Computer Game Design?

[BlueGazebo]

DS has suddenly decided that he wants to go to college to do Computer Game Design rather than stay on for A Levels. I know very little about this course/career and would be grateful if anyone out there could fill me in. Is there are job at the end of it?

It seems that at degree level there is the BSc or BA option. I think he could get also onto these courses via A Levels as well as via the college BTEC route. They don't seem to mention subject requirements but the BSC appears to require maths A Level which is out of the question (we are praying for a GCSE Grade C on Thursday). We are also praying for a C in Computer Science. I am therefore not convinced this is the right course for him but there seem to be many different areas within the subject.

I am worried about him putting all his eggs in one basket but would rather he was doing something he liked rather than struggle with A Levels. He is very bright and articulate and imaginative so there might be a computer game design role for him perhaps?

[user1471516728]

Hi there
My son has just enrolled on a BTEC in this at college after doing very badly at his AS's.

Having spent the summer at Uni open days we now know (rather belatedly) that the BTEC is actually a better way in to this than A-levels, since the BTEC leaves you open to both BSc's and BA's, where his non-creative A-levels meant only the BSc's would have been an option.

You wont find many Russell Group Unis running it but most of the ex-polys do and they are all more than happy to accept BTECs. The skills are apparently transferable to more standard IT jobs if you can't get something in the games industry, but if they're really keen I don't see any harm in following your dream.

Incidentally a relative has just graduated from a games degree and walked straight into a 'proper' graduate job in web design.

Hope you got some decent results last week and would be interested to hear what he decided to do.

[justjuanmorebeer]

I think there must be jobs but like anything it is competitive.

A friend's husband does it and is very sucessful, works for a company in Leamington Spa.

My ex did the degree at DMU and loved it.

[cdtaylornats]

www.reed.co.uk/jobs/games-developer/30478166#/jobs/games-developer
www.reed.co.uk/jobs/java-software-games-developer/30201755#/jobs/games-developer
www.reed.co.uk/jobs/graduate-junior-unity-games-developer/30161628#/jobs/games-developer
www.reed.co.uk/jobs/game-developer-ios-unity-c-ui-nottingham-35000/30433935#/jobs/games-developer

It might be worth showing him these advertised jobs. It may well guide him in picking a course. Many games are built round a "game engine" eg Unity

Dundee university seems to be sought after as is Abertay.

The skills for games development are transferable in part to most programming jobs as the base skills are the same. Some of the more game orientated skills are transferable to military simulators and civil flight, navigation simulators.

[BlueGazebo]

Thanks for your replies. He has now decided to try sixth form - we told him that he would still be able to carry on with Games Design after A Levels. Or he still has the option to quit sixth form and go back to the college if sixth form doesn't work out. I'm not 100% convinced that A Levels are the right choice for him but I think it will be easier to go to college from school rather than the other way around. He wants to do something game related - perhaps script writing, story writing (although I have no idea if such a job exists). He's not really into the programming side (Cs in Maths and Comp Science) so it would be the BA rather than BSc route he goes down. All the jobs look interesting but I worry they are for people with A Level Maths and the like. I hope he has made the right decision...

[orenisthenewblack]

Ds finished his Btec in game design this summer and was offered an unconditional place at the Uni of his choice to do a degree in Game Programming.
He's leaving on Saturday. Yikes!!
I'm happy that he's able to follow his dream and has a bright future.
Good luck

[BlueGazebo]

PS. We were thrilled with the Cs in Maths and Comp Science!

[cdtaylornats]

BlueGazebo there are lots of opportunities other than programming, story, artwork, music. When my friends son was at university a couple of years back he worked on a research project studying the effect sound had on gamers.

[BlueGazebo]

Thanks again. That kind of research thing sounds really interesting and far more up DS's street the programming or artwork. He's doing Eng Lang, Phil & Ethics and Drama A Levels so hopefully there will be some transferable skills that he can use in the gaming industry.