alternative to a book.

Very positive experience for me, too. I took the DirectX course, the Mathematics course, and the BSP course. My only complaint is that the forum interface was very slow - it seemed to me like a private newsgroup would''ve worked better. I''d definitely recommend taking courses there - the math course in particular had a great instructor, and I feel like I got more out of the courses than I would''ve gotten out of spending the same ammount of cash on books.

-Glyph