i am interested in game development , what its all about, where to start and whether this is a possibility and can be acheived with hard work? i have a little background with web design, so i kinda get what game programming will be like.. i think. im gonna be 21 in july. is this a feasible career path, if done right, with a good attitude? or is this something that you need to start when your young? how would you ever land a job with one of the big developers out there? not only would you have to go to school, or school yourself, but you also have to create your own game by yourself? really, im just wondering where to start. like 30 minutes ago i went down and talked to the lady who runs the math, science department at my local community college. her son works for activision and was a programmer for a while before being promoted. i didnt really ask for advice, but she didnt give any either. i didnt really know what to ask.. i kinda asked some basic questions about what i would be taking in CS and some other random thoughts i had. i am really interested. i went to the library today and picked up some C++ books and a C# book. can you help me with some advice, or tips? im gonna read some of these books and try some of the examples they give and see if i like it. then im gonna give some serious thought about taking CS up in college. i read somewhere that CS classes actually look better on your resume than actually specifically learning game programming from a college that specifically teaches game programming? not quite sure what else i should ask or say. thank you for reading this and i hope you have a great day .



whats are the the hours like? do you normally work 8 hour shifts, but when launch comes closer and theres still a lot of work to do, does the hours increase for long periods of time? if the hours do get increased for long periods of time, is there any reward or releif for working so many hours? i seen on a website that some companys, depending on their schedule, allow employees to take a couple weeks off for their hard work and effort. do employees receive bonus's for launching a successful game? if a company is making two or three different games, do you get to choose which game you would like to work on sometimes if youve been there for a while?


Thank you again.

whats are the the hours like? do you normally work 8 hour shifts, but when launch comes closer and theres still a lot of work to do, does the hours increase for long periods of time? if the hours do get increased for long periods of time, is there any reward or releif for working so many hours? i seen on a website that some companys, depending on their schedule, allow employees to take a couple weeks off for their hard work and effort. do employees receive bonus's for launching a successful game? if a company is making two or three different games, do you get to choose which game you would like to work on sometimes if youve been there for a while?

I know it is a crap answer but it is also the best answer you going to get.

It varies.

It varies on company, team and people.

Yep. And it generally requires a degree. I recommend a bachelor's degree. In computer science, computer engineering; or game programming if colleges are offering anything that specific yet.

Try checking out the "Breaking Through" forum. It may have even more help than that listed here. And Tom Sloper, who definitely knows his stuff, actively reads over there.

Frosty, you should read the Breaking In FAQs (see link above). After you've thoroughly explored the FAQs, then ask different questions.
You WILL get good answers here, but it's best to start by reading the Frequently Asked Questions (which have already been answered many times).