Greetings GameDev.net!

I have a rather odd request and I'm unsure if this is the right place to ask such things, but here goes:

First some background:

I teach Web Development at a rural community college in Iowa. I've also taught some elective game development classes. In recent years there has been great interest from high school students in the area wanting learn about game development. In an effort to meet this need, my college has tasked me with putting together curriculum for a full 2-year Game Development & Design degree. I have completed this task and now I need your help...

A request:

I am in need of volunteers that have experience working in the gaming industry to give their opinions and input regarding the curriculum we have created. Basically, you would be serving on the "Advisory Committee" for the program. As I mentioned, my school is located in rural Iowa so we are without direct access to game dev. companies locally. Advisory Committee meetings would be held online once per year, or ongoing through a forum or group chat of some kind. Once the advisory committee gives its blessing on the curriculum, it can be pushed through the necessary state agencies and departments.

In conclusion:

Dedicated professionals need only apply. Even though graduates of the program would most likely need to travel to find entry level employment, the need and desire is here and we want to provide students the opportunity to succeed in the field.

Mods, of course, please move this to a more appropriate home, if you feel there is one.

Thanks for your time!

Kevin

I live too far away to be an "advisory person", but I do have some ideas.

1: Since you already teach web development, focuses your game dev classes on JavaScript (HTML5) and PHP ( maybe some Action Script also )

2: Since it's a popular fad right now, start an "intensive learning" class, that only lasts 5 - 9 weeks - they are called "Programming Boot Camps" .

3: Make sure the classes do not teach irrelevant material. ( One college I looked at had 60% of the credits coming from English literature, world history and public speaking ).

Add standard game starter kits

example 1. pong, 2.pac man ... finally FPS and later intro to bsp.

Also History of games evolution is important.

Important people to become role models for new game developers. Such as John Carmak,

Cover 3-4 types of game engines.

And a basic classifications of genre

Remove the word "design" from your program title. That is, remove it unless you actually are teaching budding game designers, in which case remove the programming aspect.


As for it being a two year program, that is not enough for game programming. If you want a game programming job you need a 4-year degree in computer science or similar. Graduates of a two year program will be disappointed when they learn their two year degree compares negatively against the armies of graduates from 4-year programs, and the degree will not yield a job in the industry.


Go take a look at Tom Sloper's site and pay attention to the articles on game schools. Thanks to a number of for-profit schools pushing bad degrees in 'game design' you will need to overcome a lot of stigma. The articles include tidbits of what to look for in good schools, so make sure you include those good things while avoiding the bad things.

Thank you all for your replies. I'll address some of the points mentioned above:

Remove the word "design" from your program title. That is, remove it unless you actually are teaching budding game designers, in which case remove the programming aspect.


As for it being a two year program, that is not enough for game programming. If you want a game programming job you need a 4-year degree in computer science or similar. Graduates of a two year program will be disappointed when they learn their two year degree compares negatively against the armies of graduates from 4-year programs, and the degree will not yield a job in the industry.


Go take a look at Tom Sloper's site and pay attention to the articles on game schools. Thanks to a number of for-profit schools pushing bad degrees in 'game design' you will need to overcome a lot of stigma. The articles include tidbits of what to look for in good schools, so make sure you include those good things while avoiding the bad things.

Design through coursework in Modeling/Animation

A professor who failed to do the recommend reading?

Let me provide some brief quotes from the reading I recommended above:

What is game design? It isn't programming and it isn't graphics. Game design is the setting forth of a series of documents that describe in detail what a finished game will be. It's like drawing a blueprint for a building. It's like drawing a road map of a cross-country SUV race. The purpose of game design is to create a plan that will enable the development team to create a game under a single vision.

To become a game designer, you will need a broad education. ... Game designers are, ABOVE ALL, effective communicators and storytellers. Don't sleep through your writing, acting, and speaking classes. ... The point is that game designers, as creators of worlds for players to inhabit, need to have a solid understanding of what worlds are made of. ... Professional game designers like me use Microsoft Word to write design documents. I use Excel to create my tables and graphs, and I use Microsoft Paint to make most illustrations for my game design documents. You DO have to be a writer to become a game designer. So the most important tools of the game designer are those that help him produce game design documents.

Before you accidentally provide a disservice to your students and to the industry, please first learn about the subject you want to teach.

as I mentioned there is a hunger is this area for these types of classes and we want to meet the demand.

Unfortunately, that is precisely why people (correctly) assume that most game schools are frauds, a waste of money, and should be avoided.

Consider both the supply and the demand.

First, the supply of designers. People think "I have ideas for better games, I like games but I cannot program and cannot create art, I should be the idea guy who bosses everyone around!" Consequently there is a huge supply of people wanting to make games. Most of the supply is absolute garbage. It is a very sad thing that many of these people spent money in 'game design' schools and classes only to discover real life and debt on the other end of their education. Sadly the education system (and scammers) are pandering to these folk, taking their money and certifying hundreds of 'designers' every year.

Next, the demand of designers. A game team of fifty or one hundred people will include one or two designers. A studio of 200 people can really only employ perhaps 4 designers total. Openings are extremely rare since turnover is low. New jobs are even less common, perhaps ten or twenty design jobs are created GLOBALLY at game studios every year. Most of these jobs are filled by people who already have game development experience. Game designer is not an entry level position, and there is no reliable route to breaking in to the industry through design.

It is disgusting and sad to watch scammers and well-intentioned schools induce people who lose years of their lives and tens of thousands of dollars on a game designer certification that has no real-world value.

Programming is a somewhat different topic than design. There is more turnover and many jobs available to those already in the field, but still there are only a few hundred entry level game programming jobs GLOBALLY at game studios every year. Contrast this with the over 12,000 CS bachelor's recipients every year in just the US.


Many traditional schools will offer their traditional degrees in art or programming and include some classes focused on interactive media, games, or simulation development. Augmenting a traditional program with a few game-related and media-related topics is useful. If your 2-year degree were at the master's level focusing on those topics that would be somewhat useful. However, a 2-year associates-level degree in "game design and programming" is a disservice.

In your haste to give students what they think they want (and what they are ignorantly willing to pay for), you may be unwittingly setting them up for real-world failure and unnecessary student debt.

Design through coursework in Modeling/Animation

A professor who failed to do the recommend reading?

Let me provide some brief quotes from the reading I recommended above:

What is game design? It isn't programming and it isn't graphics. Game design is the setting forth of a series of documents that describe in detail what a finished game will be. It's like drawing a blueprint for a building. It's like drawing a road map of a cross-country SUV race. The purpose of game design is to create a plan that will enable the development team to create a game under a single vision.

To become a game designer, you will need a broad education. ... Game designers are, ABOVE ALL, effective communicators and storytellers. Don't sleep through your writing, acting, and speaking classes. ... The point is that game designers, as creators of worlds for players to inhabit, need to have a solid understanding of what worlds are made of. ... Professional game designers like me use Microsoft Word to write design documents. I use Excel to create my tables and graphs, and I use Microsoft Paint to make most illustrations for my game design documents. You DO have to be a writer to become a game designer. So the most important tools of the game designer are those that help him produce game design documents.

Before you accidentally provide a disservice to your students and to the industry, please first learn about the subject you want to teach.

as I mentioned there is a hunger is this area for these types of classes and we want to meet the demand.

Unfortunately, that is precisely why people (correctly) assume that most game schools are frauds, a waste of money, and should be avoided.

Consider both the supply and the demand.

First, the supply of designers. People think "I have ideas for better games, I like games but I cannot program and cannot create art, I should be the idea guy who bosses everyone around!" Consequently there is a huge supply of people wanting to make games. Most of the supply is absolute garbage. It is a very sad thing that many of these people spent money in 'game design' schools and classes only to discover real life and debt on the other end of their education. Sadly the education system (and scammers) are pandering to these folk, taking their money and certifying hundreds of 'designers' every year.

Next, the demand of designers. A game team of fifty or one hundred people will include one or two designers. A studio of 200 people can really only employ perhaps 4 designers total. Openings are extremely rare since turnover is low. New jobs are even less common, perhaps ten or twenty design jobs are created GLOBALLY at game studios every year. Most of these jobs are filled by people who already have game development experience. Game designer is not an entry level position, and there is no reliable route to breaking in to the industry through design.

It is disgusting and sad to watch scammers and well-intentioned schools induce people who lose years of their lives and tens of thousands of dollars on a game designer certification that has no real-world value.

Programming is a somewhat different topic than design. There is more turnover and many jobs available to those already in the field, but still there are only a few hundred entry level game programming jobs GLOBALLY at game studios every year. Contrast this with the over 12,000 CS bachelor's recipients every year in just the US.


Many traditional schools will offer their traditional degrees in art or programming and include some classes focused on interactive media, games, or simulation development. Augmenting a traditional program with a few game-related and media-related topics is useful. If your 2-year degree were at the master's level focusing on those topics that would be somewhat useful. However, a 2-year associates-level degree in "game design and programming" is a disservice.

In your haste to give students what they think they want (and what they are ignorantly willing to pay for), you may be unwittingly setting them up for real-world failure and unnecessary student debt.

Understood At this point we have assembled the required committee and this thread can be considered "closed". Thanks everyone for the input!