Want To Get Schooled By Levelord?

Kelli Hagen writes to point out a new CNN article about college degrees in video gaming, particularly the new 18-month course offered by The Guildhall at SMU. We've run stories on gaming university courses before, but this course is interesting because it has leading Texan game developers helping with curriculum and teaching, including id's Graeme Devine, Monkeystone's Tom Hall, and, of course, Ritual's highly 'individual' Richard 'Levelord' Gray.

Worthwhile Degree?

[Ochobee]

I'm wondering how many of the enrolled students will go on to actual work in the game industry. This seems like it is a great big sinkhole to lead people astray from getting degrees that they may actually be able to utilize in the real world.Then again, how many degrees are actually used for careers in that field? Time to go break out that Philosophy degree of mine and give it a good dusting off...

Re:Worthwhile Degree?

[Anonymous Coward]

BA in Computer Science, and now I'm a game programmer. Having been doing this for a while now, I think what I missed from college was a class on 3d graphics, better implementations of linear algebra in code (alternate representations of angles and rotations... quaternions, etc.)... and... umm... that's about it.

Good coding is good coding.

Re:Worthwhile Degree?

[PhoenixOne]

I have a degree in "Real-Time Interactive Simulation" (computer games) and I have a job in the field.

Thank you DigiPen. :)

Re:Worthwhile Degree?

[Smidge204]

Personally speaking, a degree is worthwhile if I get the satisfaction and personal experience I expect for the money I paid. It need not necessarily further my career goals.

Though granted, furthering one's career is generally the kind of satisfaction and personal experience most people are looking for, at least when it comes to education. :)
=Smidge=

Auckland University, NZ

[MrBigInThePants]

AU is deciding to run a masters level paper in game design next year. It will be jointly run by the Graphics and AI groups. Definitely something I will be taking next year myself. Unlike many other "fringe" institutions, the AU CS department is the countries largest and does not offer papers based on "popular choice" to make money, but by genuine research areas.