Dear Mew2King

[rathy Aro]

Knowing what you want in life is not easy, it's pretty damn hard actually. School teaches you a lot of useless stuff.. at least for a long time.. School sucks and it's boring until you are done, at least to me. It's not like I'm really going to use Math, philosophy.. etc. in my daily life.. And even then, what you learn is generally irrelevant to what kind of job you really want.

Also M2k the IT guy... it reminded me of the Reckless Tortuga skit about this. lol.

I have the exact opposite experience. I enjoy almost all my classes, even in hs. and hs is where i figured i wanted to be a programmer. 4 years later and i still haven't changed my mind. Its tru that not everything you learn is relevant, but I find that every class I take adds something useful to the way i think or how i might solve any other problem even if its not related to the subject.

but anyway. The onus is not on school to figure out what you want to do. You should use the many resources that school offers you (and makes you pay for regardless) to figure that **** out.

 

[Gea]

And even then, what you learn is generally irrelevant to what kind of job you really want.

I would agree with you about almost every other job, but not if you want to get into the gaming industry. You gotta know programming (be it self-learned or a degree) and understand math/logic like a hoss. C# is probably the best language to start with but it depends on what kind of company you want to work for. A few things you need to realize, Jason:

1. You are not going to get a job by degree in that field. Like writing, art, and other such things, you need a portfolio. I would collect all your framedata stuff and organize it extensively. Be prepared to discuss why these features of a game are important. Create what you are interested in. If you want to design levels, start designing levels for either your own game or higher profile games that allow such things, like TF2. The more you have to show for yourself, the better your chances are of getting hired.

2. Have a back up plan. The game industry is notoriously who you know, not how skilled you are. Hours can be rough and pay criminally low for your efforts. I doubt you're going to be working for an overseas developer so you need to start looking up Western developers you are interested in and the cities that have them. Cali, Texas, Oregon have some for sure.

3. Don't be dead set on a certain kind of game. I know you bring up Megaman but look at the way the industry is moving. Are 2D sidescrolling platformers big titles these days? They aren't even for handhelds, it would be a Wiiware/Iphone/etc title, unfortunately.

4. Be sure you understand what you're getting into. If you have never programmed, I would get into that first before deciding to major in it and pursue a career in it. It can be very boring and tedious.

 

[Divinokage]

Ya.. you really need a lot of planification if you want to go into the game industry, it requires a lot of effort and talent since most people demand the best. For example, Animation 3D.. I looked into this in the past but man.. you really need to understand the anatomy of a human being and even weird creatures. You have to be good at drawing and you definitely need a portfolio to show your works to see if you are worthy enough to enter. When I saw some portfolios, I was like O_O, these people are ****ing amazing.

 

[MissingNo.]

For what it's worth I've found what you set out to do ends up largely differing from what you ACTUALLY do. Whatever you end up going into, go into it with an open mind. I'm graduating with a Bachelor's in Business Logistics/Supply Chain Management in May, and I still feel like I have no idea what I want to do. The first kid that got me into Halo 1 years ago (I should probably thank him for it, as it's changed the course of my life to an extent) ended up going to Full Sail for game design. He soon realized...that wasn't what he wanted to do at all, switched to web design, and NOW he teaches English in Japan. It's amazing where some choices will take you.

 

[-ACE-]

I use absolutely nothing I learned in college for the job I have right now. I also forgot 80% of what I learned. Get at me.

 

[metalreflectslime]

I use absolutely nothing I learned in college for the job I have right now. I also forgot 80% of what I learned. Get at me.

Are you an engineer by any chance? I heard engineers barely use anything they learn in college for their jobs besides computational stuff like MATLAB, Mathematica, MAPLE, etc.

 

[The Cape]

Jason:

If you plan on visiting Mow anytime soon have him give me a call and I can help you work up a financial work out and save you as much money as possible. If you dont plan on visiting him and you would still like the help just send me a PM.

Also, if you feel the need to talk to someone about such things I know a few things about being in college and being depressed (Mow can confirm that one).

I use absolutely nothing I learned in college for the job I have right now. I also forgot 80% of what I learned. Get at me.

I have to say ditto to that. Stupid political science degrees.

 

[SSBM_or_GTFO]

Quality Assurance(game testers) can be paid a lot depending on how effective they are. They would glitches/inconsistencies/etc. From what I've seen, a Lead Quality Assurance worker can get paid 200,000 a year or more.

If your interested in 2D games then independent development is the way to go. Indie developers usually operate in small teams that operate on their own schedules. I've seen a lot of successful indie 2D and 3D games and there's a lot of creative freedom with indie development when compared to corporations who only make the games that they know will sell well.

 

[Divinokage]

I use absolutely nothing I learned in college for the job I have right now. I also forgot 80% of what I learned. Get at me.

See what I mean? School is ****ing stupid lol.

Edit: SSBM, where the hell does a Lead game tester get payed 200k a year if not working for the best companies in the world? (Like Blizzard) And even then I doubt it.. I've been a game tester for 4 years. A lead here in general gets paid like no more than 13-14$ an hour. (But I did hear at other places maybe in Europe they get payed double that at least)

 

[Redd]

I use absolutely nothing I learned in college for the job I have right now. I also forgot 80% of what I learned. Get at me.

That's what I'm saying, man! College is such a joke... (coming from an engineer)

 

[Fletch]

I use absolutely nothing I learned in college for the job I have right now. I also forgot 80% of what I learned. Get at me.

I agree with this for most jobs, but that said, you'll still need that expensive piece of paper to get you started at most places and for credibility sake.

 

[Derkis]

What you learn isn't as important as figuring out how to learn and how to effectively solve problems. That, and the potential for networking with your professors and peers (who are future professionals), is why college is valuable. Those connections will be far more useful when it comes to getting a job than your degree (though your degree can be useful too, if you choose your major wisely).

 

[SSBM_or_GTFO]

See what I mean? School is ****ing stupid lol.

Edit: SSBM, where the hell does a Lead game tester get payed 200k a year if not working for the best companies in the world? (Like Blizzard) And even then I doubt it.. I've been a game tester for 4 years. A lead here in general gets paid like no more than 13-14$ an hour. (But I did hear at other places maybe in Europe they get payed double that at least)

It's what I've read. From where I read it at, it didn't go very in-depth on anything so it may have been off.

http://www.animationarena.com/video-game-salary.html

I'm pretty sure this is where I read it at. Probably should have worded my post better. I meant the highest found salary(s) were 200,000 or more.

 

[AlphaZealot]

If you don't use math in your daily life then:
-You aren't earning money
-You aren't worried about paying taxes (then again 50% of the US don't pay taxes and then only complain about the people that do).
-You aren't budgeting your money
-You are likely being a useless member of society (otherwise you would at least use some math for your weekly/monthly planning)
-You can't figure out how to run a tournament or how much a TO owes you when you win, nor do you get to talk about Pound 5.
-You are more or less a disorganized person who is not planning for the future.

Math rocks.

 

[Divinokage]

1 + 1 = 2, congrats lol.

 

[Strong Badam]

School teaches you other stuff than Math, though, AZ. Math rocks, while whether or not a part of a sentence is a gerund phrase is ********.

 

[Gea]

-You aren't worried about paying taxes (then again 50% of the US don't pay taxes and then only complain about the people that do).

Yeah, this is dumb. Everyone should have to pay something, even if it's minuscule. Though our taxation system is so convoluted, but that's another discussion on it's own.

 

[Zankoku]

School teaches you other stuff than Math, though, AZ. Math rocks, while whether or not a part of a sentence is a gerund phrase is ********.

College taught me to be consistent and clean about my code when handling big projects so it isn't a ***** to revise or add on to when I come back to it later.

 

[Kuro Neko]

Math majors are legit.

 

[AlphaZealot]

Yeap, not only that, but if you are a math major you could even, say, go into Law School! If you want to be a Lawyer don't waste time with Pre-Law (average LSAT of 148.3), instead, try one of these 26 majors that will prep you better for the most important exam of your life:

Mathematics/Physics160.0
Economics and Philosophy/theology (tie) 157.4
International relations 156.5
Engineering 156.2
Government/service 156.1
Chemistry 156.1
History 155.9
Interdisciplinary studies 155.5
Foreign languages 155.3
English 155.2
Biology/natural sciences 154.8 (I thought this was funny)
Arts 154.2 (I thought this was funny as well)
Computer science 154.0
Finance 153.4
Political science 153.1
Psychology 152.5
Liberal arts 152.4 (And this is just hilarious)
Anthropology/geography 152.2
Accounting 151.7
Journalism 151.5
Sociology/social work 151.2
Marketing 150.8
Business management 149.7
Education 149.4
Business administration 149.1
Health professions 148.4

 

[TheGoat]

If you don't use math in your daily life then:
-You aren't earning money
-You aren't worried about paying taxes (then again 50% of the US don't pay taxes and then only complain about the people that do).
-You aren't budgeting your money
-You are likely being a useless member of society (otherwise you would at least use some math for your weekly/monthly planning)
-You can't figure out how to run a tournament or how much a TO owes you when you win, nor do you get to talk about Pound 5.
-You are more or less a disorganized person who is not planning for the future.

Math rocks.

You're right that math is useful and a necessary skill, but the problem is that people are forced to learn exorbitant amounts of useless crap they will rarely use in their actual jobs, the education system needs some serious reworking, at least here in the US. For example, a veterinarian needs to learn a ****load of calculus, and I imagine that would be a huge waste of money and time, unless he/she plans on calculating the angle at which to throw a diseased cat into the air.

 

[Kuro Neko]

Nice stats, AZ.

 

[Divinokage]

You only really need to understand the principle of every problem in Math and then all the others things become useless because your job only demands a certain specific thing.

 

[-ACE-]

Lol wow so many people responded to that post. I majored in Biology from UNC Chapel Hill and now I'm in surveying. I drive a survey vehicle called "the CRAB" which records very accurate depth measurements in the surf/tidal zone for beach replenishment jobs. It's a 35 foot tall solid aluminum tripod with monster truck sized tires on the legs. There's no real way to prepare for this job though lol there are only 3 crabs in existence. So yeah a bio degree might not help me much but I don't think any degree would really. I wish I would have majored in some form of engineering.

 

[ILM]

It isn't the knowledge that matters in a lot of math programs, knowing how to calculate the velocity of a truck when fired out of a canon at a 45 degree angle in relation to the beach it is fired towards isn't the point. The point is learning higher level thinking and problem solving strategies.

 

[Fletch]

It isn't the knowledge that matters in a lot of math programs, knowing how to calculate the velocity of a truck when fired out of a canon at a 45 degree angle in relation to the beach it is fired towards isn't the point. The point is learning higher level thinking and problem solving strategies.

This is the point, which is the only reason I think getting an upper level degree is worth it (besides it being almost a necessity now to land a good entry level job). That said, I graduated from Notre Dame with a Finance degree, and I'd say there is actually a decent amount of stuff which I learned which is still applicable in my field of derivatives trading, including lots of calculus.

 

[Gea]

I'm a writing major. I am jealous of you math majors.

 

[t3h Icy]

Math majors all up in this *****!

 

[Deleted member]

Session Start (MycatgoesMow:Jason): Thu Mar 24 21:19:37 2011 -0400
[21:19] Jason: I've decided
[21:19] Jason: im finishing college in NJ
[21:19] Jason: until i get associates
[21:19] Jason: cuz its cheapest that way by far
[21:20] Max: okay
[21:20] Jason: bachelors ill figure out later
[21:20] Max: so you're going home?
[21:20] Jason: uhh
[21:20] Max: good plan
[21:20] Jason: for august
[21:20] Jason: to dec
[21:20] Jason: im takin off b4 then
[21:20] Max: you were going to school in ohio though right
[21:20] Jason: 2 many nationals and i wanna go to japan too
[21:20] Jason: **** ohio
[21:20] Jason: gay expensive ****
[21:20] Max: you have to make sure the NJ school will let you finish your associates
[21:20] Jason: they do
[21:20] Max: as well as...pick a school?
[21:20] Jason: i called
[21:20] Max: okay
[21:21] Max: so you're good?
[21:21] Jason: i guess
[21:21] Max: good **** dude
[21:21] Jason: but leave the thread open
[21:21] Max: i can't close it
[21:21] Jason: idk if i wanna do game design - i only like 2d games

updating the thread accordingly.

 

[Teczer0]

Good stuff Jason.

At least you have a plan to do something even if you're not completely sure, its a start.

Also, I don't have any intentions on closing this unless you want me to lol

 

[Divinokage]

Well you won't go anywhere if you don't do stuff.. so this is a good start. =) How can you know what you want when you don't try anything right?

 

[SSBM_or_GTFO]

If M2K only likes 2D games then independent development would be a good choice for him, imho. Since indies tend to require a lot less funds to operate and they have the freedom to create and market what they want to make.

 

[Deleted member]

If M2K only likes 2D games then independent development would be a good choice for him, imho. Since indies tend to require a lot less funds to operate and they have the freedom to create and market what they want to make.

yeah but how realistic is that as a career? thats a legitimate question, i really have no idea.

 

[Divinokage]

You'd have to find a company which works with 2D games..

 

[t3h Icy]

M2K should give Sakurai the boot. Make them Hover Boots too so he'll fall down.

 

[-ACE-]

M2K >>> Sakurai

 

[SSBM_or_GTFO]

yeah but how realistic is that as a career? thats a legitimate question, i really have no idea.

Being a programmer, I'm not sure how the demand is for designers. Finding a small, but successful, indie studio would be the first step I would say.

Working alone makes things much more difficult but if M2K has great ideas and can flesh them out into lengthy detailed documents, I think he would be hired as a designer without too much searching.

Of course, I'm not actually IN the gaming industry yet but my school teachers are. I could ask them questions if M2K wanted to know something specific.

 

[Derkis]

yeah but how realistic is that as a career? thats a legitimate question, i really have no idea.

From what I know based on my experience as a programmer and friends/contacts who have worked in and around the industry, it's not realistic at all.

Large companies will have dedicated "game designers" who sit around and theorize about what features would be best to include in the game and manage the development process, but you don't just get hired into that position; that is the career everybody wants. You start small and contribute something valuable to the game's physical development be it code/art/whatever, and slowly claw your way to the top as your prove yourself.

Going the indie route, there really aren't dedicated game designers. Teams are often so small that you will either be doing multiple jobs, or you are one person doing all the game's programming or all the game's art. The game "design" duties are shared among employees, but if you can't contribute to the game's actual construction then you aren't going to be worth much no matter how good you think your ideas are (you're no different in that regard from anyone else in the gaming industry).

In short, either go into computer science, art, or one of those game development schools like Flashpoint if this is what you really want to do. Personally, I recommend CS, because if you realize somewhere down the line you don't actually want to make games you will still have plenty of options as far as work goes (if you're any good at it). Plus, coding is fun and you can contribute something meaningful to the world.

My two cents. Might not be 100% accurate, but this is the picture that was painted for me.

 

[Mew2King]

I'm doing computer sci cuz I don't know what else I would do. I'll probably do that for that reason alone. No, I don't enjoy programming, but I really don't think I'd see myself doing anything else

 

[Brookman]

m2k, you should become an Elementary School teacher