Is ITT tech institute in portland, oregon, online or classes on the campus?

Question

I want to go into video game design. And have been looking at colleges in oregon(i get money off on tuition if i go to a college in oregon because my mom works for the state) and i have been very interested in ITT but my mom tells me it is for only "problemed" students and only is online. Is she right? Please help!

Answer 1

My knowledge of ITT is pretty limited, for one very good reason: ITT is *not* respected within the game industry.  If you would like to get into game design, do not go to ITT.  It will stunt your professional growth.

Careers in game design require a Bachelor’s degree from a good four year college or university these days.  Avoid all programs and schools that have the word “game” in the title, as they are almost universally c**p, and a waste of your time and money.  The only exceptions to that rule are the Masters program at Carnegie Mellon, and the undergrad program at USC.  Avoid everything else.  Assuming you decide to stay in Oregon (which is a risk because of the game industry there, see below), just pick any good four year school, public or private.

There also isn’t a best major for game design.  I’ve worked with game designers with degrees in everything from Theater to Biology (but not a single one who went to ITT, or who has a degree in Game Design).  Just pick a major that interests you 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.



I know you have good reasons for staying in Oregon, but keep in mind that there are very few game studios in the state, which can hurt your chances at getting hired out of college.  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.  Try to find a college in a city with at least 10 game companies. If at all possible, go to school near a city with a lot of game studios, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, etc.

Good luck!