Okay, So I am going to be a Junior this year in High School and as most of you know this is the year you start looking at colleges programs things that interest you and PSAT and SAT AND ACT help. So heres a little background on me who I am and what I like:
I love video-games first and foremost the most enjoyment i get out of my life is the girl i am in love with and video-games are next. I am a kind person and I LOVE helping others enjoy their time in this world. Last two years i thought of ways to give back to the world what the world has given me and I said why not make video-games that can inspire other children and make them happy like the people who create this gen games have made me happy. My main two skills are Good memory and good mathematic skills. I do well in all types of math and I do decent in Science. My overall GPA for now is a 2.5 and i have to bring that to at least a 3 this year I know but i feel i have the ability to do it if i put my mind to it. I am interested in Programming maybe A.I programming or scripting events but IDK that just yet. So here are a couple of questions I have for you guys:
First, Should i look into a Game Design Program or should i be looking at A.I programming courses or just plain programming?
What are some good Colleges that offer Game Design as a Bachelors study(if it would be better to do Game design, If it would be better for AI programming or just plain programming which are good colleges for those?)
Out of the colleges can you speak a little about them are they a competitive college academically, athletically? Whats the campus atmosphere like, do they offer game competitions? does it have access to a good working internet connection? Is the staff Good? Is it a big or small Campus, How big is the Student body? Student to Faculty Ratio? and finally Is it a fun, hard working or some of both?
Thanks in advance to anyone offering help!
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Not even Death will save you from Diablo Bunny's Cuteness!
You will survive if you don't get your GPA to a 3.0 although I wouldn't recommend going any lower than you are with a 2.5. Id take some programming classes and then some art classes if you need the inspiration. As far as which college to go to Im not sure who is the best.. but trust me when I say you dont necessarily have to shoot for the "best college in the wold" for what ever it is you are doing. Be smart and take some classes at a community college and transfer those first few semesters worth of general classes to an accredited university. That way if the school you go to is expensive you wont necessarily face a mountain of debt when you graduate and you can actually relax and focus on saving up money for a house as apposed to a decade of paying back your student loans. You will learn from your professors and your friends about what to do and how to continue during your first year or so if you keep asking questions. Going into programming will for sure put you on the right track as this will be a key element towards designing computer/console games. Keep asking those questions. When Im a little less tired Ill come back and add to your thread. I know I didn't answer all your questions yet.
Many people say you need to take PSAT, SAT, ACT etc. but with your current GPA you would need to do extremely well on those tests in order to "outshine" your competition. One option, is looking into community colleges in your area and taking prerequisites courses there, then transferring to a university. If you choose to do the community college route you do Not need to take any of the tests listed above. Now... I'm not saying don't take those tests, but that is an option many people don't tell you, that's all I'm saying.
Like you, I would like to give back what has been given to me. I chose to pursue a career in the medical field. As for which career you should go for and the best way to give back to everyone, that is something entirely up to you. Go after whatever career you think you will enjoy the most. Unless you plan on changing jobs a lot, it would suck to be in a career you can't stand for the next 40+ years of your life. So do something you enjoy that you think will benefit others, if that is what you desire.
Now, as far as which schools you should look into or attend, I would strongly suggest talking to your counselor at your high school. I have no idea where your live, what you can afford and can't afford, if out-of-state colleges are an option for you etc. that is all stuff you need to bring up to your counselor. Once you have those questions answered you can figure out and narrow done what colleges are an option and most of all what is going to work well for you. When you have everything narrowed down, then research, research, research. Look at the colleges websites, call them up and ask about their programs, talk to the counselor's at the universities, have your high school counselor communicate with the colleges of your interest.
Most of all Entity, don't be afraid to ask questions while researching everything. It is their job to help you choose the right path beyond high school, they are working for you. I only say this because I wish someone would have told me that sort of information when I was in your situation. Best of luck with what you choose.
Thanks guys!I am just so lost with all the new college things with all these test they say you have to take and you have to get a 3.0 for a good college it's very stressful. My out-of-state options are limited because my mom doesn't want to pay for a huge amount of traveling along with an expensive college. I live in Brooklyn, New York, for those of you who don't know its right next to Manhattan. My parents told me if i get into a 40grand school id need loans and scholarships otherwise they won't send me cause they say they don't have enough money to pay for it all because my brother is entering his first year of college this year. We are in the "rich" category of income, we make over 250k per year but not by much and after taxes we really don't have a lot for stuff cause it is me my brother my mom and my dad and all the food the car maintenance the gas electric water bills credit cards and tuition for our schools doesn't leave us with much. So my budget can probably go up to a 20k school with loans and if i get a scholarship i can get into 40k schools nothing over that though.
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Not even Death will save you from Diablo Bunny's Cuteness!
Why not try and get a degree in some sort of engineering. You could possibly build a virtual game system if you do some research as how it can be done.
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Just as the Scorpion hunts...
Silently Lurking...
"Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted." ~ Ezio Auditore de Firenze
I love video-games first and foremost the most enjoyment i get out of my life is the girl i am in love with and video-games are next. I am a kind person and I LOVE helping others enjoy their time in this world. Last two years i thought of ways to give back to the world what the world has given me and I said why not make video-games that can inspire other children and make them happy like the people who create this gen games have made me happy.
It's good that video games have made growing up better for you. And I've loved growing up with video games in my life too, but if you're that concerned about making children happy, I think the best careers for that are in the fields of social work or education, or really anything that helps create the best possible environments for children to thrive. I think most kids these days are too fatty fat to need more video games. But to go off on that now would just be superfluous social commentary. Also, that girl you are in love with, well, you're a junior in high school....don't be surprised if that relationship ultimately fails.
My main two skills are Good memory and good mathematic skills. I do well in all types of math and I do decent in Science. My overall GPA for now is a 2.5 and i have to bring that to at least a 3 this year I know but i feel i have the ability to do it if i put my mind to it. I am interested in Programming maybe A.I programming or scripting events but IDK that just yet.
Obviously you can never go wrong with math. But where you choose to focus your math studies will greatly depend on what kind of career you want to go into. If you're good at math to the point where you can balance a complex budget, then there are all sorts of great careers in public administration. Or if you want to do computer programming, well I actually ain't got any idea what goes into all that. Possibly a college though that will definitely want to see you with something better than a 2.5.
First, Should i look into a Game Design Program or should i be looking at A.I programming courses or just plain programming?
What are some good Colleges that offer Game Design as a Bachelors study(if it would be better to do Game design, If it would be better for AI programming or just plain programming which are good colleges for those?)
Out of the colleges can you speak a little about them are they a competitive college academically, athletically? Whats the campus atmosphere like, do they offer game competitions? does it have access to a good working internet connection? Is the staff Good? Is it a big or small Campus, How big is the Student body? Student to Faculty Ratio? and finally Is it a fun, hard working or some of both?
These are all questions that most schools' admissions office would be happy to provide you with. If you're looking to go school in state, you should begin familiarizing yourself with these schools and touring them. I don't know if you're rich or not, but it's usually practical to go to your local college at least for your Bachelor's. Then it's when you start looking into grad school that you wanna try and get out of state and get a broader experience.
I love video-games first and foremost the most enjoyment i get out of my life is the girl i am in love with and video-games are next. I am a kind person and I LOVE helping others enjoy their time in this world. Last two years i thought of ways to give back to the world what the world has given me and I said why not make video-games that can inspire other children and make them happy like the people who create this gen games have made me happy.
It's good that video games have made growing up better for you. And I've loved growing up with video games in my life too, but if you're that concerned about making children happy, I think the best careers for that are in the fields of social work or education, or really anything that helps create the best possible environments for children to thrive. I think most kids these days are too fatty fat to need more video games. But to go off on that now would just be superfluous social commentary. Also, that girl you are in love with, well, you're a junior in high school....don't be surprised if that relationship ultimately fails.
My main two skills are Good memory and good mathematic skills. I do well in all types of math and I do decent in Science. My overall GPA for now is a 2.5 and i have to bring that to at least a 3 this year I know but i feel i have the ability to do it if i put my mind to it. I am interested in Programming maybe A.I programming or scripting events but IDK that just yet.
Obviously you can never go wrong with math. But where you choose to focus your math studies will greatly depend on what kind of career you want to go into. If you're good at math to the point where you can balance a complex budget, then there are all sorts of great careers in public administration. Or if you want to do computer programming, well I actually ain't got any idea what goes into all that. Possibly a college though that will definitely want to see you with something better than a 2.5.
First, Should i look into a Game Design Program or should i be looking at A.I programming courses or just plain programming?
What are some good Colleges that offer Game Design as a Bachelors study(if it would be better to do Game design, If it would be better for AI programming or just plain programming which are good colleges for those?)
Out of the colleges can you speak a little about them are they a competitive college academically, athletically? Whats the campus atmosphere like, do they offer game competitions? does it have access to a good working internet connection? Is the staff Good? Is it a big or small Campus, How big is the Student body? Student to Faculty Ratio? and finally Is it a fun, hard working or some of both?
These are all questions that most schools' admissions office would be happy to provide you with. If you're looking to go school in state, you should begin familiarizing yourself with these schools and touring them. I don't know if you're rich or not, but it's usually practical to go to your local college at least for your Bachelor's. Then it's when you start looking into grad school that you wanna try and get out of state and get a broader experience.
I think you should clarify what role in the development process you wish to overseer. The majority of people who proclaim a desire to "create games" would typically fit the visionary title; there are more of these people than there are ants on earth.
[Game design] certification is negligible; the endeavour to aquire it is utterly fruitless. Practical experience is what matters, get yourself involved in a project composed of serious developers -- plenty are available on collaboration services such as SourceForge.net
Game development is composed of many disciplines that overlap considerably; fundamental knowledge of software development and computer science is an implicit requirement (noone will hire someone who can promote ideas with no consideration of the implementation implications)
Contrary to popular belief, math of any grand degree is not a prerequisite to software development and where it is relevant is only in specific subfields (even if you're going to be writing the physics engine yourself, traditional math is of little consequence). Besides, these days there is so much middle-ware utilized in game programming that you may aswell be using a drag-n-drop control.
I can't make any suggestions as to colleges as they're called university here.
Just a friendly warning, no matter how much you like games and how much experience you have in modding, making it your job is very hard and often fails.
I love gaming, used to do a lot of modding for certain games, I decided to go into multimedia design to make games and such. After 5 months I had it, it's hardly anything you expect it to be.
Just do a couple of tests and see what comes up most, it's the best choice.
what tests?
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Game Development includes a ton of random people, with jobs that have other options. Most self-sufficient are programmers, the only profession that lets you create a game from scratch. The only profession, in my opinion, that makes sense. While you can get into Game Dev from other fields, your motivation often needs to have a different root.
I'd advise against a Game Design degree. It's offered at very few colleges, costs a lot of money, does not provide for non-game-design related work, and is unnecessary. If you want to program, major in computer science. If you want to make 3D models, major in that, whatever that would be called. In the worst case you'd still have a backup major if you don't get into the game business at once (which you probably won't), and you don't need to be great in CS to earn decent money, for instance.
On the other hand, colleges are sort of hit or miss. If you go for CS, it sucks in most colleges. Community college, complete waste of time. Normal colleges aren't all that great, either, and you would want the top Computing ones but those that are not crazy like MIT. A proper CS college will make you work more party less, if at all, these are Tech colleges. What state are you in, what money can you afford, can you move, transfer?
If you're good at CS you can probably get a job/internship without a degree and work from there, although I'd still recommend college regardless but if you can't get a good one get a cheap one, avoid debt if at all possible, and especially if you need to work to pay for it you need an easy college.
That's for CS though. That's what I majored in with distant plans to maybe someday make games. Not something that people jump into the moment they leave college, really, so considering your life in between is important.
Game Development includes a ton of random people, with jobs that have other options. Most self-sufficient are programmers, the only profession that lets you create a game from scratch. The only profession, in my opinion, that makes sense. While you can get into Game Dev from other fields, your motivation often needs to have a different root.
I'd advise against a Game Design degree. It's offered at very few colleges, costs a lot of money, does not provide for non-game-design related work, and is unnecessary. If you want to program, major in computer science. If you want to make 3D models, major in that, whatever that would be called. In the worst case you'd still have a backup major if you don't get into the game business at once (which you probably won't), and you don't need to be great in CS to earn decent money, for instance.
On the other hand, colleges are sort of hit or miss. If you go for CS, it sucks in most colleges. Community college, complete waste of time. Normal colleges aren't all that great, either, and you would want the top Computing ones but those that are not crazy like MIT. A proper CS college will make you work more party less, if at all, these are Tech colleges. What state are you in, what money can you afford, can you move, transfer?
If you're good at CS you can probably get a job/internship without a degree and work from there, although I'd still recommend college regardless but if you can't get a good one get a cheap one, avoid debt if at all possible, and especially if you need to work to pay for it you need an easy college.
That's for CS though. That's what I majored in with distant plans to maybe someday make games. Not something that people jump into the moment they leave college, really, so considering your life in between is important.
Wow... Thanks. I never knew it would be that hard. I'm into Artificial Intelligence, so i don't really know what Program to go into for that but i guess computer science would cover it? I live in Brooklyn New York and I can pretty much afford a 40k college and am more than happy to go out of state. right now I have my eyes set on Rochester Institute of Technology, RIT, and they are a decent school. They have a nice campus and apparently competes with Carnegie Melon in academics. Other than that I'm not too well versed in what some good CS colleges are. Also a side note I can't go too far, up to Texas is as far as I can go because my parents don't want to pay for plane tickets back and forth for vacations and stuff. Since I'm out of school now I can't really get my guidance counselor so it would be of great help for you guys to provide as much info ass possible. When school starts though I'll start visiting campus' and make arrangements for guidance chats and talks with the actual schools. You guys are very helpful thanks alot.
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Not even Death will save you from Diablo Bunny's Cuteness!
AI would most probably be covered in Computer Science. I don't know where else would I put it. Here it's a "thread" in Computer Science and they deal with robotics, it seems. But I'm in mostly introductory courses right now so I can't say much.
I really should not be giving advice on colleges because I'm a weirdo. I like to study. I don't go on vacations. I do not party. A laid back, party school would make me miserable. That's just how I am. On the other hand, I don't see many party people making good programmers. But who knows. Always remember that you don't HAVE to go to college to be a good programmer, and most of your programming skill should be self developed. Just because you graduated doesn't mean you know CS. The main difference between colleges is that bad ones just waste your time, while good ones can familiarize you with what's out there and give you an idea of what you should learn next. Here we also have a bunch of out-of-college job opportunities, or some people actually work with software companies while in college, most people who graduated from a tech field have a job.
TBH I never heard of RIT and I don't know too much about colleges. Seems to be good in engineering, but not sure about CS. It's quite possible to have an awesome engineering program and a horrible CS program in the same college. Institute of Technology is a good start, though, you would generally look for that because liberal arts colleges (the non-IVY or huge ones) don't typically have strong CS programs due to the weird nature of CS. Most colleges listed here are probably more or less OK (this is graduate, though, no idea where ugrad stuff is): http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-computer-science-schools/rankings
You may do some searches for some rankings. There may actually be colleges that specifically do AI a lot.
I went to my college (Georgia Institute of Technology) for two reasons: first of all, it's very cheap, which is a big deal for us. Currently, it's actually free for us because we managed to get into a state-wide scholarship program. Even if we lose it, it's still not that expensive. Secondly, it's ranked pretty high and people know about it. It's famed as the dark depressing college with too little girls and a bad football team which for me are all good signs if you want to learn anything.
And, currently, I'm quite impressed with the CS program. I keep hearing of people complaining that in their colleges, professors don't know what a Turing machine is, or worse, not really the case here. You can get some bad (or foreign) professors in introductory courses, but as you get deeper the quality improves quite a bit, and professors in specialized areas generally know their stuff, even if their stuff is a bit peculiar (like, right now I'm in a core req. OOP oriented class that teaches Smalltalk as well as a bunch of software development stuff like SCRUM, CRC cards, UML, SUnit, etc.).
If I could choose I'd probably go to CalTech, since MIT would just kill me and I don't like the smell of those liberal arts colleges where people go to become lawyers... eeehhhhh... and for other Institutes of Technology, I just doubt they're as good as GaTech is. If someone told me I can go to any college but not CalTech, I'd stay here. But I can't say I researched much, mostly it's hearing what people say about other colleges, and people tend to badmouth everything. It's hard to see the quality of a college just by visiting. I really don't know how people do it.
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I love video-games first and foremost the most enjoyment i get out of my life is the girl i am in love with and video-games are next. I am a kind person and I LOVE helping others enjoy their time in this world. Last two years i thought of ways to give back to the world what the world has given me and I said why not make video-games that can inspire other children and make them happy like the people who create this gen games have made me happy. My main two skills are Good memory and good mathematic skills. I do well in all types of math and I do decent in Science. My overall GPA for now is a 2.5 and i have to bring that to at least a 3 this year I know but i feel i have the ability to do it if i put my mind to it. I am interested in Programming maybe A.I programming or scripting events but IDK that just yet. So here are a couple of questions I have for you guys:
First, Should i look into a Game Design Program or should i be looking at A.I programming courses or just plain programming?
What are some good Colleges that offer Game Design as a Bachelors study(if it would be better to do Game design, If it would be better for AI programming or just plain programming which are good colleges for those?)
Out of the colleges can you speak a little about them are they a competitive college academically, athletically? Whats the campus atmosphere like, do they offer game competitions? does it have access to a good working internet connection? Is the staff Good? Is it a big or small Campus, How big is the Student body? Student to Faculty Ratio? and finally Is it a fun, hard working or some of both?
Thanks in advance to anyone offering help!
Many people say you need to take PSAT, SAT, ACT etc. but with your current GPA you would need to do extremely well on those tests in order to "outshine" your competition. One option, is looking into community colleges in your area and taking prerequisites courses there, then transferring to a university. If you choose to do the community college route you do Not need to take any of the tests listed above. Now... I'm not saying don't take those tests, but that is an option many people don't tell you, that's all I'm saying.
Like you, I would like to give back what has been given to me. I chose to pursue a career in the medical field. As for which career you should go for and the best way to give back to everyone, that is something entirely up to you. Go after whatever career you think you will enjoy the most. Unless you plan on changing jobs a lot, it would suck to be in a career you can't stand for the next 40+ years of your life. So do something you enjoy that you think will benefit others, if that is what you desire.
Now, as far as which schools you should look into or attend, I would strongly suggest talking to your counselor at your high school. I have no idea where your live, what you can afford and can't afford, if out-of-state colleges are an option for you etc. that is all stuff you need to bring up to your counselor. Once you have those questions answered you can figure out and narrow done what colleges are an option and most of all what is going to work well for you. When you have everything narrowed down, then research, research, research. Look at the colleges websites, call them up and ask about their programs, talk to the counselor's at the universities, have your high school counselor communicate with the colleges of your interest.
Most of all Entity, don't be afraid to ask questions while researching everything. It is their job to help you choose the right path beyond high school, they are working for you. I only say this because I wish someone would have told me that sort of information when I was in your situation. Best of luck with what you choose.
Obviously you can never go wrong with math. But where you choose to focus your math studies will greatly depend on what kind of career you want to go into. If you're good at math to the point where you can balance a complex budget, then there are all sorts of great careers in public administration. Or if you want to do computer programming, well I actually ain't got any idea what goes into all that. Possibly a college though that will definitely want to see you with something better than a 2.5.
These are all questions that most schools' admissions office would be happy to provide you with. If you're looking to go school in state, you should begin familiarizing yourself with these schools and touring them. I don't know if you're rich or not, but it's usually practical to go to your local college at least for your Bachelor's. Then it's when you start looking into grad school that you wanna try and get out of state and get a broader experience.
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
[Game design] certification is negligible; the endeavour to aquire it is utterly fruitless. Practical experience is what matters, get yourself involved in a project composed of serious developers -- plenty are available on collaboration services such as SourceForge.net
Game development is composed of many disciplines that overlap considerably; fundamental knowledge of software development and computer science is an implicit requirement (noone will hire someone who can promote ideas with no consideration of the implementation implications)
Contrary to popular belief, math of any grand degree is not a prerequisite to software development and where it is relevant is only in specific subfields (even if you're going to be writing the physics engine yourself, traditional math is of little consequence). Besides, these days there is so much middle-ware utilized in game programming that you may aswell be using a drag-n-drop control.
I can't make any suggestions as to colleges as they're called university here.
I'd advise against a Game Design degree. It's offered at very few colleges, costs a lot of money, does not provide for non-game-design related work, and is unnecessary. If you want to program, major in computer science. If you want to make 3D models, major in that, whatever that would be called. In the worst case you'd still have a backup major if you don't get into the game business at once (which you probably won't), and you don't need to be great in CS to earn decent money, for instance.
On the other hand, colleges are sort of hit or miss. If you go for CS, it sucks in most colleges. Community college, complete waste of time. Normal colleges aren't all that great, either, and you would want the top Computing ones but those that are not crazy like MIT. A proper CS college will make you work more party less, if at all, these are Tech colleges. What state are you in, what money can you afford, can you move, transfer?
If you're good at CS you can probably get a job/internship without a degree and work from there, although I'd still recommend college regardless but if you can't get a good one get a cheap one, avoid debt if at all possible, and especially if you need to work to pay for it you need an easy college.
That's for CS though. That's what I majored in with distant plans to maybe someday make games. Not something that people jump into the moment they leave college, really, so considering your life in between is important.
I really should not be giving advice on colleges because I'm a weirdo. I like to study. I don't go on vacations. I do not party. A laid back, party school would make me miserable. That's just how I am. On the other hand, I don't see many party people making good programmers. But who knows. Always remember that you don't HAVE to go to college to be a good programmer, and most of your programming skill should be self developed. Just because you graduated doesn't mean you know CS. The main difference between colleges is that bad ones just waste your time, while good ones can familiarize you with what's out there and give you an idea of what you should learn next. Here we also have a bunch of out-of-college job opportunities, or some people actually work with software companies while in college, most people who graduated from a tech field have a job.
TBH I never heard of RIT and I don't know too much about colleges. Seems to be good in engineering, but not sure about CS. It's quite possible to have an awesome engineering program and a horrible CS program in the same college. Institute of Technology is a good start, though, you would generally look for that because liberal arts colleges (the non-IVY or huge ones) don't typically have strong CS programs due to the weird nature of CS. Most colleges listed here are probably more or less OK (this is graduate, though, no idea where ugrad stuff is): http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-computer-science-schools/rankings
You may do some searches for some rankings. There may actually be colleges that specifically do AI a lot.
I went to my college (Georgia Institute of Technology) for two reasons: first of all, it's very cheap, which is a big deal for us. Currently, it's actually free for us because we managed to get into a state-wide scholarship program. Even if we lose it, it's still not that expensive. Secondly, it's ranked pretty high and people know about it. It's famed as the dark depressing college with too little girls and a bad football team which for me are all good signs if you want to learn anything.
And, currently, I'm quite impressed with the CS program. I keep hearing of people complaining that in their colleges, professors don't know what a Turing machine is, or worse, not really the case here. You can get some bad (or foreign) professors in introductory courses, but as you get deeper the quality improves quite a bit, and professors in specialized areas generally know their stuff, even if their stuff is a bit peculiar (like, right now I'm in a core req. OOP oriented class that teaches Smalltalk as well as a bunch of software development stuff like SCRUM, CRC cards, UML, SUnit, etc.).
If I could choose I'd probably go to CalTech, since MIT would just kill me and I don't like the smell of those liberal arts colleges where people go to become lawyers... eeehhhhh... and for other Institutes of Technology, I just doubt they're as good as GaTech is. If someone told me I can go to any college but not CalTech, I'd stay here. But I can't say I researched much, mostly it's hearing what people say about other colleges, and people tend to badmouth everything. It's hard to see the quality of a college just by visiting. I really don't know how people do it.