Hey guys, Im in high school. I live Toronto, ON. I decided I want to pursue a career in Game Development. Im an okay student, I have a 85% so I believe I have a lot of options. Here is there problem.

My local University, University of Toronto, holds a Computer Science course, and thats it. They have a Game Development Club, but that's it. It really close to home, and I probably won't have to rent an apartment there or something. It's about 20 kilometers away from home. And Im not really into Computer Science.

Now my seconds choice is, the Rochester Institute of Technology. This University is just over Niagra Falls, so I would most definitely have to rent an apartment. It's like 300 kilometers away from home so yeah.. however this University has a pure Game Development course AND it's been rated the 2nd best school for Game Development. I don't know how I'll get used to it over there though... I'm Canadian so you know, Im pretty sure you guys have some crazy stereotypes over there. I don't know if I'll like it. But this is what I want to do as a career.

I dont know, Im in a weird situation, can someone give me some advice please? Thanks in advance.

I'm biased, because I'm a computer scientist, but if you can hack it and love math, the real computer science degree from an accredited program will not only teach you way more and give you more options when (not if) you get burnt out in gamedev, but it will also make you a more attractive hire. I assume that the CS degree option will also be significantly cheaper for you, because you'll get to stay in CA and also live with your parents, so take that into consideration as well. You do have to /love/ math though.

If you are really married to RIT but are afraid of being in the US, don't be. We don't have nearly as many crazies as one is lead to believe. Currently, our news-media is incentivized to dramatically overstate the number of extremists and stereotypes of various kinds in order to generate outrage and sell more newspapers, but in reality the day-to-day people you interact with (especially at universities) will be really chill. In the event that you DO actually meet someone with dramatically different opinions and attitudes from your own (the HORROR!), you should take the opportunity to learn something and expand your horizons, which is what a university experience is all about.

Yeah, Im not really in love with math :P I dont hate it but, I don't like it. Im good at it though. It seems UofT would be the right choice but... Im scared that I'll pay everything, and end up not liking Computer Science.. because I know I want to pursue game development as a career, computer science... not so much. I dont know, can you give me a heads up of what you leanr in CS? And do people take it even though they dont like it :S

Game development courses try to cram in all the practical applications of CS into a degree. Some employers like the game degrees, some don't, some look only at portfolios and tests. A CS degree will get you into more fields than a game degree. A game degree also seems to miss out on a LOT of the lower level stuff, like assembly, compilers (parsers/lexers), operating systems, parallel computation, etc. But it does teach a lot more of the higher level stuff, like AI, Graphics, and game design.

I'm a CS major, and would personally suggest it over a game-centric degree if your end goal is being a programmer.

Programming is programming. You're not going to suddenly start liking it when the data you're pushing around is the stats of orc armies instead of number of widgets sold.

^Actully... that's the whole point. I prefer to be surrounded in an enviorment with "orcs" and the like, instead of numbers and widgets... it makes it less dull.

But back to the question. If I want a career as a game programmer/designer, what's the best route to take? This game development course, or a computer science course?

Quote: Original post by Soap360
My local University, University of Toronto, holds a Computer Science course ...
Now my seconds choice is, the Rochester Institute of Technology. This University is just over Niagra Falls, so I would most definitely have to rent an apartment. ... however this University has a pure Game Development course AND it's been rated the 2nd best school for Game Development. I don't know how I'll get used to it over there though... I'm Canadian so you know, Im pretty sure you guys have some crazy stereotypes over there. I don't know if I'll like it. But this is what I want to do as a career.

I dont know, Im in a weird situation, can someone give me some advice please? Thanks in advance.

No, it is not a weird situation. It is a common situation. So common, in fact, that TWO sections of the Forum FAQ are devoted to it to ensure it has proper coverage.

Scroll up to the beginning of the thread and click on "View Forum FAQ" or just click the link I gave. Scroll down to Section 3: Education & Preparation. Follow those links and read the articles. When done, repeat for Section 2, How to Make a Decision.

Quote: Original post by Soap360
But back to the question. If I want a career as a game programmer/designer, what's the best route to take? This game development course, or a computer science course?

A programmer and a designer are very different.

Game programmer: Computer Science or Software Engineering degree.
Game designer: game-dev school + life experience.

Quote: Original post by Soap360
^Actully... that's the whole point. I prefer to be surrounded in an enviorment with "orcs" and the like, instead of numbers and widgets... it makes it less dull.

But back to the question. If I want a career as a game programmer/designer, what's the best route to take? This game development course, or a computer science course?

I think you missed my point.... Gamedev isn't particularly different from bizdev, except for (generally) longer hours, worse pay, and higher burnout rates. The vast majority of people in the industry do not stay there. Which leads to two points:

1. Even if you get into the industry, you're likely to leave it some time. Do you really want to spend ~30 years of your life doing something 'dull'?

2. Gamedev is just as dull as bizdev in practice. The end result, or context of the code doesn't make the process any different. If you hate the process of making software, make you shouldn't do that as a career.

If you hate the process of making software, make you shouldn't do that as a career.

...I've been programming for 4 years now. I like it. Im not so familiar with hardware however. Computer Science is like everything about computers. I just want in on Game dev.


Thats my only problem. It seems that I should take the CS course. BUT Im scared I'll drop out because it'll be to boring for me... I like programming, but I don't know as much about CS to judge it so, to all of you out there who took CS, is it as boring as I think it is? I love computers, but just 'computer science' sounds so hard, and challenging. I took 2 courses on computers, hardware and software. I liked them both, but... Computer Science, I dont know, will I get bored to death :P