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FALL 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE
STARTING YOUR CAREER IN >> QUIZ!
VIDEO GAMES
>> TOP 10 TIPS
GAME DEVELOPMENT
IN 20 QUESTIONS
At DigiPen Institute of Technology, we believe that there are no shortcuts to a serious career in
the field of digital interactive entertainment. DigiPen has combined a comprehensive curriculum
and world-class faculty to provide a rigorous educational experience in the following programs.
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presents
[CONTENTS]
FALL 2008
F E AT U R E S
19 How a game gets made
Ever wonder about the process of making
a game? This article walks you through the
steps developers and publishers take to
bring a traditional console game to market,
beginning with that certain gleam in a
developer's eye.
By Brandon Van Slyke
36 56 TOP 10 TIPS 31
Whether you're looking to enter the field of
game design, production, programming,
audio design, or art, we've got an expert
STUDENT P O S T M O R T E M at hand to give you a head start. These
top 10 tips should not only help you focus
your school time, but also improve your
36 Gesundheit! effectiveness once you do get that first job.
Gesundheit! is an unusual game about a pig monster that eats By Tim Lang, Michael J. Boccieri, Noel Llopis, Rob
56
boogersbut what's even more unusual is that its creator Matt Hammill Bridgett, and Robert Chang
made the game simply on his own initiative. He wasn't at a game
school, and his university didn't have a game program, but where
there's a will there's a way! This article discusses the highs and lows of
his development experience.
By Matt Hammill
11 PAYCHECK PLEASE! [GAME DEV 101] A list of North American schools with game development
Information on salaries for entry-level developers. classes, and a selection of international schools as well.
This could be you! 103 QUIZ By Thomas Grov [GAME DEV 101]
27 WHAT IS A GAME ENGINE? By Jeff Ward [GAME DEV 101] How well do you know game history and game design?
A high-level discussion of game engines and 108 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT By Matthew Wasteland [HUMOR]
associated terms. Five ways to get into the game industry.
COVER ART: JAMES CROW, GIN GRAVETTE, GREG WRIGHT
w w w. g d m ag . c o m
[GAME PLAN ] CMP
www.gdmag.com
CMP Media, 600 Harrison St., 6th Fl., San Francisco, CA 94107 t: 415.947.6000 f: 415.947.6090
ThinkMedia,
Services,
600600 Harrison
Harrison St., St.,
6th 6th
Fl., Fl.,
San Francisco,SERVICES
SUBSCRIPTION CA 94107
t:FOR
415.947.6000 f: 415.947.6090
INFORMATION, ORDER QUESTIONS, AND ADDRESS CHANGES
t: 800.250.2429 f: 847.763.9606 e: gamedeveloper@halldata.com
t: 800.250.2429
SUBSCRIPTION f: 847.763.9606 e: gamedeveloper@halldata.com
SERVICES
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
SUBSCRIPTION
EDITORIAL SERVICES
INFORMATION,ORDER
FOR INFORMATION, ORDERQUESTIONS,
QUESTIONS,AND ANDADDRESS
ADDRESSCHANGES
CHANGES
FOR INFORMATION, ORDER QUESTIONS, AND ADDRESS CHANGES
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
GAMES IN
800.250.2429 f:f:847.763.9606
t: 800.250.2429 847.763.9606 e:e:gamedeveloper@halldata.com
gamedeveloper@halldata.com
t:Simon
800.250.2429 f: 847.763.9606 e: gamedeveloper@halldata.com
Carless scarless@gdmag.com
EDITORIAL EDITOR
MANAGING
EDITORIAL
PUBLISHER
Jill Duffy jduffy@gdmag.com
PUBLISHER Carless
Simon Carless scarless@gdmag.com
scarless@gdmag.com
ABSTRACTION
FEATURES
Simon Carless EDITORscarless@gdmag.com
MANAGING
Brandon EDITOR bsheffield@gdmag.com
EDITOR
Sheffield
SENIOR
JillDIRECTOREDITOR
jduffy@gdmag.com
Duffy jduffy@gdmag.com
ART
Brandon Sheffield bsheffield@gdmag.com
SENIOR
Cliff ScorsoEDITOR
EDITOR cscorso@gdmag.com
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING
Brandon Sheffield bsheffield@gdmag.comEDITOR
Jill Duffy Sheffield
CONTRIBUTING jduffy@gdmag.com
EDITORS
bsheffield@gdmag.com
ART
JesseDIRECTOR
DIRECTOR
Harlin jharlin@gdmag.com
ART
CliffDIRECTOR
Scorso cscorso@gdmag.com
NoahScorso
Cliff cscorso@gdmag.com
Falsteincscorso@gdmag.com
nfalstein@gdmag.com
IM NOT SURE ANYONE IN THE VIDEO GAME Whether you start your own studio or join the CONTRIBUTING
CONTRIBUTING
Steve
PRODUCTION Theodore EDITORS
EDITORS
EDITORstheodore@gdmag.com
Jesse
JesseWest
Mick Harlin
Harlin jharlin@gdmag.com
jharlin@gdmag.com
mwest@gdmag.com
industry knows where games are going. Massively ranks of a well-funded corporation, its important Jeffrey
Noah Fleming
Falstein
Falstein
jfleming@gdmag.com
nfalstein@gdmag.com
nfalstein@gdmag.com
Noah BOARD
ADVISORY
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
multiplayer online games are hotright?as that you follow a path that suits your personality Steve
Steve
Hal Barwood
Theodore
Theodore stheodore@gdmag.com
stheodore@gdmag.com
Designer-at-Large
Jesse
Mick Harlin mwest@gdmag.com
jharlin@gdmag.com
evidenced by WORLD OF WARCRAFT. Open-world and lifestyle. Thats true of your educational path Mick West
Ellen
Steve
West
Guon
Theodore
mwest@gdmag.com
Beeman Microsoft
stheodore@gdmag.com
ADVISORY
ADVISORY
BradLlopis BOARD
BOARD
Bulkley Neversoft
games, like GRAND THEFT AUTO and all the lookalike as well. No job is perfect, and no school is without Noel nllopis@gdmag.com
Hal
Hal Barwood
ClintonBarwood
Keith High Designer-at-Large
Designer-at-Large
Moon Studios
Soren Johnson sjohnson@gdmag.com
games that followed thereafter, are hotright? its bureaucratic moments. But finding the niche Ellen Guon
Ellen Lesser
Ryan Guon Beeman
Beeman
Harmonix Microsoft
Microsoft
Damion Schubert dschubert@gdmag.com
Brad
Brad Bulkley
Mark Bulkley
DeLoura Neversoft
Neversoft
Ubisoft
No, wait, Facebook application games are really where you belong is important not only to your ADVISORY
Clinton BOARD
Keith High Moon Studios
Clinton
Hal Keith
Barwood High Moon
Designer-at-Large Studios
where its at. Episodic games are the new thing. happiness, but also to your creativity. Ryan
RyanGuon
ADVERTISING
Ellen
Lesser
Lesser SALES
Beeman
Harmonix
Harmonix Microsoft
Mark DeLoura
MarkBulkley
DeLoura Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Games for the iPhone are the new frontier. As Ive come to know different game developers, DIRECTOR
Brad OF SALES Neversoft
Steve McGill
Clinton Keithe: smcgill@cmp.com
High Moon Studios t: 415.947.6217
No one in the game industry knows where games Ive noticed distinct patterns about the ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING SALES
SALES
Ryan Lesser
GLOBAL HarmonixRECRUITMENT & EDUCATION
SALES MANAGER,
will be even two or three years from now. The only personality types spread among the disciplines. DIRECTOR
Mark
AaronDeLoura
DIRECTOR OF
OF SALES
Murawski SALESUbisoft
e: amurawski@cmp.com t: 415.947.6227
Steve
SR. EVENTS McGill e: smcgill@cmp.com
ACCOUNT MANAGER, SOUTHWEST t: 415.947.6217
thing they know is that everything is changing and (Need a primer on what I mean by disciplines? Steve
GLOBAL
McGill e: smcgill@cmp.com t: 415.947.6217
Jasmin SALES
ADVERTISING
GLOBAL Dav e:MANAGER,
SALESSALES jdave@cmp.com
MANAGER, RECRUITMENT
t: 415.947.6226
RECRUITMENT &&EDUCATION
EDUCATION
that the games that are released in a few years will Check out page 47.) As you read through this Aaron
SR. ACCOUNT
Aaron Murawski
MurawskiMANAGER, e: amurawski@cmp.com
EAST COAST, EUROPE t:
e: amurawski@cmp.com &t:415.947.6227
EASTERN CANADA
415.947.6227
MEDIA ACCOUNT MANAGER
be different from what we have now. magazine, and as you encounter more game SR.
John
SR.
EVENTS
Cecily Herbst ACCOUNT
Malik ACCOUNT
EVENTS e: MANAGER,
cherbst@cmp.com
Watson e:MANAGER, SOUTHWEST
t: 415.947.6215
jmwatson@think-services.com
SOUTHWEST t:
Jasmin
415.947.6224
MEDIA Dav
ACCOUNT e: jdave@cmp.com t: 415.947.6226
Who is going to drive that change? developers, try to think about the kinds of people Jasmin Dav e:MANAGER jdave@cmp.com t: 415.947.6226
SR.
John
GLOBAL ACCOUNTSALESMANAGER,
Watson e:MANAGER, EAST
jmwatson@cmp.com COAST, t:EUROPE
RECRUITMENT 415.947.224& EASTERN CANADA
& EDUCATION
You are. who share the same mindset as you. SR. ACCOUNT
Cecily HerbstMANAGER, EAST
e: cherbst@cmp.com COAST,t:EUROPE & EASTERN CANADA
415.947.6215
Aaron
ADVERTISING
Murawski
Cecily Herbst e: amurawski@think-services.com
e: cherbst@cmp.com
PRODUCTION t: 415.947.6215
ACCOUNT
t: MANAGER, WESTERN CANADA, INDIA, AUSTRALIA, & ASIA
415.947.6227
MEDIA
ADVERTISING
Amanda ACCOUNT
MaePRODUCTIONMANAGER
Miller MANAGER Kevin Chanel
e: ammiller@cmp.com t: 785.838.7523
NAME CHANGE WHAT CAME BEFORE ACCOUNT
John Watson
SALES
MANAGER,
REPRESENTATIVE,
EDUCATION AND RECRUITMENT
e: jmwatson@cmp.com
EDUCATION & RECRUITMENT
t: 415.947.224
REPRINTS
Gina Gross e: ggross@think-services.com t: 415.947.6241
I was thinking the other day back to 2004 when In art, the most innovative piecesthe artwork Gina Gross
ADVERTISING
REPRINTS e:PRODUCTION
ACCOUNT ggross@cmp.com
MANAGER t: 415.947.6241
SR. EVENTS ACCOUNT MANAGER, SOUTHWEST
Nintendo first gave word of its new console, that inspired entire movements, like Cubism, MEDIA
Cindy ACCOUNT
ADVERTISING
Jasmin MANAGER MANAGER
Davt:PRODUCTION
Zauss 951.698.1780 e: czauss@cmp.comKevin Chanel
John Watson e: jmwatson@cmp.com t: 415.947.224
code named Revolution. My game colleagues Impressionism, and Dadaismcame from artists ACCOUNT
REPRINTS
MARKETING
MANAGER, WESTERN CANADA, INDIA, AUSTRALIA, & ASIA
Amanda
ADVERTISING MaePRODUCTION
Miller
and I all thought Revolution was a stellar name. who learned the classical, foundational knowledge PARS
MARKETING INTERNATIONAL
MANAGER
ADVERTISING
Joe Nunziata
Hilary McVicker PRODUCTION
t:e:212.221.9595 MANAGER
hmcvicker@cmp.com Kevin Chanel
e: reprints@parsintl.com
t: 415.947.6207
Rather than call it GameCube 2.0 or some other before they broke the rules. And so it is in games. ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
sequenced thing, Nintendo was promising Before you set out to change the world (which I know REPRINTS
MARKETING
CMP GAME GROUP
PRODUCTION MANAGER Pete C. Scibilia e: pscibili@ubm-us.com
PARS
MARKETING
VP, INTERNATIONAL
GROUP MANAGERAPPLIED TECHNOLOGIES Philip Chapnick
PUBLISHER
grassroots change to the way we think about and you will do), you need to know whats already there. Joe
REPRINTS
Hilary Nunziata
McVicker t: 212.221.9595
e: hmcvicker@cmp.com e: reprints@parsintl.com
VP, STRATEGIC MARKETING Michele Maguire t: 415.947.6207
play games. It was invigorating. For starters, youll need to know the complete PARS
MARKETING
CMP
INTERNATIONAL
Then, in 2006, the official product name was process of how a video game is made. Brandon van JoeGAME
GROUP Nunziata GROUP
DIRECTOR Kathy Schobacke: reprints@parsintl.com
t: 212.221.9595
MARKETING
VP, GROUP PUBLISHER MANAGER APPLIED TECHNOLOGIES Philip Chapnick
AUDIENCE
Hilary
THINK DEVELOPMENT
McVicker
SERVICES e: hmcvicker@cmp.com t: 415.947.6207
announced: Wii. The press had a field day. We Slyke, a game designer at Vicarious Visions, can VP, STRATEGIC MARKETING Michele Maguire
GROUP
CEO DIRECTOR
THINK SERVICES Carolyn Giroux
Philip e: cgiroux@cmp.com
Chapnick
made ourselves giddy brainstorming headlines walk you through all the steps starting on page 19. CMP
GROUP GAME GROUP Kathy
DIRECTOR Schoback
DIRECTOR
GROUP Mary Griffin e: mkgriffin@cmp.com
that played on all the meanings of the homonym: Another thing youll want to know is the SENIORDIRECTORVP, TECHNOLOGY Kathy Schoback
INNOVATORS GROUP Philip Chapnick
AUDIENCEMANAGER
ASSISTANT DEVELOPMENT John Slesinski
VP, STRATEGIC
AUDIENCE MARKETING
DEVELOPMENT Michele e: jslesinski@cmp.com
Maguire
diminutive, the exclamation (wee!), the common problems that come up in game GROUP
LIST DIRECTOR
RENTAL Merit
DIRECTOR Kathy
GROUP DIRECTOR
Carolyn
Direct Giroux
LLC
KathyHenry
e: cgiroux@cmp.com
t: 914.368.1000
Schobacke: khenry@techinsights.com
anatomical meaning if you saw the word twice in a development, as knowing what they are will DIRECTOR Mary Griffin e: mkgriffin@cmp.com
DIRECTOR
INTERNATIONAL
AUDIENCE KristiLICENSING
DEVELOPMENTCunningham INFORMATION
row, and of course, the verb. quickly help you avoid them. The best way to ASSISTANT
Mario MANAGER
Salinas John Slesinski
t: 650.513.4234 e: jslesinski@cmp.com
f:e:650.513.4482 e: msalinas@cmp.com
e:
GROUP kcunningham@techinsights.com
DIRECTOR Carolyn Giroux cgiroux@cmp.com
LIST
LIST RENTAL
RENTAL Merit
Merit Direct
Direct LLC
LLC t:t:914.368.1000
914.368.1000
Now, its hard to imagine the whimsical Wii being learn that is by reading postmortems of finished CMP TECHNOLOGY
DIRECTOR Mary Griffin MANAGEMENT
e: mkgriffin@cmp.com
INTERNATIONAL
PRESIDENT
ASSISTANT AND CEO
MANAGER LICENSING
Steve INFORMATION
JohnWeitzner
Slesinski e: jslesinski@cmp.com
called Revolution, which in hindsight sounds games, and theres one waiting for you on page MARKETING
Mario Salinas t: 650.513.4234 f: 650.513.4482 e: msalinas@
dated, a thing of the late '60s. 36, by a student game developer, Matt Hammill. LIST
SERVICESRENTAL
EXECUTIVE VP Merit
AND Direct
CFO AdamLLC t: 914.368.1000
Marder
cmp.comMARKETING DIRECTOR Karen Tom e: ktom@think-
SENIOR VP, AUDIENCE
services.com
INTERNATIONAL MARKETING
LICENSING & DEVELOPMENT Bill Amstutz
INFORMATION
Who knew the Wii would be what it has become? CMP
SENIOR TECHNOLOGY
VP,MARKETING
CMP INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT MARKETING SOLUTIONS
Mario
SERVICES Salinas t: 650.513.4234
COORDINATOR f: 650.513.4482
Laura RobisonJoseph Braue
e: irobison@
Who knew there would be an enormous software WHO'S YOUR MENTOR? PRESIDENT AND
e: msalinas@cmp.com
think-services.com
SENIOR VP AND CEO Steve
GENERAL Weitzner
COUNSEL Sandra Grayson
hole, desperate to be filled with new video games The great trendsetters in artas well as science, EXECUTIVE
SENIOR VP AND CFOMARKETING
VP, CORPORATE Adam Marder
CMP TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT Lisa Johnson
for the new way people play? philosophy, literature, and other fieldsalso had PRESIDENT,
UBM
SENIOR TECHNOLOGY CHANNEL
VP, CORPORATE GROUPAnne
MANAGEMENT
SALES Robert Marie Faletra
Miller
PRESIDENT AND CEO Steve Weitzner
PRESIDENT,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE CMP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS GROUP
great teachers. Im a huge advocate of mentorship SENIOR
EXECUTIVE
Paul Miller VP ANDOFFICER
VP, MANUFACTURING CFO Adam David
Marie
MarderLevin
Myers
CHIEF
SENIOR OPERATING
VP, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Scott Mozarsky
Alexandra Raine
THE NEW YOU in the game industry, and the only way youll PRESIDENT,
PRESIDENT,
CHIEF
VP, FINANCIAL
AUDIENCE
CHANNEL
CMP OFFICER
DEVELOPMENT
GROUP
BUSINESSDavid Robert
TECHNOLOGY
MichaelWein Zane
Faletra GROUP Tony Uphoff
PRESIDENT,
CORPORATE CMP
SENIOR TECHNOLOGY
VP SALESKevin INNOVATORS
Anne Marie MillerGROUP
As the next generation of game developers, its your meet a mentor is if you get out and attend CHIEF INFORMATION
Paul Miller
PRESIDENT, CHANNELOFFICER GROUP Robert Faletra Prinz
job to shape what the game-playing public plays as game industry functions, or go to a school that SENIOR VP, CMP
CORPORATE SENIOR INTEGRATED
VP SALES MARKETING
Anne Marie SOLUTIONS Joseph
Miller
PRESIDENT,
PRESIDENT, CMPENTERTAINMENT
CMP
Braue VP, STRATEGIC BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY MEDIA Tony GROUP
KeefeTony Uphoff
well as how they play. In that sense, now is a truly has industry veterans on staff or strong ties to SENIOR
CORPORATE DEV.
SENIOR VPTECHNOLOGY SALES AND AnneBUSINESS ADMIN. Pat Nohilly
Marie Miller
PRESIDENT,
SENIOR VP, BUSINESS
VP, MANUFACTURING
HUMAN RESOURCES GROUP
Marvlieu Jeff Patterson
Jolla Hall
SENIOR
SENIORVP, VP,GROUP
CMP INTEGRATED Marie Myers
MARKETING SOLUTIONS Joseph Braue
exciting time to become a game developer. developers in the community. Socialize. Learn. SENIOR
SENIOR VP,
SENIOR VP, MANUFACTURINGDIRECTOR, ELECTRONICS
Marie Myers& SOFTWARE GROUPS
SENIOR
Paul VP, COMMUNICATIONS
Miller HUMAN RESOURCES Alexandra
MarvlieuRaine Jolla Hall
I know many of you have dreams of joining Think. Make great changes. SENIOR VP, COMMUNICATIONS Alexandra Raine
SENIORVP,
SENIOR VP,GROUP
MANUFACTURINGDIRECTOR, Marie Myers
COMMUNICATIONS
top-name companies, like BioWare, Rockstar, Make great games. VP, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTGROUP, Patrick Brennan
SENIOR
StephenVP, COMMUNICATIONS Alexandra Raine
Saunders
Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft, but I hope others are VP, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Patrick Brennan
raring to start their own companies. I hope some Jill Duffy is senior contributing editor of Game
of you envision having your own studio, where Developer and editor of GameCareerGuide.com,
you can push forward and make the new games a web site dedicated to helping aspiring game
that will be unique to your generation. developers break into and learn about the industry.
Game Developer
GAME DEVELOPERS Francisco it hosts the WorldsInMotion E3 MEDIA & BUSINESS SUMMIT
CONFERENCE Summit, the Independent Games Festival www.e3summit08.com
www.gdconf.com Showcase, and a Game Career Seminar. This event was previously called the
The yearly Game Developers Conference Organized by Think Services, the Austin Electronic Entertainment Expo and it was
has grown from its origins as an informal GDC takes place September 15-17, 2008 the yearly Woodstock of video games.
living room meeting to become a in Austin, Texas. The event, which is run by the ESA, was
weeklong event attended by thousands. originally created as an industry-only
The conference has a long list of GAME CONVENTION trade show. However, as video games
speakers each year and the offerings www.gc-germany.de became mainstream entertainment,
are scheduled along tracks. Lectures One of Europes major video game trade E3 began to attract tens of thousands
and summits are grouped into Audio, shows, the Game Convention is held of attendees, many of whom had only
Business & Management, Game Design, each summer in Leipzig, Germany. a tenuous connection to the industry.
Production, Programming, Visual Arts, The convention, which is open to the Publishers responded to the crowds
and many other categories so that public, gives exhibitors an opportunity with increasingly elaborate demo booths
attendees can experience a full range of to connect with their audience on a each year and the costs of putting on
viewpoints within their chosen discipline. vast show floor. Game creators can the extravagant show skyrocketed.
The GDC also hosts the Independent also participate in the GC Developers Beginning with the 2007 event, E3
Games Festival and Game Developers Conference that features lectures on all became the E3 Media & Business
Choice Awards. There is a large exhibition aspects of game development. Summit and was refocused as a much
hall where companies can showcase smaller and more sober affair that would
their development tools, and students
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 5
[GAME DEV 101 WHO TO KNOW & WHAT TO DO ]
http://en.chinajoy.net www.dicesummit.org/index.php
ChinaJoy, the China Digital Since 2002, the Academy of Interactive
Entertainment Expo and Arts & Sciences has been holding the
Conference, is a yearly event D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate,
that brings together the Entertain) Summit each year in Las
Chinese game industry with Vegas. The summit brings together big
publishers and developers money people from publishing and
across the globe. Open to development to discuss game industry
both the trade and the public, trends and opportunities. While much
ChinaJoy combines business of the summit is given over to high-level
conferences with a floor show business talks, the AIAS also takes the
exhibition for consumers. occasion to present its annual best of
The event is held each July Interactive Achievement Awards.
in Shanghai.
TOKYO GAME SHOW
PENNY ARCADE http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/english/
www.pennyarcadeexpo.com The Tokyo Game Show is the largest
The Penny Arcade gaming annual video game trade-show in
convention is a three-day, Japan and it fires the starting guns
end-of-summer weekend filled of the Christmas buying season with
with a deep and abiding love four days of new game previews and
for video games. Thousands of announcements. While the first two days
The seamy underbelly of be strictly invitation-only. Taking place attendees meet at the expo to of the show are restricted to industry
the Tokyo Game Show 2007. in July in Los Angeles, the summit play new and upcoming games, spend people only, the last two days are open
brings together a small group of major time with old favorites, and compete to the public. In addition to its enormous
retailers, publishers, and media for in the epic Omegathon elimination exhibition floor, TGS hosts workshops and
meetings and demonstrations without tournament. There is also an exhibition conferences, as well as the Computer
the floor show overkill. hall for game companies to show Entertainment Suppliers Associations
In response to the ESAs consolidation off their latest wares and a roster of (CESA) annual Japan Game Awards.
of E3, a separate event (not affiliated with speakers to take in as well. The expo TGS is co-organized by CESA and Nikkei
the ESA) was organized called the E for All also features the PAX 10, a showcase for Business Publications, Inc. and will be
Expo. E for All takes place in October in Los outstanding independent games. Penny held this year on October 9-12 at the
Angeles and gives the public an opportunity Arcade Expo will take place this year in Makuhari-Messe in Chiba City.
to demo many of the newest games that Seattle, August 29-31.
are coming down the retail pipeline.
ORGANIZATIONS
These associations help advocate, regulate, and advance the industry. Here are the big names you should know.
IGDA of specialized Wikis, SIGs, White Papers, and intellectual property protection
www.igda.org articles, and columns that address initiatives. The ESA runs the E3 Media &
The International Game Developers a wide variety of game development Business Summit and supports a number
Association (IGDA) is a non-profit issues. Access to the website is free of charities through its ESA Foundation.
organization that works to connect and and annual memberships are $30 for
educate game developers at all levels in students and $48 for professionals. ESRB
the industry. The IGDA has local chapters www.esrb.org
across North America, Asia, and Europe ESA The Entertainment Software Rating Board
where members can meet with their www.theesa.com (ESRB) was created by the ESA to rate the
peers and the organization sponsors The Entertainment Software Association content of video games released in North
events and parties at the many developer (ESA) represents the interests of U.S. America and to ensure that the industry
conferences that take place each year. video game publishers. The ESA supports follows a common set of advertising
The IGDA is also a rich online information the industry with anti-piracy programs, guidelines. The ESRB enjoys broad support
source for developers, with a website full government outreach, market research, from both publishers and retailers.
VIDEO GAMES VOTER NETWORK Trade Association (TIGA) is a U.K.-based and discussions. Duespaying
www.videogamevoters.org trade group that promotes European membership with full voting rights is
The Video Games Voter Network is a web game development interests. TIGA open to individuals from the creative and
site created by the ESA to rally support is an advocate for game industry technical fields that have been active in
against government regulation of video concerns and works with government the game industry for at least two years
games. It encourages video game departments and ministers to improve while membership with limited voting
consumers to involve themselves in the business opportunities within the rights is open to those in the business
democratic process by providing voter U.K. and across the European Union. sector and to students who plan on
registration information and it organizes The organization also functions as a joining the industry.
online petitions to stop legislative efforts networking resource for the industry
to restrict game sales. and maintains a best practices CESA
handbook that collects information on www.cesa.or.jp/index.php/en
ELSPA contracts, tax credits, grants, insurance, The Computer Entertainment Suppliers
www.elspa.com outsourcing, and PEGI (Pan European Association (CESA) is a Japanese
The Entertainment & Leisure Software Game Information) age ratings. trade group that promotes the video
Publishers Association (ELSPA) is the game industry through events like
voice of the British game industry, AIAS the Tokyo Game Show and the CESA
promoting its interests in both the www.interactive.org Developers Conference. It also oversees
business and government sectors as well The Academy of Interactive Arts the Computer Entertainment Rating
as at the consumer level. ELSPA tracks & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit Organization, which is roughly equivalent
game sales, conducts market research, organization open to industry to our own ESRB. CESA organizes several
and maintains a strong anti-piracy professionals that promotes and committees that address a variety of
initiative. The organization also works to recognizes developer excellence. Each industry concerns, from technology and
educate consumers on game ratings and year the AIAS presents its Interactive intellectual property to market research,
is a sponsor of the London Games Festival. Achievement Awards that honor the distribution, and human resources.
best of the game industrys work. The
*
TIGA Academy also organizes the annual
www.tiga.org D.I.C.E. Summit that brings together
The Independent Games Developers industry leaders for high-level seminars
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>> j i l l d u f f y
PAYCHECK
PLEASE!
Jill Duffy is senior contributing editor of Game Developer and editor-in-chief of GameCareerGuide.com,
a web site dedicated to helping aspiring game developers break into and learn about the industry. Email
her at jduffy@gdmag.com.
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 11
PAYCHECK PLEASE!
$128,676
$102,806
$94,525
$75,070
$77,418
$80,833
$57,665
$63,226
$75,761
$81,071
$40,417
$68,041
$58,452
$43,657
$74,335
$84,236
30K 30K
N/A
20K 20K
10K 10K
0K 0K
<3 36 >6 <3 36 >6
years years years years years years
Years experience in the industry Percent receiving additional Years experience in the industry Percent receiving additional
compensation 78% compensation 80%
Average additional Average additional
compensation $15,313 compensation $14,984
29% 25%
41% <3 yrs Type of compensation 40% <3 yrs Type of compensation
>6 yrs Annual bonus . . . . . . . . . . .50% >6 yrs Annual bonus . . . . . . . . . . . 44%
30% Project bonus . . . . . . . . . . 28% 35% Project bonus . . . . . . . . . . . 31%
36 yrs Royalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17% 36 yrs Royalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22%
Stock Options . . . . . . . . . . . 41% Stock Options . . . . . . . . . . . 37%
Profit Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . 17% Profit Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . 17%
Gender Stats for Programmers Gender Stats for Artists
Receive some benefits 94% Receive some benefits 91%
Gender Percent Average Type of benefits received Gender Percent Average Type of benefits received
represented salary Medical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97% represented salary Medical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99%
Female 3% $76,184 Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92% Female 8% $61,250 Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95%
Male 97% $83,579 401K/retirement . . . . . . . 84% Male 92% $67,056 401K/retirement . . . . . . . . 87%
$53,971
A frequent topic of conversation for me in the
past year has been about whether a fresh-out-of-college
graduate can get his or her first game development job
$46,184 Jobs in video game audio are scarce. Few
full-time in-house positions exist; much of the
as a game designer. Can you break into the industry as a Avg. Salary workforce is freelance or contract. Audio people Avg. Salary
designer, or do you have to earn your stripes elsewhere Across All Levels are often in between worlds, and that niche Across All Levels
before the design department will let you in? of Experience area that they inhabit is a realm where only of Experience
The answer is: Yes, your first job in game development true expertise survives. Theyre educated in the
U.S. $63,649 U.S. $73,764
can be as a game designer. However, the trick is in world of audio engineering and sound design,
understanding the different kinds of design jobs that are Canada $57,435 but have a personal interest in video games. Canada $56,750
available, and knowing which ones are better suited to Europe $46,959 The sounds they record and create for video Europe $62,000
entry-level candidates. (For a more complete explanation games all have extremely specific considerations
of the job titles within the design department, see The Disciplines, page 47.) and requirements: Will the track loop? What information does the
Game designers can earn a comfortable living, but students and parents sound give the player? How many variations of a particular sound
who are still learning about the profession should be clear that it is not effect are needed to keep the player from auditory boredom? Is the
generally conducive to a wealthy lifestyle. On average, game programmers dialogue critical to the story or gameplay? And because audio is often
make about $20,000 more per year than designers (and game programmers implemented very late in a games development: How little memory is
earn far less than their peers in other fields, like banking or security). The there left to work with?
need for game designers is also not as strong as the need for programmers, Audio people in the game industry reported earning almost
making the job market highly competitive. $19,000 per year in additional income, possibly because so many of
To become a singer, one must sing. To become a writer, one must write. And them are freelancers, though this explanation is not grounded in any
to become a game designer, one must design gamesbefore applying for the hard data.
job. Students of game design should work on video game projects with artists,
programmers, and producers. They can also exercise their game design skills by
making non-electronic games, such as board games, card games, and puzzles. Audio salaries per years of experience and position
Game design salaries per years of experience and position sound/audio designer or engineer sound/audio director
game designer writer creative director/lead designer composer/musician
100K 100K
90K 90K
80K 80K
70K 70K
60K 60K
50K 50K
40K 40K
$46,208
$51,731
$54,716
$59,167
$60,833
$74,688
$52,500
$98,370
$64,583
$59,605
$61,500
$80,192
$83,214
$91,413
30K 30K
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
20K 20K
10K 10K
0K 0K
<3 36 >6 <3 36 >6
years years years years years years
All game designers All Audio
Years experience in the industry Percent receiving additional Years experience in the industry Percent receiving additional
compensation 79% compensation 66%
Average additional Average additional
compensation $13,921 17% compensation $18,819
36% 35% <3 yrs
>6 yrs <3 yrs Type of compensation 40% Type of compensation
>6 yrs
Annual bonus . . . . . . . . . . . 40% Annual bonus. . . . . . . . . . . .38%
42%
29% Project bonus . . . . . . . . . . . 36% 36 yrs Project bonus . . . . . . . . . . . 29%
36 yrs Royalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23% Royalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31%
Stock Options . . . . . . . . . . . 36% Stock Options. . . . . . . . . . . . 26%
Profit Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . 16% Profit Sharing. . . . . . . . . . . . 22%
Gender Stats for Designers Gender Stats for Audio Personnel
Receive some benefits 91% Receive some benefits 83%
Gender Percent Average Type of benefits received Gender Percent Average Type of benefits received
represented salary Medical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98% represented salary Medical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97%
Female 8% $55,156 Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92% Female 8% $69,375 Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95%
Male 92% $64,396 401K/retirement . . . . . . . . 84% Male 92% $73,764 401K/retirement . . . . . . . . 85%
50K 50K
40K 40K
$125,000
$46,667
$55,833
$65,147
$93,611
$67,500
$62,500
$89,184
30K 30K
N/A
20K
$25,142
$38,611
$38,553
$41,905
$43,056
$70,658
20K
10K 10K
0K 0K
<3 36 >6 <3 36 >6
years years years years years years
ALL PRODUCTION ALL Q/A
Years experience in the industry Percent receiving additional Years experience in the industry Percent receiving additional
compensation 81% compensation 59%
Average additional Average additional
13% compensation $17,354 18% compensation $8,833
<3 yrs >6 yrs
51% Type of compensation 44% Type of compensation
>6 yrs 36% <3 yrs Annual bonus. . . . . . . . . . . . 64%
Annual bonus. . . . . . . . . . . .59% 38%
36 yrs
Project bonus . . . . . . . . . . . 21% 36 yrs Project bonus . . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Royalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15% Royalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2%
Stock Options. . . . . . . . . . . . 41% Stock Options. . . . . . . . . . . . 37%
Profit Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . 15% Profit Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6%
Gender Stats for Producers Gender Stats for Testers
Receive some benefits 95% Receive some benefits 73%
Gender Percent Average Type of benefits received Gender Percent Average Type of benefits received
represented salary Medical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97% represented Salary Medical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96%
Female 18% $72,398 Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93% Female 6% $34,375 Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86%
Male 82% $79,970 401K/retirement . . . . . . . .86% Male 94% $39,309 401K/retirement . . . . . . . . 79%
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 15
PAYCHECK PLEASE!
Methodology
The data and comments in this article have We gathered 4,863 responses from developers The survey primarily includes U.S. compensation
been developed exclusively for Game Career worldwide but not all who participated in but consolidated figures for Canada and Europe
Guide readers to focus on entry-level salaries the survey provided enough compensation were included as well. The total sample reflected in
and other statistics most relevant to newcomers information to be included in the final report. We the data presented for the U.S. is 2,409, for Canada
to the game industry. The results are based also excluded salaries under $10,000 as well 394, and for Europe 382.
on the findings of the 2008 Game Developer as salary figures from students and educators. The sample represented in our salary survey
Salary Survey, which looked at salaries for the The small number of reported salaries over can be projected to the overall game developer
year ended 2007 and was conducted by Game $202,500 were excluded to prevent their high community with a margin of error, for the
Developer magazine and research firm Audience numbers from unnaturally skewing the average. aggregate U.S. statistics, of plus or minus 1.7%
Insights in February and March 2008. A complete We also excluded records that were missing key at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error
survey was originally published in the April 2008 demographic and classification numbers. increases for specific subgroups reported within
edition of Game Developer. this community.
Game Art
Bachelor of Science Degree Program
Game Development
Bachelor of Science Degree Program
Game Design
Master of Science Degree Program
ANIMATION | DESIGN | ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS | FILM | RECORDING ARTS | SHOW PRODUCTION | VIDEO GAMES | WEB
fullsail.edu
>> b r a n d o n v a n s l y k e
PREPRODUCTION
Preproduction encompasses the planning stages of development and is the
time when ideas are expanded upon, designs get fleshed out, prototypes
PHOTO BY JANE M. SAWYER
are built, and decisions are made that will affect the project throughout
development. It should come as no surprise that preproduction is far and away
B R A N D O N V A N S LY K E is a professional video game the most creative phase of a games lifecycle. A lot of the work done in this
designer with experience designing commercial console initial period is thrown away, but its necessary waste needed to determine
games, mobile games, and casual downloadable web games.
what direction the game will ultimately take. Its during this time that the team
really hunkers down and decides on the core elements of the game.
He is currently employed as a game designer at Vicarious
We often read about games that were rushed into production. Its a
Visions (an Activision studio) in New York. Email him at common occurrence in this industry, caused by a variety of factors, including
bvanslyke@gdmag.com.
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 19
HOW A GAME GETS MADE
the need to release a game the same often than not win out due to previously established market
day as the movie its based on. Another awareness. This is why you tend to see far more sequels to
reason a game might be rushed into successful titles and a lot of games based on hit movies and
production is that the publisher has a limited television shows; they simply provide lower risk to the publisher.
amount of time before its rights to a certain license Where does this leave new ideas? Historically, original IP has
expire, or to hit a big holiday sales period. Despite these come from one of two places: an independent studio that is able to
kinds of circumstances, its generally understood that all games self-fund the project or a publishers most successful teams who
have some kind of preproduction phase, in one form or another. have spent years proving themselves to their risk-adverse owners.
During preproduction, the projects team size is very small With that out of the way, the question then becomes, who
and is primarily made up of each disciplines individual decides what game gets made? In the case of an independent
leads. The number of people working on a video game project studio, that honor goes to the owner. If its a mod group, the
changes during the course of the games timeline, based on entire team may be a part of the decision. Its really based on
need. The kinds of things the dynamic of the group.
that happen during On the other hand, when
preproduction dont Preproduction: Finding the right context in the studio is under the
require a full team of umbrella of a large
which to frame your idea is a key part of moving
programmers, artists, publisher, the studio
audio engineers, tools forward with its implementation. has the ability to put
creators, and so forth. dibs on a popular IP or
Successful game companies try pitch its own unique idea. At this
to always have a number of projects going at different stages of point, factoring in the state of the market and the track record
development, which allows them to reshuffle their employees of the studio, the publisher decides on whether an idea gets a
appropriately. As one project ends, the production phase of the green light.
next one is just starting. Conceptualization. The core purpose of preproduction is to
For the first few months of a new project a game designers allow the development team to plan out every detail of the
time is spent creating flow charts to demonstrate in-game project and outline the production schedule based on the time
pacing, working on exhaustively detailed rule sets, fleshing out estimates provided by each department. When the title is a
the games narrative, and comprehensively documenting all sequel to an existing franchise, the length of preproduction
the objects, characters, levels, enemies, and NPCs that need to is shortened. The emphasis then becomes figuring out what
be created for the game. With the majority of their time being features will be added and evaluating existing data to see what
spent working on documentation, designers must also find time is already available to work with. Its at this point that new
to meet up with other members of the team who are busy with artistic directions are experimented with while determining
their own tasks. which path to take.
Artists, for instance, spend most of their preproduction time Planning it all out. When it comes to planning a massive
fleshing out character designs, creating concept art for levels, project like a AAA console game, producers can be a very
and storyboarding scripted in-game sequences. Because valuable resource to have. Its their job during the preproduction
theyre ultimately in charge of the look and feel of the game, process to outline a production schedule based on time
its important that they also interact regularly with the game estimates provided by members of the development team. If the
designers and writers to make sure that important design game is a sequel to an already existing franchise, the emphasis
considerations are being factored into their work. is on figuring out what additional features are going to be added
Programmers will often use their time during preproduction to or changed and whether existing data will be reused or if all
create tools needed for development, while also documenting all assets will be created from scratch.
the technical specifications for the project, which will cover both To properly plan, a producer starts by creating an in-depth
the tools they are creating as well as any issues and problems schedule using a program like Microsoft Excel or Microsoft
they foresee with implementation. Project. Its here that they break down each individual task
and identify the key points in the project, called milestones.
WHERE DOES THE IDEA COME FROM? Milestones are fixed dates in which the developer must deliver
Lets take a step back and look at where an idea for a game agreed-upon work to the approval of the publisher. There are
comes from. The initial spark can originate from just about actually a number of ways producers can go about scheduling a
anywhere and can be influenced by pretty much anything: project. One of the more popular methods, and one you will find
classic novels, a leisurely stroll through the park, or a favorite is being adopted by a lot of professional studios, is called agile
movie on the 37th viewing. More important than the actual idea, development (see the sidebar What is Agile Development).
though, is how well it lends itself to interactivity. Finding the Prototyping. Once initial planning has been completed, the
right context in which to frame your idea is a key part of moving team begins working on a prototype. A prototype is a rough
forward with its implementation. mock-up of the game that can be played to see if the design
Its a common expression in the game industry that good mechanics work together when theyre actually in motion.
ideas for video games are a dime a dozen, and in the case of Most prototypes use placeholder art, require minimum assets,
todays larger console titles, popular franchises, recognizable and are put together in very short periods of time. More often
intellectual property (IP) and big name licenses will more than not, the work done during this phase is tossed out when
guildhall.smu.edu
HOW A GAME GETS MADE
actual production begins because its Building the game. Up to this point weve discussed where the
important not to leave any artifacts in idea comes from and how planning and prototyping the concept
the code that may introduce problems later on are necessary steps to getting the game off the ground. Now its
down the line. time to take a look at how the game is built.
Because prototyping takes place in the preproduction To keep production rolling smoothly and to minimize
process and is just a test bed, it is often done in tandem with the potential blockers, dependencies must be identified early on.
initial design phase to quickly try out new mechanics and ideas Recognizing which tasks need to be completed before work can
to see if theyll work in relation to the game as a whole. Once the commence on another allows developers to properly stagger
prototype has been completed, its often demoed to the publisher the workload and production pipeline accordingly. Identifying
to gain their confidence and to get the actual production of the dependencies also gives the design, art, and engineering teams
game green lit. an opportunity to work independently of one another, effectively
Once the prototype has been completed and the project has maximizing everyones efficiency.
been green lit, the team is able to move on to the next stage To kick things off artists begin by creating and texturing
of the development process: production. This is when things character models that the player will interact with as well as
really begin to heat up, when teams grow, and communication the unique props that populate the game world. These objects
between everyone involved becomes increasingly important. include items such as cars, buildings, and oh-so-popular
wooden crates. When a character model is complete, its then
PRODUCTION passed off to animators, who rig the skeletons and generate all
WHAT IS When an idea for a game has finally the different animations players see in-game. Because art and
AGILE DEVELOPMENT? gotten the green light, its time to asset creation is the most time-consuming part of the process,
begin developing it into a full release artists usually must get a head start on all of this while the
title. But where do you begin? design and engineering teams lay out the core functionality and
Agile development is one of the most Just as construction companies data that will drive everything behind the scenes.
popular development methodologies dont start erecting a building by At this point, level designers are busy creating rough passes
used in the game industry, if not the most randomly pounding nails into a board, of each level in the game. This includes tasks like determining
popular. Agile development is characterized game developers dont begin working spawn points for enemies, deciding where scripted events will
by modularity and a frequent review of on a game without a solid foundation occur, plotting out AI pathing nodes, and demonstrating cool
the state of the project, hence giving the or plan. All those prior months of ways that geometry can be incorporated into gameplay. Once
team agility to easily and quickly change preproduction now show their worth as they have all of that fleshed out, the level designers begin
direction if something isnt working. At the the team begins to build the game to populating their grey-boxed levels with the custom props that
same time, it provides product owners with spec based on the design document. have been recently created by the art team.
the information they need and the ability to That being said, when making video On the data and engineering side of things, the team is
see progress as it's being made. games, no matter how preplanned busy putting everything together. Its here that system
How it works is that the individual tasks and thought-out the preproduction designers start hooking up all the animation and FX data
needed to complete any given feature are phase seemed to be, things can so that characters and entities show up in-game. If need
broken down and assigned to different and will change. Making a game is be, the designers will sit down with the animators to tweak
members of the team who then estimate a largely iterative process with new animation timing to ensure that it matches the specifications
the amount of time it will take to complete ideas often implemented on the fly. outlined during preproduction. Its also a systems designers
them. Throughout the creation of the game, Its obviously not a free for all, but responsibility to tune gameplay and balance the values that
the team works in sprints, which usually most studios encourage some form define everything from the number of hit points the players
last anywhere from two to four weeks. of structured experimentation as long avatar starts off with to the amount of damage a point blank
During sprints, producers are able to gauge as it can be demonstrated to improve area-of-effect radial attack delivers.
the amount of time a certain feature is the game. Over in the land of audio, sound designers are kept busy
taking to implement and can cut or reduce Production methodologies. One sampling sound effects for different event triggers in-game and
scope as needed. of the most important aspects acquiring and directing any voiceover talent that is needed for
Agile in and of itself is a fairly complex of production is keeping track of character dialogue or narration. As might be expected, theyre
system and entire books and articles everything. Being able to maintain also in charge of composing the games musical tracks and
have been written about the benefits it visibility among not only the score. Audio is often an overlooked discipline that should not
provides. Its far too large a topic to discuss development team, but also the be taken for granted. Their contribution to the game is very
in this article. If youre interested I highly production staff helps keep everyone important and their work will not only bring the game to life and
recommend doing a bit of research on it as on the same page and makes it help set the mood, but can also be used to aid the design.
you may be introduced to it when you get easier to quickly rectify any issues Dont break the build! If you have a team of 70 people all
your first job in the industry. as they crop up. However, issues and working on the same data, how is it that nothing gets deleted,
dependencies can be difficult to track overwritten, and ultimately destroyed? Ill admit it can be a
within a large team. This is where production methodologies fairly chaotic process. However, there is a solution.
come into play. A production methodology is simply the process Development teams utilize version-control software to help
a development team uses to keep track of, and divide up all the ensure that any changes made to the current build, like a
work that needs to be done. variable in code or a value in data, doesnt break whats already
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WHAT IS A
GAME ENGINE?
AN INTRODUCTION TO A CORNERSTONE
OF MODERN GAME DEVELOPMENT
>> IFgame
YOU FOLLOW THE GAME INDUSTRY YOULL HEAR THE TERM
engine thrown around a lot. And I bet sometimes, late
APIS AND SDKS
Two other terms you hear in the game industry that are closely JEFF WARD is a
at night when everyone else has gone to sleep, you sit and related to game engines are API (application programming co-founder of and
wonder, What is this nebulous thing I keep hearing about? interface) and SDK (software development kit). APIs are lead programmer at Orbus
You would expect that the answer would be as simple as the software interfaces that operating systems, libraries, Gameworks, a provider
being shown a cars engine: Yeup, thar she is. After all, the and services provide so that you can take advantage of their of metrics and data-
game engine, much like a cars engine, is what makes the game particular features. An SDK is a collection of libraries, APIs, and gathering tools for game
go. Unfortunately, sometimes theres a fuzzy line between tools that are made available for programming those same developers. Email him at
where a games engine ends and where the content of a game operating systems and services. Most game engines provide jward@gdmag.com.
begins, as if there were a fuzzy line between whether a cars air APIs in their SDKs. The Unreal Engine, for example, provides an
conditioner is part of its engine. interface for programmers to create their games, both through
Generally though, the concept of a game engine is fairly a scripting language called UnrealScript, and through libraries,
simple: it exists to abstract the (sometimes platform- which are provided to anyone who licenses the engine, and
dependent) details of doing common game-related tasks, like which come in the same package as their other tools, like the
rendering, physics, and input, so that developers (artists, editor UnrealEd.
designers, scripters and, yes, even other programmers) can But where do game engines come from?
focus on the details that make their games unique.
Engines offer reusable components that can be manipulated BIRTH OF A GAME ENGINE
to bring a game to life. Loading, displaying, and animating For a long time, many game companies made their own game
models, collision detection between objects, physics, input, engines and kept that technology in house, iterating on it
graphical user interfaces, and even portions of a games as computers improved and more advanced versions were
artificial intelligence can all be components that make up the needed. Engines like SCUMM by LucasArts and SCI by Sierra,
engine. In contrast, the content of the game, specific models for example, powered most of the adventure games that those
and textures, the meaning behind object collisions and input, companies released in the late 1980s and into the mid 1990s.
and the way objects interact with the world, are the components More recently, engines like id Tech (the engine that powers
that make the actual game. To use the car analogy again, think the QUAKE series of games) and the Unreal Engine started as
of how the body, CD player, in-dash navigation system, and leather in-house technologies, though they have recently evolved into
seats make the actual car. Thats the content. middleware technologies as well.
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 27
WHAT IS A GAME ENGINE?
Learn t
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>> j a k e s i m p s o n
?
GAME JOB
INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
And How to Answer Them
>> YOURE AVIDLY APPLYING FOR YOUR FIRST JOB IN THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY.
A couple of companies saw your enormous potential in your resume and cover
letter, and they want to bring you in for an interview. How should you prepare?
In the game industry, there are several interview questions that tend to
come up a lot. Heres a smattering of those and some tips on how you might
handle them.
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 31
GAME JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
prone to flattery as anyone elsealthough dont give that as Knowing ahead of time how you might answer this question
your only reason. means youll come off sounding like youve actually thought
When explaining why you want to leave your current job, about a game in development terms. Game studios are looking
the trick is to not be negative. Pick a couple of points that are for people who think as they playabout what theyre playing,
inarguable, for example, There was no career development or how its done, what could have been improved, and most
They werent working on the kinds of games Im interested in, importantly, what they can rip off.
rather than Their management is clueless and they are going One downside to adopting this mentality is that it becomes
to die soon. The game industry is a small communityyou harder to enjoy a game for what it is, but thats an occupational
could very well be talking smack about your interviewers hazard in all jobs.
close buddy. Believe it or not, you can answer this question in an entirely
If you were let go or fired, its better to say something positive way. However, if you decide instead to criticize a
like, We decided to part ways, or It was my time to design or implementation decision in a game, be sure
leave, rather than go into too much detail, unless you have a solution to the problem too. Its not
directly pressed. In that case, the interviewer enough to moan about the final strider battle in
probably already knows what went down and is HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE 2; you have to have an idea
just looking to see what youll say. Answer the of how it could have been made more enjoyable,
question quickly and without negativity, and perhaps through easier car control, or not
move on. You want to leave a positive impression. destroying all the supply stations so quickly.
If you decide to bash a game that the company
2 WHAT GAMES ARE YOU PLAYING? where you're interviewing developed (and that takes
If you plan to work for a video game company, youd courage; some companies will applaud you while others
better be playing gamesand youd better be able to will diss you for not drinking the Kool-Aid), then ensure
demonstrate that. that what youre criticizing isnt something subjective but
Its good form to mention some games that are in the something that everyone has had a pop at. Be ready to
same genre as the games made at that company. Its back up the criticism with proof that its an agreed-upon
even better if you mention playing some of the games flaw, not just you being nit-picky.
that were actually made there. Again though, dont go over
the top. 4 WHATS THE BEST GAME OF ALL TIME
At the very least, play the demo of anything theyve produced. AND WHY?
You need to be knowledgeable about the genre, what you The most important thing here is to answer relatively quickly,
enjoy about it, and how the development of these games is and back it up. One of the fallouts of this question is age.
affected by the genre (as much as you can be). So research the Answering ROBOTRON! to a 20-something interviewer might
company before the interview. lead to a feeling of disconnect. But sometimes that can be
How you answer this good. It means you have
question can be a deal to really explain why its
breaker or a deal maker The best way to prepare for a job interview the best game of all time.
for hiring managers. They is to do some practice interviewing. Students Can you verbally and
want to hire people who are accurately describe a
and recent graduates can usually do practice
demonstrably passionate game to another person
about the games their interviews at their schools career center. If who has never played
company makes. Saying, youve received a lot of calls for interviews, it? Youll rack up some
I have a level 70 mage in communication points if
WORLD OF WARCRAFT and a schedule meetings with the companies youre you can.
level 40 druid in EVERQUEST, least interested in first, and consider those What you shouldn't say
to Blizzard makes the point is whatever the latest hot
encounters practice rounds.
that you are immersed in game is, or blatantly pick
its product genre. one that the company
Demonstrating some knowledge about older games also made (unless its true and your enthusiasm is bubbling over).
shows youre grounded in game history, which is never a Be honest. Dont be too eccentric and niche, and be ready to
bad thing. The wider your knowledge base, the more you can defend your decision.
forestall going down blind alleys in terms of implementation
and design, which benefits everyone, and thats exactly what a 5 WHAT WILL YOU BRING TO THE TEAM?
company is looking for in its employees. WHY DO WE NEED YOU?
This is a general question that applies to all interviews. There are
3 HOW WOULD YOU MAKE THE GAMES two ways to answer: the big answer and the little answer.
YOURE PLAYING BETTER? The big answer requires you to have some knowledge of how
Youd be surprised how often this question comes up, even if the company operates. Who does what? Your goal is to slot your
you arent interviewing for a design position. Everyone wants experience, passion and skills (and if you are a student, your
a developer who has design sensibilities because it inevitably passion, skills, and desired career direction) into any holes the
means she or he will be more involved and engaged in whatever company may haveand it should have some. Otherwise, why
is going on. are they hiring?
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 33
GAME JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
9 WHERE DO YOU WANT actually do that are at a premium in our industry since most
TO BE IN FIVE YEARS? tie-ins, well, suck.
Personally, I love this question because it reveals if a
prospective candidate has a plan at all or is just drifting from job 11 WHAT DO YOU DO ON YOUR OWN TIME
to job as so many are wont to do. Theres nothing wrong per se TO EXTEND YOUR SKILLS?
with people who drift along the currents, its just that those with As a programmer, do you work on home projects? As a designer,
a plan (or at least a desire to move in a particular direction) are do you doodle design ideas or make puzzles? As an artist, do
generally much more interesting people. Plus, they are almost you do portrait work?
always inherently more predictable, which is always a benefit Having hired many people in the past, one of the things I can
for employers. speak to with authority is that those people who spend their
Having a desire to move forward helps everyone. off time working on discipline-related projects are the
It helps you measure your progress, and it gives ones who are always up on current trends, have
the company a plan to help you get there. new ideas, are most willing to try something new,
Of course, it does depend on you knowing and will be the ones taking stuff home to tinker
what you want. Most people tend to know what with on their own time. Now that shouldnt be
they dont want, but not necessarily what they expected of everyone, but the sad reality is that
do want, which is a problemparticularly if you express that there is competition for jobs out there, and those
in an interview. Interviewers would rather have a list of who are prepared to put in the extra work are the
things you want to attain rather than things you dont. ones that are going to be in hot demand.
One optimal answer is, Still working for you making Demonstrating that you learned C# over a weekend
games, but it smacks of sucking up, so Id recommend because you thought it was cool for prototyping is exactly
saying something a little more generic: Still looking the kind of thing a programming manager wants to hear.
for a challenge and putting in that extra effort to make Suddenly your toolset expanded, and not only did it show
great games. willingness to do something without being told, it makes
The best response Ive ever heard to that question was, you more valuable.
I want your job! and the individual who said it to me The only care to here is to not mention an outside
indeed has my old job! But be wary of sounding confrontational. situation that might detract from or compete with your day job.
Questions You Should Ask an invitation to converse on a given topic. If you cant answer
them directly but can at least talk about what the question
means, thats a good start.
In An Interview Be as honest as you can be. A company generally gets only
a day with you, maybe two, to gather all it can before making a
life-changing decision, both for you and for them.
* What are the core working hours? Who does them and how often? They need to see who you actually are rather than whom you
* How do you assign or schedule tasks? * Are there any specific development think they want to see, because if thats what you do once youve
Who gets to decide who does what and processes used here, for example, Scrum? started, it will become obvious pretty fast, and then bad things
estimates time? * Who would I report to? tend to happen. They need to be comfortable that there are no
* Whats the career path for this job? How * If Im hired, what is the next game I surprises coming with you as much as you need to know that
do I get to progress? What is the process might work on? How much input would I they are solvent and able to actually ship what they say they will.
for promotion? have on that? Be honest. Be open and engage in the conversation with your
* What training approach do you use? * Is there a relocation package? interviewer. Express interest in what they are talking about. If
How would I learn new skills? * What bonus structure or incentives you dont know or understand whats being asked, ask them!
* How are personnel reviews handled? are there? They dont expect you to be mind readers and it shows you can
ask when necessary. After all, its just a conversation.
*
34 CAREER GUIDE 2008 | GA M E D E V E LO P E R
Study On Campus or Online
AA | BFA | MFA Degrees in:
School of
MOTION PICTURES & TELEVISION
Acting
Cinematography
Directing
Editing
Producing
Production Design
Screenwriting
School of
ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS
2D & 3D Character Animation
Stop Motion Animation
3D Modeling
Game Design
Compositing
Visual Effects
Storyboarding
Visual Development
Maquette Sculpting
Background Layout Design
1.800.544.2787 | www.academyart.edu
Enroll Now!
M A T T H A M M I L L is an illustrator, animator, gamemaker, and karaoke superstar. He likes dinosaurs and dogs. Email
him at mhammill@gdmag.com.
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 37
through crudely drawn backgrounds. Its wonderful that, thanks
to engines like this, an art student like me with no technical
background can put together a game.
Of course, there are limits to what AGS can do, but when I was
starting GESUNDHEIT! I had no problem with that. The low res
(640x480) 2D graphics didnt bother me because it kept the
sprites manageable and the download size small. The single-
screen backgrounds worked fine for the line-of-sight gameplay,
too, because I didnt want to worry about monsters being able
to spot the player from beyond the edge of the screen. Also, AGS
has a great pathfinder for point-and-click adventure games (so
your hero can find his way around a table, say) and I used this
extensively for both the player control and the movement of the
pursuing monsters. I barely had to think about pathfinding at all
when I was designing the levels.
Ive gone through a few abandoned AGS projects where Ive achieve, considering I could barely play any of the instruments
invested weeks into elaborate artwork only to realize that I I was recording, but having that goal in mind let me relax about
didnt have a game to hang it on, and I wanted to avoid that my terrible musicianship.
this time.
WHAT WENT WRONG
T h e n , C o l l i n s C o l l e g e c o u l d b e f o r yo u !
F r o m d ay o n e C o l l i n s s t u d e n t s a r e i m m e r s e d i n t h e i r f i e l d o f s t u d y.
They develop the skills, the knowledge, and ultimately the vision to
t r a n s f o r m t h e i r p a s s i o n i n t o a v i a b l e c a r e e r.
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 43
CONTINUED FROM PG 43
www.cis.upenn.edu/grad/cggt/
>> a l b e r t t . f e r r e r
GAME DESIGNER
PROGRAMMER THE
DISCIPLINES
Jobs in video game development can be
categorized by discipline. Here we explain
what the major disciplines are, what kinds
of job titles they hold, and what makes
ARTIST each one appealing to different types of
people. For salary information about each
discipline, see Paycheck Please! on
page 11.
PRODUCER
GAME DESIGNER
Game designers typically determine the overall vision of a video game. Much like
film directors are to movies, designers are known for having a large influence
(creative or otherwise) on the direction a game takes, from the early concept
stage to final release. Ideally, a designer should be knowledgeable in different
aspects of game development, since the role itself calls for collaboration with
AUDIO DESIGNER various departments: art, programming, production, quality assurance, talent
(voice actors), audio, and marketing.
Depending on the size of a game development studio and the needs of the
product, designers can take on various roles. Sometimes they do a bit of
everything, while other times they are assigned only a few specific tasks. These
specialized tasks can include designing levels, working on gameplay, placing
enemies in a game, or writing the games dialogue.
The pecking order among game designers is design director, lead designer, and
junior designerand there are dozens of titles in between those benchmarks.
Much of a game designers job involves writing documentation, called the
game design document. The design document is made up of both text and
GAME TESTER diagrams, and it conveys different areas of the game in a relatively clear yet
technical manner. Its purpose is to give a sense of how the game will work. The
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 47
THE DISCIPLINES
design document is similar to a manual, but with much more testers, programmers are notified of bugs or broken aspects of
detail on how each aspect of the production will work and how the game, communicating with testers regularly throughout the
it all interrelates. development cycle.
Being a game designer is a complex role. Its more about
maintaining, implementing, and executing ideas than solely ARTISTS
coming up with a storyline and some characters. Being an avid
gamer is simply not enough, which is why a good designer Game artists bring to the players eyes the vision set out by the
should have a well-rounded education. Creating a game is a designers, art director, and producers. From the concept artist,
collaborative effort of many talents, and oftentimes results in who works with the art director to establish the games style,
compromises between what the designer wants and what the to the 3D modelers, who realize those concepts, artists play a
other departments can provide. critical role in breathing life into a game.
Game artists and animators should be familiar with at
PROGRAMMER least one major 3D software application (examples include
3ds Max, Maya, Softimage XSI, and Blender) as well as 2D
Game programmers or software engineers work at the coding graphics tools, especially Photoshop. They should have a
level to simply make a game work. Theyre responsible for foundational knowledge of fine arts first, upon which they can
implementing various features requested by the designers, as build additional digital skills. Some game artists have added
well as assets provided by the artists. They patch together the experience in web site design, while others have studied hand-
individual pieces of the game into what will hopefully become drawn animation, and still others are former sculptors and
a fully playable piece of software by the end of the production painters. A non-university post secondary education is common
cycle. Without programmers, game ideas would never be made for many artists in the industry, and while a bachelor of fine
into functional software. arts degree is not required, it doesnt hurt. Having a broad
Programmers are the most in-demand type of game knowledge of art is seen as an asset.
developers and are in the shortest supply; therefore, they tend Occasionally, there is a specialized person in the art
to be paid very well. Programmers typically choose to study department called the technical artist. Its a role thats
computer science, sometimes at the graduate level, though becoming more and more common as technology becomes
degrees in the more specific field of game programming are more advanced. Technical artists are still considered artists,
popular as well. Game programmers must be knowledgeable in but they specialize in the hardware and software side of
a range of computer languages, the most important being C++. things, and are typically in mid- to senior-level positions.
They should also have a grasp of advanced math and be good These artists oftentimes use scripting languages to come up
problem solvers. Some programmers are self-taught, which is with ways to customize the art workflow. They can also deal
perfectly acceptable in the game industry. Employers place with lighting, shaders, and particle effects, as they pertain to
more emphasis on what a prospective programmer can do than game engines.
on where and how they learned to do it. Other titles a game artist might hold include animator, rigger,
The position of programmer in a game studio can be broken modeler, user interface artist, character artist, environment
down into areas of specialty: gameplay programmer, AI artist, concept artist. Many smaller game studios prefer
programmer, tools programmer, graphics programmer, to generalists who can work in different roles when required.
name a few. Having clearly defined roles helps ensure that
each aspect of a game has a programmer specifically devoted PRODUCER
to it. Some of the job titles a game programmer could hold
are junior programmer, lead programmer, senior programmer, Game producer can be a confusing and somewhat nebulous
technical director, and tools engineer (someone who builds title. They are essentially the project managers of game
proprietary tools). making, though the role of project manager is to manage the
Programmers are typically the first ones to come on board development team, while the producer deals with high level
for a game project (aside from lead designers), and are often issues overseeing the project at large. Both fall under the
the last ones to leave. They tend to work the most overtime, production staff department, and responsibilities for either
especially in the final weeks before a game is shipped. can varying from studio to studio. Their job is to organize and
A test is almost always part of the interviewing and hiring facilitate the games production. Producers create and enforce
process for game programmers. These tests can range from schedules and budgets. They serve as mediators between
a take-home test, an in-office computer-based exam, or a live departments, and sometimes also between the studio and the
whiteboard exam, where the interviewee works out a problem publisher. They assign tasks, make sure deadlines are adhered
on a whiteboard in front of the interviewers. to, and generally make sure the team has everything it needs to
Programmers work closely with designers to figure out even make the game.
the smallest details about how a game should work, using design Producers have to be leaders. They absolutely must be able to
documentation as a guide to begin connecting all the complex communicate and get along with a wide variety of people, from
pieces of game development into a functional piece of software. gregarious designers to terse programmers, from introverted
Though code is what makes a game work, it can also create artists to over-caffeinated testers. They dont necessarily have
problems which programmers must constantly fix as the game to be likeable, but being respected by their team is important.
grows with additional functions and assets. Programmers They are the point of contact for the lead programmers, lead
are an integral part of quality assurance. Working with game artists, and directors within the studio.
www.us.playstation.com/jobs
PlayStation and the PS Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
The Sony Computer Entertainment logo is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation. Equal Opportunity Employer
>> j i l l d u f f y
STUDENT
SURVEY
TYPE OF SCHOOL ATTENDING, ALL RESPONDENTS
Traditional university, undergraduate or 26.4
graduate program
Game-related school or program within a 22.7
traditional university
Game development-specific school 17.8
>> aspiring
IN MAY, THE EDITORS OF GAME DEVELOPER SET UP A SURVEY TO ASK
game developers how they felt about their educational experiences.
Programming or engineering 31.0
Art or animation 23.7
We looked primarily at the different types of educational paths offered:
traditional university program, game-specific program within a traditional Production 4.5
university, game-specific school, and art and film school. Audio 1.0
Of the more than 700 usable responses we received, 97 percent said they
Quality assurance >1
intended to work in the game industry upon graduation, with only a few
outliers having decided to focus their careers elsewhere. Business 1.0
Students from traditional universities made up 26.4 percent of the
Journalism, game reviewer, community >1
total population; students from game-related schools or programs within
manager
traditional universities accounted for 22.7 percent; game-specific school
students represent 17.8 percent of the respondents; and art or film school Researcher >1
students account for 20.4 percent. Only 2.9 percent were from community
colleges, 3.1 percent were from online learning institutes, and less than 7
percent were in high school or identified as other. PREPAREDNESS THROUGH SCHOOL FOR WORKING IN
Almost 70 percent of the total respondents said their educational path was THE GAME INDUSTRY, ALL RESPONDENTS
directly related to their intended career path, and 22.5 percent said it was Poor 14.5
very closely related. Less than 7 percent said their schooling was broadly
Slightly below satisfactory 14.7
or loosely related, for example, studying physics or math with the intention
of becoming a game programmer. So of our sample, the majority of students Satisfactory 18.5
are seeking specific education to meet their future career.
Better than satisfactory 23.0
Excellent 24.2
Jill Duffy is senior contributing editor of Game Developer and editor-in-chief of GameCareerGuide.com, a
Unsure/This questions is not relevant to 5.0
web site dedicated to helping aspiring game developers break into and learn about the industry. Email
my program
her at jduffy@gdmag.com.
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 51
STUDENT SURVEY
PREPARING YOU TO WORK IN THE GAME INDUSTRY PREPARING YOU TO WORK IN THE GAME INDUSTRY
TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITIES % GAME-SPECIFIC SCHOOLS %
Despite which kind of school they attend, Poor 24.8 Poor 4.9
students who hope to work in the video Slightly below satisfactory 20.3 Slightly below satisfactory 5.8
game industry are by and large happy with
their status. Nearly 58 percent of all student Satisfactory 20.9 Satisfactory 15.5
respondents said their professors and faculty Better than satisfactory 17.6 Better than satisfactory 23.3
were better than satisfactory or excellent.
Excellent 7.2 Excellent 48.5
About 68 percent across the board felt the
technology resources for game development Unsure/Not relevant to program 9.2 Unsure/Not relevant to program 1.9
at their school was satisfactory, better than GAME SCHOOLS WITHIN UNIVERSITIES % ART OR FILM SCHOOLS %
satisfactory, or excellent; only about 9 percent
of students claimed their school offered no game Poor 11.5 Poor 10.2
technologies whatsoever. Slightly below satisfactory 9.2 Slightly below satisfactory 13.6
Satisfactory 14.5 Satisfactory 24.6
INTENDED GAME DISCIPLINE
Better than satisfactory 28.2 Better than satisfactory 25.4
TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITIES %
Excellent 35.1 Excellent 21.2
Game design 30.1
Unsure/Not relevant to program 1.5 Unsure/Not relevant to program 5.1
Programming or engineering 47.1
Art or animation 11.8
PROFESSORS AND FACULTY PROFESSORS AND FACULTY
Production 3.9
TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITIES % GAME-SPECIFIC SCHOOLS %
Audio 1.3
Poor 5.9 Poor 2.9
Quality assurance 1.3
Slightly below satisfactory 15.0 Slightly below satisfactory 8.7
Other 4.5
Satisfactory 27.5 Satisfactory 18.4
GAME SCHOOLS WITHIN UNIVERSITIES %
Better than satisfactory 30.1 Better than satisfactory 26.2
Game design 36.6
Excellent 21.6 Excellent 43.7
Programming or engineering 35.9
GAME SCHOOLS WITHIN UNIVERSITIES % ART OR FILM SCHOOLS %
Art or animation 18.3
Poor 6.1 Poor 5.1
Production 5.3
Slightly below satisfactory 6.9 Slightly below satisfactory 20.3
Audio 1.5
Satisfactory 19.8 Satisfactory 22.0
Quality assurance 0
Better than satisfactory 31.3 Better than satisfactory 27.1
Other 2.3
Excellent 35.9 Excellent 25.4
GAME-SPECIFIC SCHOOLS %
Game design 35.9 VALUE VS. COST VALUE VS. COST
Programming or engineering 33.0 TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITIES % GAME-SPECIFIC SCHOOLS %
Art or animation 25.2 Poor 9.8 Poor 6.8
Production 4.9 Slightly below satisfactory 12.4 Slightly below satisfactory 16.5
Audio 0 Satisfactory 33.3 Satisfactory 22.3
Quality assurance 0 Better than satisfactory 20.3 Better than satisfactory 25.2
Other 1.0 Excellent 20.3 Excellent 25.2
ART OR FILM SCHOOLS % Unsure 3.9 Unsure 3.9
Game design 49.2 GAME SCHOOLS WITHIN UNIVERSITIES % ART OR FILM SCHOOLS %
Programming or engineering 6.8 Poor 6.9 Poor 9.3
Art or animation 37.3 Slightly below satisfactory 14.5 Slightly below satisfactory 22.9
Production 4.2 Satisfactory 26.7 Satisfactory 29.7
Audio 1.7 Better than satisfactory 30.5 Better than satisfactory 20.3
Quality assurance 0 Excellent 15.3 Excellent 14.4
Other 0.8 Unsure 6.1 Unsure 3.4
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 53
STUDENT SURVEY
Students at Game Schools Within Universities said: Art and Film School Students said:
Next-gen dev kits Game history
Photoshop workshops Design theory
Illustration courses More in-depth classes
Motion capture Better and earlier opportunities to specialize
Game design major More specificity in courses (too broad)
More in-depth classes Programming and technical hands-on courses
A class in audio programming Room for personal artistic development
More workshops and seminars More student activities centered around gaming
More help with internship placements 19.8 but still connected to the program
More hands-on experience with professional Narrative design courses
engines, tools Zbrush class
More game art classes, 3D modeling More freedom to choose electives
Electives, modules Digital game theory courses
More game programming courses Environment art and design courses
Closer ties to people in the game industry Internship placements
Not much Less money paid for tuition
*The responses shown here reflect the majority of the responses received as well as the breadth; more responses were
received that are not listed here.
BY TIM LANG
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 57
1 6
producer
CHOOSE AN INITIAL TRAJECTORY. Often the hardest part EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER DISCIPLINES. Pick
of breaking into games is choosing where to start. The up the artists' tools and try working with them; play the
most traditional path has been through quality assurance, but games your designers are referencing, and learn some scripting
the number of entry options for the aspiring game producer or C++. Artists, designers and engineers each have a unique
has increased significantly over the past decade. Bachelors language and culture specific to their disciplines: the effective
and Masters degrees in game production are now offered producer learns to navigate and communicate effectively in
at several colleges and universities, and the number of each one.
industry internships has ballooned rapidly. Do not dismiss the
prospect of entering games via other disciplines such as art or
engineering it worked for me. 7 BECOME A NEXUS OF CREATIVE COLLABORATION. Teams
are an eclectic mix of artists, engineers and designers
and that mix doesn't always get along! Production is often the
BY MICHAEL J. BOCCIERI
BY NOEL LLOPIS
BY ROB BRIDGETT
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 61
artist
BY ROBERT CHANG
w w w. g d m ag. c o m 65
{ Advertisement }
> > p rivate u n iv e rs ity
Students who choose the dual degree plan complete their general education
and School of Arts or School of Engineering major requirements at the SMU main
campus and then move to the SMU campus in Plano to complete The Guildhall
Shantytown was a game developed by at SMU program. At the Plano campus, students concurrently finish their
SMU graduates. undergraduate degrees and start the masters program.
Gaming has increasingly broad penetration into all forms of cultural expression,
How to Contact: and likewise draws more and more from the framework of the arts, physical and
The Guildhall at SMU social sciences. Because of the depth of immersion possible within the graduate
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http://hs.guildhall.smu.edu environment itself.
The BFA/MIT and the BSCS/MIT programs form a unique collaboration between
these three disciplines, with exciting implications for the future of art,
How to Contact: engineering, and interactive simulations.
Involving experienced, successful and Preparing students for fantasy jobs in the real world, The Guildhall at SMU
respected professional game developers
with writing The Guildhall at SMUs program has a 95 percent placement rate. In four short years since the program
curriculum was a very smart move opened, 200 of its graduates now work for more than 70 of the worlds leading
and will likely give an advantage to all
video game companies. Combining the foundation of a fine arts or computer
students in the program as they strive to
become game makers themselves. science undergraduate degree with the technology, project team management
Randy Pitchford and game theory knowledge encompassed in The Guildhall at SMU graduate
President, Gearbox Software program truly prepares students for careers in the gaming industry.
Students interested in the program can get more information by contacting the
Division of Art at SMUs Meadows School of the Arts at 214.768.3217 or SMUs
School of Engineering at 214.768.3041.
w w w. g d m ag. c o m 67
{ Advertisement }
S ch o o l
Think you could be the next Tom Chilton working as a lead game designer on an
Created by Fausto de Martini
epic like World of Warcraft? Or how about serve as a character designer on the
next best-selling adventure game? Do you dream about working as a 3D artist
on a game like Halo?
> > High-End
w w w. g d m ag. c o m 69
{ Advertisement }
> > A RT s chool
w w w. g d m ag. c o m 71
{ Advertisement }
> > o n l in e s chool
The SGDI also provides online faculty training for California Community
College faculty interested in the game industry and program/curriculum
development for their respective colleges.
w w w. g d m ag. c o m 73
September 15-17, 2008
Austin Convention Center
Austin, TX
ION
MS Master of Science
AT
ED
C
R
IFI
PhD Doctor of Philosophy
FE
RT
OF
E
/C
MS
ES
ION
RA
E
AT
ME
GR
OG
C
DE
NA
PR
LO
Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA 3D Modeling, Games, Character Animation, others (see web site) AA, BFA, MA, MFA, Online Programs
Alberta College of Art & Design Calgary, Alberta Visual Communications Design Program: Character Design Stream BA
Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA Digital Media, Entertainment Design BFA, BS
Art Institute of Atlanta Atlanta, GA Game Art & Design, Visual & Game Programming BFA, BS
Art Institute of California - San Bernardino, Game Art & Design, Media Arts & Animation, BS, AS
Inland Empire CA Interactive Media Design, Graphic Design
Art Institute of California - Santa Ana, CA Game Art & Design, Media Arts & Animation, Visual & Game Programming BS
Orange County
Art Institute of California - San Diego, CA Game Art & Design AS, BS
San Diego
Art Institute of California - San Francisco, CA Game Art & Design, Visual & Game Programming BFA, BA
San Francisco
Art Institute of Charlotte Charlotte, NC Digital Design, Graphic Design Certificate, AAS, BA, Diploma
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$600 per unit Yes Yes See web site 15:1 800.544.2787 www.academyart.edu
$18,960 per year Yes Yes See web site 16:1 770.394.8300; www.aia.artinstitutes.edu
800.275.4242
$21,856 per year Yes Yes See web site 19:1 888.646.4610; www.artinstitutes.edu/losangeles
310.752.4700
$464 per credit hour Yes Yes See web site 20:1 714.830.0200; www.artinstitutes.edu/orangecounty
888.549.3055
$19,892 per year Yes Yes See web site 20:1 858.598.1399; www.artinstitutes.edu/sandiego
800.591.2422
$26,432 per year Yes Yes See web site 16:1 415.865.0198; www.aicasf.aii.edu
888.493.3261
See web site Yes Yes See web site 18:1 704.357.5963; www.artinstitutes.edu/charlotte
800.872.4417
$402 per credit hour Yes Yes 3 years 20:1 303.837.0825 www.artinstitutes.edu/denver
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Art Institute of Dallas Dallas, TX Media Arts & Animation BFA
Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, Game Art & Design BS
Florida
Art Institute of Houston Houston, TX Media Arts & Animation BA
Art Institutes International Minneapolis, MN Media Arts & Animation, Interactive Media Design, AS, BS
Visual Effects & Motion Graphics
Art Institute of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Interactive Media Design, Media Arts and Animation, AS, BS
Visual Effects and Motion Graphics
Art Institute of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA Game Art & Design, Media Arts and Animation, Interactive Media Design, BS
Entertainment Design
Art Institute of Portland Portland, OR Game Art & Design, Visual & Game Programming BS, BFA
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$403 per credit hour Yes Yes 3 years 18:1 214.692.8080 www.artinstitutes.edu
800.275.4243
$385 per credit hour Yes Yes 3 years 24:1 954.463.3000; www.aifl.artsinstitutes.edu
800.275.7603
$383 per credit hour Yes Yes 3 years 24:1 713.353.4121 www.aihanimation.com
$42,934 for 7 quarters; Yes Yes 7 quarters (AA) 20:1 612.332.3361; www.artinstitutes.edu/
$73,494 for 12 quarters 12 quarters (BA) 800.777.3643 minneapolis
$387 per credit hour Yes Yes 3 years 20:1 800.474.2479 www.aipx.edu
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Art Institute of Seattle Seattle, WA Media Arts & Animation, Animation Art & Design, Interactive Media Design, BA, AA
Game Art & Design
Art Institute of Toronto Toronto, Ontario Game Art & Design Diploma, Certificate
Art Institute of Vancouver Burnaby, See web site See web site
British Columbia
Art Institute of Washington Arlington, VA Game Art & Design, Media Arts & Animation, Interactive Media Design AA, BFA
Art Institute Online Pittsburgh, PA Game Art & Design AS, BS, Diploma, Certificate
Art Institutes International - Minneapolis, MN Visual Effects & Motion Graphics, Media Arts & Animation, BS
Minnesota Interactive Media Design
Austin Community College Austin, TX Game Development with specialization in Programming, Certificate, Diploma
Art, Design or Production, Visual Communication
Becker College Worcester, MA Game Design, Game Development and Programming BA, BGA
Bloomfield College Bloomfield, NJ Game Development, Animation, Graphics, Music Technology BA, BGA, Certificate, Diploma
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$416 per unit Yes Yes See web site 19:1 800.275.2471 www.artinstitutes.edu/seattle
$325 per credit hour Yes Yes See web site 20:1 877.303.3771 www.aiw.artinstitutes.edu
$407 per unit Yes Yes See web site 15:1 877.872.8869 www.aionline.edu
$431 per credit hour Yes Yes 3 years 20:1 612.332.3361 www.artinstitutes.edu
800.777.3643 /minneapolis
$1,500 per semester Yes Yes 2 years 10:1 512.223.9266 www.austincc.edu/viscom
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Brown College Mendota Heights, Game Design & Development BS
MN Visual Communication with emphasis in Multimedia or Graphic Design
California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA Character Animation, Experimental Animation BFA, MA, MFA
California Polytechnic State San Luis Obispo, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Art & Design, Bachelors, Masters
University CA Graphic Communication, Music
Caada College Redwood City, CA Multimedia Art & Technology AS, Certificate
CATO (Center for Arts Kelowna, Mobile Game Developer, 3D Game animation Certificate, Diploma
& Technologyin Okanagan) British Columbia
Centennial College, The Centre Toronto, Ontario Game Design & Development Certificate, Diploma
for Creative Communications
Center for Arts & Technology Fredericton, Animation Visual Effects Artist Foundation/Production, Virtual Environment Certificate, Diploma
Atlantic New Brunswick Interactive Design, Recording Arts, Mobile Game Developer
Center for Digital Imaging Arts Waltham, MA 3D Animation, Game Art & Character Animation Certificate, Diploma
at Boston University
Center for Digital Imaging Washington D.C. 3D Animation, Visual Effects, Game Art & Design Certificate
Arts at Boston University
Center for Distance Education Sydney, 3D Animation, 3D Advanced, Video Game Art & Illustration, Certificate, Diploma
Nova Scotia others (see web site)
Center for Electronic Comm. Ft. Lauderdale, FL Computer Arts in Animation, Computer Arts BFA, MA,MFA
at Florida Atlantic University
Cerro Coso College Academy of Ridgecrest, CA Digital Animation AA, Certificate, Diploma
Digital Animation
Champlain College Burlington, VT Electronic Game Programming, Electronic Game & Interactive Development, BA, BS
specialization in Game Design or Art & Animation
Cleveland Institute of Arts Cleveland, OH Digital Artsconcentrations in Game Design, Sound Design, BFA
2D and 3D Animation
Cogswell Polytechnical College Sunnyvale, CA Digital Art & Animation, Digital Motion Picture, Digital Audio Technology, BA, BS
Digital Arts Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering
Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL Digital Media Technology, Audio for Visual Media,Game Design, BA
Interactive Arts and Media
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See web site Yes Yes 3 years 888.574.3777 www.browncollege.edu
651.905.3400
$30,672 per year Yes Yes See web site 401.863.7600 www.cs.brown.edu
$226 per unit Yes Yes 4 years (U) 19:1 805.756.1111 www.calpoly.edu
$15,000 per semester Yes Yes See web site 6:1 412.268.9447 www.etc.cmu.edu
$22,500 per course Yes See web site 12:1 800.808.CDIA www.cdiabu.com
$21,000 per course Yes Yes See web site 12:1 800.808.CDIA www.cdiabu.com
See web site Yes Yes 5265 weeks 80:1 866.567.3010 www.cd-ed.com
866.446.5898
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Conservatory of Recording Gilbert, AZ Master Recording Program II See web site
DePaul Universitys Game Chicago, IL Computer Game Development, Animation, Computer Graphics, BS, MS, MFA, PhD
Development Program others, see web site
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$18,440 per semester Yes Yes 8 months 12:1 800.562.6383 www.audiorecordingschool.com
See web site Yes Yes See web site 16:1 312.362.8381 http://gamedev.depaul.edu
$465 per credit hour Yes Yes 4 years 25:1 602.870.9201 www.devry.edu
$485 per credit hour Yes Yes 4 years 25:1 888.201.9941 www.devry.edu
$500 per credit hour Yes Yes 4 years 25:1 888.201.9941 www.devry.edu
$465 per credit hour Yes Yes 4 years 25:1 404.292.2645; www.devry.edu
770.664.9520
$465 per credit hour Yes Yes 4 years 25:1 630.571.7700 www.devry.edu
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DigiPen Institute of Technology Redmond, WA Real-Time Interactive Simulation, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, BS, BFA, MS
Production Animation
Drexel University, College of Philadelphia, PA Digital Media, Film & Video, Graphic Design, Photography, BS
Media Arts & Design Screenwriting & Playwriting
Edison Community College Piqua, OH Computer Games and Simulation Programming and Design AS
Emily Carr University Vancouver, BC Animation (BMA); Visual Arts, Fine Arts & Creative Writing (BFA) BMA, BFA
Edmonds Community College Lynnwood, WA Game Development AA, AS, Certificate, Diploma
Expression College for Emeryville, CA Animation and Visual Effects, Motion Graphic Design, Game Art & Design, Bachelors
Digital Arts Sound Arts
Flashpoint Academy Chicago, IL Game Development, Animation, Recording Arts, Film Certificate, Diploma
Full Sail Real World Education Winter Park, FL Game Development, Computer Animation BS
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$414 per unit Yes Yes 24 years 14:1 425.558.0299 www.digipen.edu
1-514-288-3447 www.nadcentre.com
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Game Institute, Inc. New York, NY Game engine, 3D graphics development Certificate, Diploma
Gemini School of Visual Arts Cedar Park, TX Commercial Art & Illustration Certificate, Diploma
and Communication
Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA Graphics & Visualization, Artificial Intelligence BS, MS, PhD
Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence BS, MS, PhD
Gnomon School of Visual Effects Hollywood, CA High End Computer Graphics Program Certificate, Diploma
Grande Prairie Regional Grande Prairie, Visual Arts, Interactive Digital Design, Computer Systems Technology, Certificate, Diploma, BS
College Alberta, CA Computing & Information Systems, Computing Science
Guildhall at Southern Methodist Plano, TX Art Creation, Level Design, and Software Development Certificate, Masters
University
Houston Community College Houston, TX Digital Gaming & Simulation for Artists, See web site
Digital Gaming & Simulation for Programmers
www.enjmin.fr - contact@enjmin.fr
French Ministry of Education, High Education and Research
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Varies Yes Yes 7 semesters 15:1 See web site www.gameinstitute.com
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Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago Chicago, IL Game Art & Design, Media Arts & Animation, Digital Media Production, BFA
Visual Effects & Motion Graphics Visual Effects & Motion Graphics
Illinois Institute of Art, Schaumburg, IL Game Art & Design, Interactive Media Design, BFA
Schaumburg Media Arts & Animation, Visual Effects & Motion Graphics
Indiana University - Bloomington, IN Masters in Immersive Mediated Environments (MIME) MA, MFA
MIME Program Computer Science, Communication and Culture
International Academy of Chicago, IL Game Design, Video & Animation Production, Multimedia & Web Design BFA
Design and Technology-Chicago
Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA Computer Science BS, MS, PhD
Madison Media Institute Madison, WI Digital Media Design & Production, Video & Motion Graphics, AS
Recording & Music Technology, Media Systems Technology
Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY Computer Science; Communication major with Game Studies or Interactive Media Certificate, Diploma, BS
specialization, Computer and Video Game Developer Certificate program
Mercy College, Center for White Plains, NY Game Design, Digital Media & Interaction BFA
Digital Arts Design, Animation
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Game Design and Development, Digital Media Art & Technology BA, BS, BFA, MA, MFA
National University La Jolla, CA Computer Science, Software Engineering, Video Game Production and Design, BS, MS, BFA, MFA
Digital Entertainment and Interactive Arts
Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa, OK 3D Animation and Post-production, Computer Science AAS, AS
National Animation and Design Montreal, Quebec Design and 3D Animation for Videogames Certificate, Diploma
Centre (NAD Centre)
New England Institute of Warwick, RI Game Development & Simulation Programming, Software Engineering, AA, BS
Technology Programming Technology, Video & Audio Production Technology
New Media Campus Saskatoon, CN Multimedia Professional Studies, 3D Animation & Game Design Certificate, Diploma
$75 application fee
New York University New York, NY Big Games, Game Design, Ubiquitous Computing for Mobile Devices, Masters of Professional Studies
Interaction Design, 3D Animation, Physical Computing
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 3D Animation, Game Design, Interactive Design, Multimedia & Digital Imaging, BFA, MFA
College of Design Ideation & Illustration, Computer Imaging
Northeastern University Boston, MA Digital Media, Interactive Design, Instructional Design: Educational MA, MFA, Certificate, Diploma
Multimedia, Game Design
Northwestern University Evanston, IL Multimedia & Digital Imaging, Video Editing/Development, Ideation & Illustration BS, MS, PhD
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$22,800 per year Yes Yes 3 years 15:1 312.280.3500; www.ilic.aii.edu
800.351.3450
$433 per credit hour Yes Yes 3 years 19:1 800.314.3450 www.artinstitutes.edu/schaumburg
$292 per credit hour (R) Yes Yes 4 years 17:1 812.855.3254 www.mime.indiana.edu
$850 per credit hour (N)
See web site Yes Yes See web site 20:1 225.578.1175 www.lsu.edu
$23,560 per year Yes Yes See web site 15:1 845.575.3226 www.marist.edu/gce/gaming
$270 per credit hour Yes Yes See web site 800.628.8648 www.nu.edu
$13,000 per program plus Yes Yes 10 months 20:1 866.755.5551; www.newmediacampus.com
866.630.0000
$2,558 per term (U, R) Yes Yes 4 years 15:1 919.515.2434 www.ncsudesign.org
$2,818 per term (G, R)
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Ohio University Athens, OH Digital Media: Special Effects, Games, and Animation BS
Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA Game Design, 3D Modeling, Animation, Interactive Design, BFA
Digital Media Department Motion Graphics, Visual Effects
Pacific Audio Visual Institute Vancouver, BC Game Design & 3D Animation, Audio Engineering & Production, Certificate, Diploma
Film & Digital Arts
Palomar College San Marcos, CA Video Game Specialist Certificate (programming); Video Game Artist Certificate AA, Certificate, Diploma
Parsons The New School New York, NY 2D & 3D Animation, Flash, Interactivity & Programming BFA, MA, MFA
for Design
Platt College, San Diego San Diego, CA 3D Animation, Special FX, Game Art & Design AAS, BS, Diploma, Cetrificate
School of Design
Pratt Institute Brooklyn; Computer Graphics & Interactive Media, Digital Design & Interactive Media BFA, MFA
Manhattan, NY
Purdue University W. Lafayette, IN Computer Graphics Technology, Concentrations in Interactive Multimedia AS, BS
and Technical Animation
Ringling School of Art and Design Sarasota, FL Game Art & Design, Graphic & Interactive Communication, BFA
Illustration, Computer Animation
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$2,909 per semester 4 years 740.593.4870 www.tcomschool.ohiou.edu
$24,500 per year (international) Yes Yes 1 year 8:1 800.601.PAVI www.pacificav.com
$17,000 per year (domestic) 604.873.4853
$16,850 per term (BFA) Yes Yes 4 years 15:1 212.229.8908 http://parsons.newschool.edu
$17,280 per term (MFA) 800.252.0852
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Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY Game Design & Development, Information Technology, Computer Science, MS, BS, MFA, BFA
Computer Graphics, New Media Interactive Development, Software Engineering
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Introduction to Computer Science via Game Design BS, MS
Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, CA Animation, Post Production, Game Development, Visual Effects AA, Certificate, Diploma
Design Technology dept.
Savannah College of Art Savannah, GA Animation, Interactive Design & Game Development, BFA, MA, MFA, Certificate, Diploma
and Design Sound Design, Visual Effects
School of Communication Arts Raleigh, NC Digital Media, Digital Animation, Digital Filmmaking & Digital Audio Certificate, Diploma, AA
Seneca College of Applied Art Toronto, Ontario Video Game Art & Design Certificate, Diploma
and Technology
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$26,085 per year Yes Yes 2 years (MFA/MS) 13:1 585.475.6179 www.rit.edu/cgd
4 years (BFA/BS) 585.475.6758
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<:IIG6>C:97NDC:#
At Gnomon School of Visual Effects our instructors are working
professionals who bring their passion and experience to the classroom.
www.gnomonschool.com
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Serious Game Institute - Santa Barbara, CA Serious Game and Simulation Design (Emphasis in Serious Game See web site
Santa Barbara City College and Simulation Design)
Sierra Nevada College Incline Village, NV Entertainment Technology, Digital Art, Computer Science BA, BFA, BS
University of Advancing Tempe, AZ Game Design, Game Programming, Software Engineering, AA, BS, MS
Technology Game Art & Animation, Game Production
University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA Multimedia with minor in Game Design BFA
University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD Simulation & Digital Entertainment, Interaction Design BS, MS
& Information Architecture
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Computer Science with a Concentration in Computer Game BA, BS, MS, PhD
Department of Computer Science Design or Computer Graphics
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$60 per course Yes Yes 2 years 28:1 805.965.0581 http://sgdi.sbcc.edu
$8,400 per semester (U) Yes Yes See web site 14:1 602.383.8228; www.uat.edu
800.828.4335
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University of California - Irvine, CA Computer Science, Information & Computer Science, Digital Arts BA, BS, MS
Irvine Studio Art (Specialization: Game Culture & Technology), Artificial Intelligence
University of California - Santa Cruz, CA Computer Game Depth Sequence within Computer Science, BA, BS
Santa Cruz Computer Game Design
University of Colorado, Denver Denver, CO See web site See web site
University of Maryland - Baltimore, MD Computer Science & Game Development Track, PhD, MS, Certificate/Diploma, BS
Baltimore County Visual Arts & Animation & Interactive Media MA/MFA, BA/BGA
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI Computer Science, Computer Engineering BS, MS, PhD
(EECS Department)
University of Michigan - Dearborn, MI Computer and Information Science, Software Engineering BS, MS
Dearborn
University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO Computer Science, Information Technology BS, MS, PhD
(College of Engineering)
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Computer Graphics & Game Technology, Digital Media & Design, BS, MS, PhD
Human Modeling & Simulation
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Interactive Entertainment, Interactive Media, MFA, BA, PhD
Interactive Media Computer Science Games, Computer Science with Specialization in Games
University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX See web site See web site
University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX Arts & Technology BA/BGA, MA/MFA
Interactive Arts & Engineering
University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Entertainment Arts & Engineering BS, BA
University of Washington Seattle, WA Game Development, 3D Art for Games and Digital Media Certificate/Diploma
Educational Outreach
University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computational Science BS, PhD, M.Math
University of Western Ontario London, Ontario Computer Science with Minor in Game Development BS
Vancouver Film School - Vancouver, Game Design, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Digital Character Animation (Maya), Certificate, Diploma
British Columbia Digital Design, Sound Design, Houdini Certification
Vancouver Institute Of Vancouver, Game Art & Design, Professional Game Development, 2D Animation, Diploma
Media Arts British Columbia 3D Animation for TV, Film and Games
Wake Technical Raleigh, NC Simulation & Game Development AAS, Certificate, Diploma
Community College
Westwood College Online Denver, CO Game Art & Design, Game Software Development See web site
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$8,874 (U, R); $29,382 (U, N) Yes Yes 4 years 20:1 949.824.6703 www.uci.edu
$11,261 (G, R); $26,267 (G, N)
$8,286 (R); $28,308 (N) Yes Yes 4 years 17:1 831.459.4008 www.soe.ucsc.edu
$3,000 per semester Yes Yes 4 Years (BS), 10:1 313.436.9145 www.engin.umd.umich.edu/CIS
2 years (MS)
$246/credit (U, R); Yes Yes 4 Years (BS), 13:1 573.882.6666 http://cs.missouri.edu
$299/credit (G, R) 2 years (MS) 573.882.3842
See web site Yes Yes 4 years (BA), 3:1 213.740.6797 http://interactive.usc.edu
3 years (MFA)
$3,230 per year Yes Yes 4 years (U); 33:1 972.883.4379 www.utdallas.edu
2 years (MFA)
$5,200 (U, R); $17,900 (U, N) Yes Yes 4 years 19:1 519.888.4567 www.computational.uwaterloo.ca
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Image College of Art, Animation & Technology Mylapore, India www.icat.ac.in Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Raffles College of Design & Commerce North Sydney, Australia www.raffles.edu.au The Games Academy, Berlin.
TM
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE GAME INDUSTRY AND ITS HISTORY?
>> 1)button
When making a PlayStation series action game, which
do most designers put jump on?
A Triangle
B Square
CX
D Circle
W W W. G D M AG . C O M 103
[GAME DEV 101 GAME DESIGNERS' QUIZ ]
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Academy of Art University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Full Sail Real World Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Ringling College of Art & Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Activision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Games Academy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Rochester Institute of Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Algoma University College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 & 97 Gnomon School of Visual Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 & 95 Rockstar San Diego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Center for Digital Imaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Harmonix Music Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Santa Barbara City College. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Centre for Distance Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 & 72 Art Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Savannah College of Art & Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Cogswell Polytechnical College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 International Academy of Design & Technology . . . . . . . 4 Sony Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 & 50
Collins College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Masters of Digital Media Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 & 89 The Art Institute of CaliforniaInland Empire . . . . . . . .80
Conservatory of Recording Arts & Science . . . . . . . . . . .85 Media Design School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 The Guildhall at SMU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 & 66
Creative Institute of Media & Entertainment . . . . . . . . .39 National Animation & Design Centre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Thomson Course Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Cryptic Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 NaturalMotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 University of Advancing Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CV4
Crytek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 NCsoft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 University of Central Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
DePaul University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92 New England Institute of Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 University of HoustonVictoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
DigiPen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CV2 & 67 Powerhead Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 University of Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Enjmin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Qube Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 University of Southern California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Epic Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Recoil Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Vancouver Film School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 & CV3
Foundation 9 Entertainment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Retro Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Zenimax Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
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