First of all, hello GD Members.
I'm a new member in these wonderful forums.

I've got a question to ask, and I need help with it:
I'm beginning my education for a Software Engineer B.S.c. in October (which is a 4-year-long program) and my precise aim is to break into the game industry.
Lately, I've been looking also at same B.S.c. programs in Game Development and Game Design, and I figured, when I finish my B.S.c. at Software Engineering I could go and take that program of Game Development/Game Design.
But my question is, will I be able to work in the Game industry using only my Software Programming B.S.c., or do I seriously have to take another 3-year-long program of Game Development B.S.c. to even just get the chance to enroll in the game industry?
What would you advise me to do, GD members?

Any help is appreciated, since I'm a bit lost over here....

Thank you!

Get your SE degree and make plenty of games in your own time while you are studying. You do not need the 'games' degree to work in the industry. Start eyeing off graduate positions now (or even senior positions; you should have goals), so you will be prepared to rock your future employer's socks off with your amazing demos and resume once you graduate. Be awesome.

Get your SE degree and make plenty of games in your own time while you are studying. You do not need the 'games' degree to work in the industry. Start eyeing off graduate positions now (or even senior positions; you should have goals), so you will be prepared to rock your future employer's socks off with your amazing demos and resume once you graduate. Be awesome.

Sounds like a great plan, thank you!

I thought i would also ask a question here since my position is similar!

I'm hoping someone knowledgable on the subject can assess my situation and give me some advice! Please
I'll start by saying I have had a keen interest in making games ever since i discovered "The Games Factory" when i was about 13 , and i have been playing games ever since i got my first PS1 in primary school. I have always wanted to work in game development and i am now seriously considering it as a career path. I am currently in the final year of a BSc Physics degree at a top 10 university in the UK, where i have learnt the basics of C++ (and Java) from optional modules in my degree course, along with advanced mathematics and physics (including vectors etc.). In my first and second years i obtained a first and i'm aiming to finish with a first overall.

I am wondering whether it would be worth taking a one year course to obtain an MSc in Games Development/Programming* (on a SkillSet recommended course) to help me learn the skills needed for a game industry job, or to just try and teach myself and build up a portfolio? I think i would probably be best suited to a job involving programming/physics or something similar?

Thanks for any advice!

Josh

*I have read many conflicting articles on whether Games degrees are worthwhile, but i don't plan on doing another 3/4 years since i have already completed a degree.

*I have read many conflicting articles on whether Games degrees are worthwhile, but i don't plan on doing another 3/4 years since i have already completed a degree.

...and this is why game degrees are looked down upon and why the general advice is "go for SE/CS degree"; there is no standard. Thus, without any guidelines to write the book, the quality of the material falls completely upon which school is doing the teaching -- both in terms of how well it's taught and how relevant it really is. Not only that, but since there is no way to know what you actually learnt there is no useful metric to go by when HR tries to gauge your skill level from a mere piece of paper.

In the end, only you can decide whether it's worth it or not -- whether you will learn better from a teacher and a structured program or if you prefer blazing your own path of learning. There are a lot of bad game degrees out there; there are some good ones too. Sorting them out is nigh impossible without trying for yourself. One thing that should be mentioned is that even if you do go to a 'game school' or if you take a 'game degree' or whatever -- you'll still have to teach yourself. There will always be material your teachers leave out -- either because they are simply negligent or the curriculum doesn't cover it.

Game related stuff is usually the easier one to teach yourself; math, physics, computer science and software engineering are remarkably much harder. But, again, depends on one's personality and focus.

Good luck!

Good luck!

Thanks for your advice!

I guess the best thing for me to do then is to try and teach myself this year and see how far i get, then make a decision later down the line!