hey everyone, I just found this site and i been reading the forum for a couple of hours. I searched for a forum like this as soon as i became at a realization that game development jobs are now really competitive. My dream since playing pitfall as a kid was to make video games. As everyone knows the road to a dream doesn't always go smoothly as many would think. Now i'm stuck in louisiana helping my family business. The only school i could find that i can attend and help the family business is itt tech. Am I at disadvantage versus other schools like full sail and arts institute? What can i do get ahead in the industry? which programs should i self teach myself? Thank you for your time, Hyde04

The good news is that you're not at any disadvantage. In fact, going to full sail is likely a disadvantage compared to a more rounded education at a "normal" university. Assuming that you realize that game development is an industry where people are being paid less than average salaries to work 60 hour weeks with unpaid overtime, which part of game development specifically are you interested in?

I am most interested in level and character deveolpment. i understand a lot of jobs are underpaid. I was once a game tester for a month. i was supprised how horrible it was to be in the bottom of the food chain in the gaming industry, and i saw how great the guys "upstairs" had it.

Hey man don't get discouraged. I'm at Itt-Tech in Louisiana too. Nobody started in this business with an advantage they just found they own way to get there.

The industry, more so than most others, cares about skill over education. I've had lots of job offers and I never finished my B.Sc. For my last job I beat out a few other applicants with Full Sail degrees, etc.

When you say level and character development, do you mean level building and charater modelling/animation? The art side is crazy competitive. In your spare time build up a portfolio of levels using a level editor (ie: crack open the Warcraft 3 level editor and demonstrate knowledge of good level design). And play around in Maya/Max with modelling and animation. You'll get an in person interview (or not) based predominantly on what you can show.