AnimeFantasyFan said:

Settling for a BA degree in digital arts and design or something similar is what I should do then?

I've been told to stay away from degrees in the gaming side. There's a BA in Game Art & Development that I'm really interested in but I'm being told to steer away from it.

Should I listen to what people tell me or just go with it?

I personally don't like “gaming” related degrees. Even if you ‘can’ get a job outside of a game studio as well, I find employers prefer ones they recognize as well. Think about what you're going to do if you cannot find an entry level job at a game studio, and you have to apply at a marketing agency for example.

The other thing to consider is that artist related jobs heavily depend on your portfolio. Do you have one? The degree can help with the screening process, but you need a portfolio.

AnimeFantasyFan said:
Should I listen to what people tell me

Do you hear yourself? You're asking “people” if you should listen to “people”! The degree you take is YOUR decision. It's YOUR life (or, to put it another way, it's your LIFE).

Don't ask us (strangers) what you should do. Make your own decision. Don't listen to people who say to stay away from degrees you're interested in. Your interests are casting light on your path in life going forward. Don't ignore your interests, your own passions, your unique talents! Here's another one to read: https://sloperama.com/advice/lesson47.html​

I think it is just the uncertainty and it scares some people so they want a definite answer which really doesn't exist.

Ask questions, review all the information, and make a choice. There are no guarantees in life but death and taxes, and life throws curve balls all the time. Not everyone has to take the same path to end up at the same destination either.

I fully agree to not ignore your interests, passions, and unique talents. ?

Rutin said:
I think it is just the uncertainty and it scares some people so they want a definite answer which really doesn't exist.

I remember asking my high school guidance counselor to make my decision for me (to tell me which college(s) I should apply to). He wouldn't do it, and he was right.

Tom Sloper said:

Rutin said:
I think it is just the uncertainty and it scares some people so they want a definite answer which really doesn't exist.

I remember asking my high school guidance counselor to make my decision for me (to tell me which college(s) I should apply to). He wouldn't do it, and he was right.

I fully agree with that. There is a difference between asking for information so you can make an informed decision, and for someone to make the choice for you.

It is very important to make your own choices in life and accept the consequences that follow, good and bad. I've had conversations with people who just went along with another individual's direction and now they “blame” that person for their lack of success. In reality they didn't take ownership in directing their own life choices, and they're to fully blame in that regard.

I'll be honest, I was like that too… I wanted someone to pull out their crystal ball and tell me what path to take.

From my experience it useally goes wrong when people fell decisions on which way to go based on external guidance or even urge. Sooner or later they will regret it. I'd rather let them ponder a bit longer, until the urge to do something is big enough :-)

Another thing, imo there is no such thing as a best or unique decision. Certainty is an illusion and has a half life, and the mind as well as the horizon changes when underway studying and learning. And nothing comes for free, there'll allways be things that are easy to grasp und understand while others require long hard work.

You know best what's your thing and what not so much. So, just start. The uncertainty will probably not go away, but the views will change and the horizon widen.

There's a curated list of schools offering video game design degrees at learnaboutvideogames.com

theesa.com used to offer a similar list. It disappeared sometime in the past year.

The Digital art and design degree would be more general and recognizable to most people. The problem with the game degree is you might pigeon whole yourself into applying in the games industry, and other industries tend to look down on, or not know what to do with people with game degrees.

You don't want to be stuck in an unrelated industry simply because people think game degrees are too specialized. The game degree is not the golden ticket into the industry as some colleges claim.