Game Design/Programming colleges?

Question

i am looking for a college that teaches me Game Design and Game Programming, preferably within the region of Connecticut, New York, or New jersey but i guess anything would be fine. If you could give me a list of good colleges around this area that would be great....Thank you

Answer 1

Lincoln Tech does i think, and DeVry does.

Answer 2

Game design and game programming are actually two completely separate careers these days, requiring two completely different skill sets, with very little cross over.  Game designers come up with all the details of the gameplay, from plot to weapons to leveling up to the controls of the game, using math to balance everything and writing to communicate the vision to the rest of the team.  Once designers have come up with all the details, they give this write up to the game programmers, who implement the game using a programming language and/or internal development tools.

For game design, there isn't really a school or major that's better than any other.  A lot of schools will try to tell you they have game design majors, and that's flat out false.  They're either 100% art and no design whatsoever, or they won't prepare you any better than a "normal" college would.  The only exceptions to this are the Masters program at Carnegie Mellon, and possibly USC's undergrad program.  True game design is accomplished almost entirely with writing and math, and involves no art or programming.



If you're interested in design, go to any good 4 year college and major in whatever you want.  Just pick a major that you enjoy and that will allow you graduate as quickly as possible.  Along with your major take math up through Calculus 1, and at least two courses in Statistics, two courses in writing, one Computer Science course, and one art course.  Math and writing are the main tools of a designer, and the CS and art courses will help you work with your programmer and artist colleagues later on.  Fill up the rest of your course requirement with a wide liberal arts education -- history, literature, mythology, sociology, psychology, etc, are all useful in game design.

If you're interested in programming, you can go to any good 4 year college and get a degree in Computer Science.  Classes that involve essays or other types of documentation can also be very helpful for programmers, as can one or two art classes.



Staying in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey may not be the best decision for a game development career.  Most game companies will not pay for relocation for an entry level job, and some won't even interview you if you don't live in the area, so it'll be a lot easier to find a job after college if you already live near several studios.  There's a map here: http://gamedevmap.com/ that lists every game studio by city.  The main hubs are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, and Boston, but try to find a college in a city with at least 10 game companies.