What Are the Advantages/Disadvantages of Game Schools?

GameCareerGuide has up an article looking at the pros and cons of going to a 'game school'. There are a number of programs in schools across the country that now focus on game development, game design, and creating game art. Are they worth it? "First, and probably most importantly, game-specific schools do not typically offer a comprehensive undergraduate education. Some game programs, as well as art schools, will actually encourage young students to go elsewhere for their undergraduate education and return to game school for more advanced training. I've literally heard that out of the mouths of art school faculty: Go get your bachelor's degree at a traditional university, then come back and apply to art school after you've learned a little more about the world. And while it's true that not everyone is cut out for a traditional education in the humanities or sciences, many many people who initially fight it find it invaluable after the fact. "

Advantage:

[Rob T Firefly]

You learn how to tighten up those graphics! [joystiq.com]

What do you intend to get out of it?

[BadAnalogyGuy]

Do you want to be a game programmer? Are you fucking insane?

Long hours. Low pay. Constant threat of unemployment. Lousy managers. Corrupt company owners. Hell on Earth.

A degree from a game school is like a degree from DeVry, except with less real-world applicability.

You won't find Digipen grads running game companies. You'll find them slaving away for lousy managers and corrupt bosses. Get a business degree and hire a bunch of coders to write your game. Hell, pitch in whenever you have the chance. Whatever you do, don't waste your time trying to be a game developer.

Adv. & Disadv.

[TheDreadSlashdotterD]

Advantage: You prove you're an idiot without having to say a word.

Disadvantage: No one in their right mind will ever hire you.

Advantage

[weirdcrashingnoises]

instead of 85% of your college buddies being addicted to WoW, it will be more like 99%!

Re:Get a batchellors

[langelgjm]

Get a batchellors. You learn as much in class as you do out of class in the social interactions between your classmates and the dynamics of the university, even if you live off campus.

You might even learn how to spell "bachelor". Sorry, couldn't resist!

I go to school down the street from Full Sail...

[Digitus1337]

I attend UCF, about 5 miles up the road. We're one of the biggest universities in the country, so we really dwarf Full Sail, but the proximity affords us a nice bunch of gamers to pick on for the local LAN centers. "Stick to making these things," is effective trash-talk.