Should You Get A Degree In Game Dev? (My Story)
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- čas přidán 30. 05. 2019
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You're the best
I hate to say it Thomas but I think maybe you just didn't do enough comprehensive research on the program and ended up in a really irrelevant study instead of one that could teach you useful software. I agree with most of what you said in this video but you might have gotten an extraordinarily useless degree.
I do agree with what you say. It really comes down to the cost-benefit, there are a lot of degrees (like your example nursing) where you cannot get a job as that profession without the degree. But game development is not like that, and many universities that are even trying to present a degree on the subject may not be doing it right anyhow, as their method of building a module to present can take long enough that the subject is out of date already by the time the student is in the chair. Porfolio is the most important part by far as you stated. I think if you are going to a larger company, having a degree 'in addition' to a good porfolio would increase your chances of getting a job. But is it worth that price? Even here in the UK where degree's tend to be a lot cheaper, I think I would try to encourage anyone to think and research the matter well before going into a university.
If I am correct i beleive you published on nitendo switch which seems to be like black magic ,no tutorials nothing ,do you have any resources or tutorials that helped you with exporting to nitendo ?
Nah its not dude xD, only reason im going, is to do something that allowes me to skip mandatory military of my homecountry.
If I manage to skip it for another 2-3 years, I am free from that military crap, lulz
gg great vid man!
I got a masters degree in music, now I'm a full-time programmer, because that's how that works.
Also got (two) masters in music and immediately 180'd and went into solo game development. Great use of $37,000!
xD
...why
@@phin6484 at least it was fun lol. Its interest free here in NZ and just comes out of our taxes, so probably not as bad as it is in US. But still....
@@broganking9830 True! I'll definitely always love being a musician and made a lot of friends along the way. NZ is awesome I want to visit some day!
@@broganking9830 How hard was it to get your first job and how did you get it?
@@valroz not hard at all. i literally got the first job i applied for. but to be honest there aren't many game developers in my city, so i cant imagine many people applied. I think I got job because I showed a lot of passion and I had a video and project of stuff i could show off that I was working on in Unity... I think that is key. Having a something to show.
"Don't just listen to what other people tell you to do"
Do I listen to that?
If you don't then it means you should listen to what other people tell which means you should listen to this which means you shouldn't ... !!
Technically he's not telling you to do anything, that's the only way out of the paradox anyway
@@jwri95 well he also wrote "except me"
@@igamse oh did he? I didn't notice
I assume you're joking lol but just in-case you're not I'll help clarify.. Basically, get advice from a bunch of different sources and make up your own mind. Don't 'just' listen. Nobody knows your situation, wants/needs and dreams like you do. Also, everybody made their decisions under their own unique circumstances, so don't assume what happened for them will happen for you. You have to do the grueling research which can come from many biased and/or conflicting/opposing viewpoints and experiences. Hope this helps.. or if it was a joke don't mind me XD
It not a just piece of paper. It’s a $40,000 piece of paper. XD
Yeah but you can't sell it
@@cornyboi4434 yeah, but you can't sell money too, but it's usefull...
(or, just like money, you can trade it...?)
No, it's a $40,000 + a few years of your time piece of paper.
But Time is money. Not paper cash is money.
I got a degree in game dev for about $80,000USD way back in 2010(UOIT, Canada) and the answer is basically, NO DON'T DO IT
is there such degree in India
Wtf?
@@TechGameX to my knowledge, I don't think so. There's plenty of diplomas in animation/game programming tho, which are equally worthless imo
@Chipmunk If you're not sure about what you want to do after graduation, then a comp sci degree is the safest bet. With the recent uptick in ML/AI fields, focusing on programming is just about the safest tech degree you can get.
You can just learn C++/C# on the side by experimenting with Unity/UE4.
@@TechGameX not worth it trust me
Here is honestly the best advice I can give:
Do not get a Game Design Degree. This degree has not developed enough to be standardized in todays society.
If you want to be a game programmer, get a degree in Computer Science. Even if you do not pursue a career in game developing, Computer science will open up other doors for various careers.
thx
I totally agree
Truth
Same with art - when I first saw this channel months ago, I could tell from the games that there was professional illustrator experience behind it. I'm sure they're fun too, but the striking art is the first thing that catches your attention. I think Thomas underestimates just how much seeped in while he was in all those art classes. Without talent it's not gonna work, obviously, but honing talent requires *critique* which you're not getting watching SkillShare or CZcams vids.
I am gonna go the extra mile and say go for marketing or economics. Sure you can learn how to make video games with various tutorials, standalone books, internet classes etc., but learning how to manage your video game studio's economic stuff is very valuable and you won't need to depend on anyone in the first place. You will be completely independent in every aspect of the indie studio.
6:51 Why didn't you tell me this 13 years ago? I'm 32 and so frustrated that I wanted to make games but I let my dad shut me down about it. I should have just done it and made it work. I'm working on it now though. Hopefully I'll redeem all my wasted time.
I went to uni to earn a degree in Computer science. My mind is very opened now, and my job has been very relaxing that I've been able to try many ideas. I'm 42, and I started learning Unity last year in June. In a couple of weeks, I will release my game on Andriod soon, God willing. It's never too late.
Keep going Captain
Old reply, but it’s not too late to start! Just find a couple of tutorials on unity
Bro im in the same exact situation 32 now and going to finally start working on becoming a full time game dev started late cause I listened to my dad
Rip
Mate, can you share some light about building a portfolio in gaming area?
Cheers!
Build, build, build. Build small project or full games that show off what your specialties are about, and put them on a website of your choosing such as wordpress, wixx ect.
Game Jams are nice.
Two equally true quotes, albeit ~25 years apart:
"“You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for $1.50 in late fees at the public library.” -- Good Will Hunting
"The last guy who got paid for having a degree in Game Design is the guy teaching your Game Design course." -- Razorfist
Not gonn lie. My degree was worth it. Went for motion graphics and they taught me graphic design, motion graphics, animation, character creation, modeling, rigging, video editing and much more. Stuff I did not want to do, but glad I did. I learned motion graphics and so much more and now game development but did that on my own.
Honestly curious, what is the name of the degree that you took?
It's not worth no 25 30k when you can learn all the same skills for free. For real no one is going to judge your game creation skills based off a degree, it's entirely based off your content you've developed, weather or not it's good content.
Well known gaming companies like Blizzard do require a BA with a few years experience (depending on the job description). You can look on their career pages.
Trying to find a job with a self taught skill set is going to be a lot harder than trying with a degree
@@dmfaccount1272 Not for indie development though. In general, they do sometimes require a degree for programming and some other parts if you want a job in the bigger companies, but this doesn't apply if you make games by your own or with a small team. The indie industry is great because of that, anyone can join...
@@dmfaccount1272 I can confirm, starting out is pretty hard without a degree, then you stack up experience and skill and company doesn't care anymore. While most do have a degree, there a few at the top of my company without a degree.
Bro company’s won’t touch you if you don’t have a degree all the big ones require it
If only we could go back and explain life to our younger self.
🤦🏻♂️Yeah..
this is good information for a 15 year old like myself
When I went to college, I noticed that many people were there to learn the skills that they could learn else where or on their own, but completely ignoring all the things that that the structure of college provides, such as working on work that isnt your passion project, and being reasonable and realistic about creating scopes, integrating into a team, using scrums and trello etc to keep a team stay on task and divid up the project into milestones and baby steps, most students seem to think if they can get really really good at one thing they'll get hired anywhere, but spend NONE of that time learning how to network, how to understand the dynamics of joining a team, those are the skills you are there to learn, not how to navigate unity, photoshop and a 3D software.
I would say it is ESPECIALLY important for most people to eventually go to college because despite having good ideas, most people do not know how to organize their work, share it with peers, integrate into a team, nor does everyone have the skillset to build such a good brand on youtube and an email list or whatnot to build a community to integrate into.
At the end of the day, all art, media and technology is about COMMUNICATING INFORMATION, and most people get way to caught up in being some sort of "unique artist" instead of learning how to create true dialogue between them, their team and their audience.
ALSO DEADLINES holy shit learning deadlines and how to work under pressure is also important
Great thoughts man. Really glad to see you successful and happy!
I got a degree in motion graphics and animation which led me to game dev. School definetely gave me the discipline to get it done. I wouldnt be where I am without it. There was a time when all this info online wasn't there so school was the option, but now there is a ton of content with the internet.
This is highly inspiring and a really helpful video for not only game design enthusiasts but also people who's still unsure of what they want in their lives. I am really grateful you spent time in making all these videos and offering all these insights from your perspective and life experiences. Thank you so much!
This video literally came at the most perfect time for me, thank you!
I went to UCSC for a B.S. in games. I come from a low-income family and had 0 EFC (expected family contribution). It cost me $32,000 for 5 years.
It felt like a computer science degree with only like 4 classes where I had the opportunity to make games in a team.
I definitely relate to Thomas's points. A lot of what I learned in my classes do not apply to my career I have now. My advice I'd like to give is to really research these game dev university programs, beyond just what they offer and what they cost. It's really eye opening to actually talk with the people already going through the program to hear what their experience is like too.
I agree that going thru college for a games degree is not needed for a career in games, because everything one could possibly need to go into gamedev is readily available online for free. You just need the drive, perseverance, and resources to do it.
But like Thomas said, I wasn't fully aware of what I was capable of at the time, and I was too immature to make myself learn what I needed to learn when I was 18-21 years old. Being at UCSC surrounded me with like-minded peers who just wanted to make games too, and that helped me find people to collaborate with together. It was a lot more effective than if I just went to meetups alone, because we went thru the same classes together and had camaraderie by proximity.
For me personality, it was worth it, because I knew I didn't know anything about game dev when I changed from a Biology degree, and was better off than trying to figure things out on my own.
What was most worthwhile was going to a tech bootcamp for mobile game development during the summer, because that gave me the hands on learning I needed to spark that passion in me and get me chasing after mobile game development with all my might.
So like Thomas says, whether or not one should get a degree in game dev depends on the kind of person that person is.
Hi and thanks for the information. I live in Georgia and have no formal education. What would you think would be a good place to start here and how do you find groups to join?
Im 13 right now, Game Design Is Clearly My Passion(for now at least) i started working on my biggest project to date about a month ago, i hope i can prove to my parents and especially myself that i dont need a collage to pursue my dreams, thanks for an amazing video as usual Thomas!
same mate! im also creating a big project and want to Persue game development. well tho im only 14 years old i see myself making games.. im still afraid to ask my parents coz they are really strict in my future coz well.. not to be racist but they are asians...
im going to tell them my passion for game development and ask their opinions
tommorow..
wish me luck lad :)
ImProbablyThatPunchguyOnYT Good luck man, good luck
@@improbablythatpunchguyonyt7782 how that turn out lol
if you go to college by force or pressure just major in computer science
do everything you want to do with games on the side. constantly research software engineering and understand algorithm and system programming/ ux design. learn the basic fundamentals of programming structure and good practices to do. this way regardless of if you are able to make your dream a reality before you graduate you have a solid foundation for software engineering that is useful for any tech company. This will allow you to have so many freedoms during your career to try and be successful. keep working at it and don't give up.
Im 27 unemployed and Im looking at all my faiedl attempts to code a game (because I was stupid and tought I had to code everything myself and blently refused to use things like Unity). I lost so much time having half a 2D engine coded. And a bad one.
Now I want to go in this adventure all again. But this time using all the tools I have and not being a code snob like I used to be.
I feel a bit scared because I don't wanna waste my time like I did it in the past.
Downloaded unity but I started a staring contest with the icon. Kinda lost lol
I don't even know what advice im looking for or why im even writing this lol
Whenever life kicks you in the balls, remember that "life keeps going on, every thing in this life will go the way it is planned" So whatever you did will not matter because life will change without asking for you opinion. if you failed then maybe it is better to fail at 27 and realize your mistakes rather than failing at 40. Just start now and build some skill. I am 18 years old, and I probably won't attend college because I can't afford it (at the moment), so I started learning making music for my game, drawing, 3d modelling, game designing, programing and story writing(the most important thing in my opinion). I want this period to be as fruitful as I hope so. Whenever I lose courage, I tell myself that if I don't start now, I will regret it 3-2 years later, because I would've developed some skills.
So in a nutshel: Don't be scared, it is not worth it. as I said, life will keep going, maybe now is your time to shine. If you start thinking like this then I believe you would be successful. I regreted wasting my time in highschool not developing games, sitting my ass on the sofa playing ps4. But later I realized that game designers play alot of games, and maybe I was on the right track for my whole life.
Good luck.
Im 24 hardly get times to work for my passion. Still there are only tutorials on my youtube playlist. Never lose hope.
@@salehodinie6615 Same boat here, I didn't go to college because I'm basically teaching myself here, I can draw fairly well and im saving my money to afford a PC and start expanding my skills.
whatever happens never lose hope bro, keep working and develop your skills and i wish u all the best
I look forward to your videos. Very inspiring man. Keep at it!
This video is so motivational, I think the same as you, i'm a few days before turning 22 and I think i've should have waited a little bit before rushing into the university (I finished high school and rushed into uni) and also all that you're saying in this video aplies for some aspects of my career and many others (i'm studing informatics) because I could've learned everything and more in few time, well at least having that paper in one more year will get me in touch with good enterprises even with game develpment ones as I am having right now.
Agreed. I always dreamt to be a game dev since I was a kid with a C64. University in my home town wasn't exciting and I first wasted 2 years in the wrong one, then 7 doing Communication Studies, just to get the damn piece of paper. Then went to England for a Master in Computer Animation, still couldn't find a job in Italy, so I got another Master in Media Content Design in Florence. After that, I finally found a job in an advertisement company in Milan, but in spite of my winding path, those guys needed a Unity developer to make some interactive projects, so, thanks to my proactive attitude I started delivering content through a trial -> error -> success pattern.
This year I dropped everything and found a job in Helsinki, one of the most lively environments for games development, and I've got the title of Senior Developer in a gaming company. What was my University? CZcams & willpower.
wish I was born in Europe. I could get lots of opportunities for game development career.
I know this comment is really old, but just wondered if you have any advice for taking first step? I am considering a career change from audio engineering. Is it just a matter of having a Unity project/portfolio to show? I am from the UK, if that makes any difference
@@K3dzz Well, my suggestion is to study what clean code is, S.O.L.I.D. principles, good architecture for Unity games and stuff like these. Then apply for whatever openings you can find, be prepared to be tested and rejected a good number of times. It's stressful and disheartening, but it's the only way. Test after test you will improve and eventually land some job in the industry. It takes patience and time. Good luck!
@@mirkoson I'm studying game development at uni but probably, at the end of the day, I'll be a programmer because it seems pretty hard to get a job as a developer. Do you think I stand a chance as a South American? I really want to be a good programmer and I'm thinking in leaving the country. If you have a piece of advice I'll appreciate it!! :D
Edit: I'm working on my portfolio. I've made 3 short games and I'm starting with the 4 one.
@@firulaisdg9352 well, I can't really say for other places, but in Europe, and specifically here in Finland there's opportunities for sure, and in this field it doesn't matter where you are from and English is enough to work as a developer. I have colleagues from South America, so why not?
Really appreciate the brutal honesty. I really want to do Game Development, but I also feel like I'm fighting alot of stuff that's out of my control right now too. Sorry if that sounds vague
I think it’s so interesting to see how different the educational route is in different countries. In Germany you can study “Game Development” or “Game Design” at almost no costs. I think the problem with this system is that the education maybe isn’t valued as much, and a lot of people drop off early.
Interesting. Education seems to be very different across different countries and regions!
Paid for by tax dollars you mean with less accountability on the part of the college in question (this depends). Not saying it isn't valuable, it just limits choice and assumes the productivity output per capita will make up for the expense to the avg. citizen. As described in this video, his particular experience didn't offer enough worth for the 4 years he could've been spending building a game and company.
Good insights Thongus! You’re changing lives bro.
8:03 get a Computer Science degree or from a technical institute. In the U.S. you’ll get a 300-500% increase in salary immediately and can make $100,000 per year within 7 years.
At 18 years old, most kids aren’t able to launch a successful startup. But after graduating tech school or college, work for 2-3 years then at age 27 is perfect for starting a company.
Hi Thomas. This is so very encouraging and motivational. Thanks for making this video😊
I love how your life story is so much like my life story. Both passionate indie game dev, went to school then regretted it in the end, have a wife who is a nurse and have a baby girl ahah! It's crazy, but hey! Continue the good work, love your videos. Keep it up man!
I currently am about to graduate with a degree in game design. After 5 years in college, 90% of what I know now about game development happened in the last 2 semesters. Its basically 4 years of filler and simple theoretical concepts of game design. I dont have a job yet, though i have started applying for jobs. Though most of the jobs I am competing for are also being competed for by CS majors. Though from previous experience, its who you know and where you are at the right time. Thats what gets you into the industry. You gotta know the right people, and be in the right place at the right time.
Thanks man, I'm rly having a hard time deciding on my future and you helped a lot
Huge respect for you bringing up the tech schools. It's a great way to start learning about different things you have an interest in without spending a shit ton of money. Most people don't have that kind of confidence of what they want to do with their life and it's a great way to experiment in a safe way
Very true!
Am Really much grateful to your honest and bold confession that you did and explained like my elder brother did to me about the REALITY of getting the degrees, passing out from college and getting a kind of 'trust' that you are worth to be employed. You really put out some realistic and relatable points. A HIGHLY VALUABLE GUIDE< ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE ANYONE TO GUIDE, LIKE AN ELDER BROTHER.
Thank you for sharing your story!! It inspires me a lot on what I'm really want to do with my life. :)
As someone who is grinding through 150 hours of udemy courses to get official certs through the unity platform to ultimately produce my own content and even get a job in game development industry, this is very inspirational. I've been a manufacturing engineer in the automotive world for 6 years now without a degree (tech school ftw) and recently decided to actually try to work towards a career that I WANT to do. Thank you!
I really appreciate you sharing this story... :D
Also, digging the hair!
Thank you so much thomas ! I wish i had saw this video before paying for college XD But you make me confident on what I was already thinking. And btw I'm doing a marathon of your videos, I'll catch up pretty soon ;)
Mine cost 120K dude- luckily I had my GI bill that payed for it, however I could never recommend ever spending that much on a "for Profit" school. School was very good in many aspects, as in the work environment and the deadlines. The core art fundamentals and the networking as well are benefits too. Other than that, the school will NOT prepare you to be ready for the industry. They only expose you to it and all the work must be done on your own accord. I pushed myself and did way more work than what was assigned and I'm fortunate to have been able to gain a lot from it and be able to get work. Most everything I learned was from on-line and pushing myself everyday.
That's great that you had school payed for! Definitely agree with you about the networking benefits, and yeah it's definitely hard work that pays off.
Wow, small world! I just finished 11th grade so I have 1 more year left before College. My mom said I should go to Greenville Tech for 2 years then go to Clemson for the next 2 years. Because you recommended that people should go to a Tech School first, this has made me excited and hopeful for what's to come in the next few years.
You have some beautiful artwork in your game.
you are so inspiring, I love watching your videos they motivate me so much to pursue my passions of game dev!
OMG I love this video and hits home! I have gone through all of this!!!
thanks man, your advise it's really helpful! And thanks for the 2 free months, I'm going to use it a lot!
I kind of feel you tbh, I did an illustration degree because they said I would be looking at graphic novels and game art within it..... it was more like children books and patterns :( Had no idea what I wanted to do in life.
Went on to concept art... thankfully XD the best decision! Finally listened to what I felt I needed, I feel like i needed uni as I ended up meeting amazing people (not a social person). But I feel like I should have waited to go to uni to finally know what I wanted tho.
It’s taking me almost three years to decide on whether I want to be focusing the majority of my time on either graphic design, coding, story telling, music, etc, etc , etc. Spending up to 40k in school would have been a tremendous risk for myself and family to figure that out. Instead Im learning from home and utilizing resources from all over the Internet.
Yeah it's definitely a challenge to pick. I'm glad you are going for it!
same I am also confused which one to choose, so after all these years what did you choosed?
@@kushal6065 Hey right now I'm leaning more towards accredited Certificate programs , online non- colledge courses, and apprenticeships. I've had four years of university following the creative writing degree to game design masters degree program pipeline. I've acquired accolades I'm grateful for due to my university and its helped me so much at becoming a fiction writer which has always been my bread and butter and what I most want to do in the gaming industry. There's other alternatives now and at 23 myself I feel there's no better time to explore every reasonable and available avenue.
@@chantlmcclary6419 plz guide me or motivate me on how to find my true passions and make that passion my career. I'm confused as hell
@@kushal6065 Okay tell me what u like doing and what ur passionate about we'll figure something out together while we're on here.
This turned into a life lesson, love it either way.
You inspire me Everytime I see your videos. You really make me want to shoot for my goals.
THAT
WAS
AMAZING!
THANK YOU
What are your thoughts on the confidence aspect? Do you think college was important for you to gain confidence in getting out there and doing something on your own? If you hadn't taken the path you did and had to do it over knowing nothing you know now, would you achieve the same things without school...or would you have even tried?
Have you ever thought about doing pod casts? Like a weekly or biweekly thing with other indie devs, or just digging deeper into game design topics, the business that goes into it, etc?
Very well said. I'd say even if you do need a college after that year or two of staying home your decision about which college to go to will have a better foundation.
In my case I figured out in my 3rd Semester what I really want to do as a Game Developer (3D Art/ Animation), but then were stuck with courses that either didn't suit my needs or came way to late.
Still am to be honest. So in retrospective I maybe should have taken a Animation College instead of a Game Design one.
To sum it up: Find out were you want to go before making such a crucial decision.
These are such inspiring and honest words.
For the game art degree people (and yes I know this video is specifically on game design) the question as to whether or not you need a degree in game art is a bit tricky.
Legally , no you don’t need a degree in game art, game art isn’t like nursing where you need to graduate from a nursing program and pass the nclex.
I will say however that on LinkedIn whenever I see someone post about getting their first game artist job, when I click on their profile and I scroll down to the education section , nearly every time , 99% of the time their degree is in game art . There is no accounting degree or history degree then game artist job unless the history degree holder went back to school for game art. The background for these new game artist is almost always in game art, it as if hr is exclusively hiring from the graduates that went to school for game art.
So we have to come to 2 conclusions: HR at x game studio does not bother to look at applicants that don’t have a degree in game art OR the people with a degree in game art tend to have better portfolios than the people with a a non game art degree and or no degree.
So to the artist trying to break into the industry without the game art degree, I think the question you have to ask yourself is how confident am I in my portfolio when I am competing against people with a portfolio and they also have a degree in game art ?
Thankyou so much for this advice...but in order to save my money and time by not wasting on game art degree.. what else should i do after my highschool. I need to graduate. And where should i learn game art....or maybe is there an affordable college that provides game art degree in the us.... please help.... , I'll be starting my highschool soon. I have 2 years left
@@Heer2210 If you don't want to go the college route you could look into some sort of online 3d art program to supplement your self learning. So courses from Vertex school, CG academy etc.. Now these courses are not cheap often around 700$-$1000 for one course. However the effectiveness of the online courses I think largely depends on the type of learner you are. Do you learn best by hands on, in person type instruction or are you able to pick up everything online on your own? In terms of affordable game art degrees, I would look into a "normal" college that has a game art degree program instead of going to like an exclusive game art school. I.e... you don't have to go to Full Salil or Digipen if you want to learn game art, there are other options.
You're saying things that mane my biases feel affirmed.
Couldn't agree more. I did not attend uni on Statistics for my first year, and that year I learnt all the basics for game dev. I started making games later on , and for the next year I kept making games, while attendning uni for the second year. On my 2nd semester I landed my first job in the industry, just with my portfolio and knowledge. I still decided to attend a uni, but now I know what I want (which is not statistics :P) , and it is more clear to me what my goal is and why I will attend uni in the first place
Me: *gives papers & diploma to sign up for infromatic technologies college*
CZcams: *informs me about this video 3 weeks later*
Me again: *anxiety slowly kicks in*
Thanks Thomas!
I am actually planning to take a game design degree starting now in September. I have been developing a game for the past year now. I feel like going to university will help me hone my skills as a designer. I also believe it will be a lot of fun. Besides nothing is really stoping me from developing games that I can sell during my education. I am in fact going to a highly rated game design school called Abertay University in Scotland. I am personally really excited since this will mean me moving to another country since I am from Norway. I feel like that alone will help me get a lot more independent. Altough I see your points. It is very expensive, but to me it is gonna be worth it.
You are right man thank you for this video it really helped me a lot not only am I going for computer science Im kind of iffy on wether or not I should get my game degree but this video really helped me a lot
Thomas, thanks
i'm 14 and i've been developing a game for 4 years.... actually most of it was just school so about 6 months but at seperated times
i loose motivation alot and lately thanks to your videos i've gotten my motivation back, and thanks to that i've been working on my game alot
once i finish this i'm hopefully gonna send it to you and i hope you play it,
thanks for the videos
That's awesome dude! What is your game about?
@@TonsOfHunStudios its a small rythme game, kinda something like dancing line + geometry dash
I haven't really done a good job at some levels but that's kinda the fun part, trying to go through the weirdness :)
@@slabs379 Ok cool! I've played geometry dash before. And yeah I bet it's hard doing the levels. I wish you luck!
I love the jazz music in the background❤
At least u get a great background of programming and stuff .... am suffering here trying to learn C sharp all by myself xD honestly i think you dont need to regret anything, maybe if you went back in time and changed this certain "thing" you might not have been where you are now. Anyway luv ur vids man
I conceived a Bachelors of Science in Physics & Engineerimg, now I'm programming my own Indie. Doing lots of research. Thank you for your videos!
So personally for me I went to a state university and got a 4 year degree in comp sci. And now years later I've realized the degree is only a small part of what I got from college. The friends that I've made and the experiences that I've had have fundamentally altered me as a person in a most beautiful way. I truly believe that of u went to college and all u got from it was a degree, u did college wrong. But as for career wise I agree with u
rn I'm in community college studying CS. Has the degree helped you in employment?
Thanks you bro, you helped me so much
Just yesterday I chose not to go to uni for a game dev course because, while I want to enter the industry at some point, I knew I had no intension to join once I was done with the course. Instead I was able to reach and agreement that I work on my own game, proper 9 - 5, until Christmas to see how it goes. Uni will always be waiting should I change my mind at a later date, but once I committed to it, it could easily be a waste of time and money. I'm glad that someone has taken the time to talk about their experiences in this field! 😊
thanks for the sharing big men!, btw i look younger but i am actually older than you!, still feel that my Game Dev Journey will receive my full attention soon! Best wishes! and keep it up!
Awesome! I wish you luck on your journey.
You're inspiring, bro!
Ik this video came out 3yrs ago but this is still true, when in school they teach us useless skills we wont use but when it was the summer holidays i managed to learn more than i had in the 5 years of school.
You really changed my mind ... 😮 And I am gonna do it❤❤
im entering college this fall and i'm majoring in game design and development because I really like video games and the design process behind them i'm not entirely sure if i want to do game design after college but i'm choosing to study it anyways because of a couple reasons:
1.) i really like the university im going to
2.) i have ADHD and i'm not sure i'd be able to keep myself motivated in normal computer science or music classes so by having my major focused on something i'm passionate about (video games) im making sure I don't lose that motivation and screw up my grades
3.) the game design program im going into has several tracks which include audio/soundtrack stuff and programming which is what i want to learn most
4.) (hopefully) the people i take classes with will have interests more similar to my own as opposed to a conventional music or computer science major where i might be surrounded by a lot of people who are into stuff like cybersecurity or classical string performance and i wouldn't be able to relate to their interests as much
I'm not a game developer, but I've made a few simple games. They don't even come close to your games of course, because they were made in a much shorter amount of time when I was much younger with less experience for school projects. I decided to become a web developer instead of a game developer because the game dev university was really far away and seemed really difficult. Also I know now that AAA game devs sometimes work 80-100 hours per week while I have problems working only 40 hours a week. My college was really easy compared to high school. No homework. I only got lessons on Thursday and got the rest of the week at college to do "homework". I didn't even finish most homework on time and spent most of my time playing Flash games on Kongregate at first and playing Minecraft later on. Yet I graduated by making a buggy insecure forum that wouldn't be acceptable anywhere. I don't think I learned any javascript now that I think of it. I might as well have read W3Schools myself without going to college. To be fair, I didn't pay any money for college. I got money from the government and they also paid for my college. It wasn't worth much money to begin with because the TEACHERS didn't even know web development and only on Thursday we could learn something new (although internet is always available) because they hired an external teacher once a week. I think I learned most things outside of college or improved my skills. Like JavaScript and Vue, which I didn't learn there. I would be angry if I paid tens of thousands of euros for that college. They did help me find a job though. That was the main advantage of that college. They need to find you a job or they don't get paid by the government. I was basically an unpaid intern for months and then worked for minimum wage until I got laid off because they literally had no work for me, even though I asked for something to do. Then I became lazy and I'm not doing anything productive at all anymore.
That sucks to hear. Colleges to help with connections but like you said sometimes it really isn't worth if for the information. I hope you get back on your feet soon, keep your head up!
I hope you all the best
To be honest this video helped alot. I'm still considering this since I have a game design degree but I'm switching to comp sci. I hope to transfer from community College where I'm going now to a university but If I do that it will take more time and money. It's nice to know I have more options open. I'm still not sure what I want but I calmed my self down watching this. Currently first semester sophomore so I have time and I'm not in debt. It's best to make that dessision now
this is such a great video. I have been going to community college, and I can't find a major that is right for me. I started my sophomore year hoping to study graphic design/animation. I had to change my courses after the second week because the projects we were to be doing later in the semester were such nonsense and the teachers were so skillless and arrogant. Im thinking of creative writing as a major now, but I'm still not certain. Thank you for this video, definitely food for thought.
4 years later and the skillshare link still works, very nice !
I needed this insight on my mission into game development. I tried multiple things 5 years after high school before touching a college and nothing really stuck with my inspiration side of things "what made me happy in the long run".
Got a degree in animation and am becoming a game developer.
Thank you very much! I have been searching this answer for a couple of months. I'm 19 Years old and every "normal " person says that I should to go to the school to learn a boring stuff for a boring but save job. You inspired me and helped me that I need to go my way.
How are the things now?
@@noftraX I am a full time Software developer now :) I studied some game development and figured out that the programming part was the most fun part. I went to an apprenticeship and now here I am, not a game dev but a dev anyway. It was the best choice to focus on my passion and I highly recommend it to others.
My plan was just that, learn as much as I can and start my own company making video games, I have so many great ideas, but people don't believe in my dream, people don't trust that I can pull it off, so from all that pressure now I have 4 years to finish my engineering degree that I won't even use in the future since I was pressured into
bold yet amazing video !
Great content as always! Please watch your pops on the audio , some harsh pops on the Ps . Still love your stuff tho!
I subscribed for this precious gift that's all I can do ❤❤
Exactly! When I went to my academy I already know how to use photoshop and how to model things in 3D. It was IT academy so basically for 2,5 year I just had to take everything what I like into the trash and learn a lot of things that was a little unnecessary for me. When I was graduated (a few months ago), I’m just like "ok, now what?" Unfortunately a lot of game dev company in Poland want people with 1-2 years commercial experience and I don’t have that because I was focused to end my academy :/
So now I’m searching for a job and in free time make my mobile game in unity.
He-Man thanks for the video that was really goodbiggest question that I have is I would love to get into that community of building games with also learning how to go into that graphic designing it itself
Thanks for sharing your experience. As you putted, for some jobs, like nurses, is indispensable, but for creative profession, is questionable the need to drown your self in debt. I think that, the path of others, may not be the path for you, so, find what better suit your needs and plans.
0:54 was not expecting that. Smooth.
I like your advice in not jumping into the degree right away. You can learn for much cheaper at community college. Plus take the general education and transfer those credits after that. Even more important than the degree, is your portfolio. Without a good portfolio you won't get hired.
So true! Portfolios are essential since they are what really show your skills!
I am literally debating right now quitting my degree, I feel wasted, I wanna be a concept artist and the course has taught me nothing on the matter, I already had all the things they are teaching me from years before. One of the modules was literally copying from google to a word document and forgetting about it, we have to make a game with a class where 50% are 3D modellers and the other half doesn't even know what they want to be in the games industry. I am wasting £6k a year for all the least important things we need in this industry. This video came at the best possible time. Thank you.
I'm 17 years old and game development has been a hobby of mine for years now. I have formed a team with my friend, he does programming and I do art. And I'm going to apply to a game design school. I was born into a country with free education, and the quality of education here is nearly the best in the world. I'm also not very disciplined, which is why I want to get into a game design school, so I can have that slight pressure forcing me to work.
Of course, the situation in the USA and many other countries is wildly different, so I'm very lucky to be in this position, and will use that luck to my advantage. Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts!
If your getting a free education I would say go for it, that's great! I'm not going to school for game dev, but it definitely does help build discipline. What's your latest game?
College is a choice, I respect that. I still think I need to go to college for game development though. I love to learn new things , especially for art. I still need to work on my art skills and I think taking classes will help me improve my skills. The degree just looks good if your trying to work for a company. I still don't know if I want to make my own company or work for one. I'm 21 so I still have some time to make these choices in do time .
thank you
Thanks for this I was thinking about this and decided no!!! And just do short courses and CZcams channel and like you said learn from a great community. Just started to learn game design and development exciting scared 😱 but up to learn new techniques 😊 By the way great content Thomas thank you 🙏🏽
That's hilarious.. I know a guy who spent four years studying game design and couldn't even import a model into an engine at the end of it.. Conversely I dropped out of school...
Hey Thomas, could you perhaps make a tutorial on a Dialogue system? I've been trying to figure out the best way to make one and I just can´t seem to figure it out.
Good work!!!!
Sent this to a friend who thinks about going to a GameDevSchool. I hope this will help him make a good decision at the end.
I myself will probably go to college to study mechatronics, because I don't really have the supplies to work myself to a professional robot-builder... yet... maybe, who knows?I don't (yet)
gee, I'm not reaaly good at BSing through the college :(
I’m just about to go to College for a game design course so I watched you. And instead I took a google search course (taught by myself).
Few weeks later, I will be going on 12th grade and I would still even think if taking college full-on 4 years taking IT or CS would still going to be worth it to me. I am kind of more scared because of the pressure being given upon me from my parents. I won't even know now. But knowing that I still have 5 years left means I have a lot to learn, keeps me motivated. I just need to move.
College/University is good for learning how to work hard mentally. One can achieve an education by reading and studying books on their own as well.