What sort of gaming college should I go to?

Question

so I"m trying to find a college within or around the state of indiana that offers game design, and graphic design. I don't know whether I should go to a full college, or just an technical school or institute like ITT. I want something that would look best for employers. I want a career in game design, mostly in the art department as in storyboard and concept art, character and background design. so basically I'm wanting a place offering art, graphic/gaming design in or around Indiana.

Answer 1

First off, keep in mind that within the game industry, “design” has *nothing* to do with art.  Game design is the process of coming up with the gameplay for the game, to a very detailed level, using writing and math.  Most game designers can’t draw above a stick figure level.

Secondly, you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you stay in Indiana for college, because there aren’t any game studios in Indiana.  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.  The best cities are the “game industry hubs”, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, etc.  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, the more the better.

All that said, if you’re interested in becoming a game artist you can go to pretty much any college.  Regular 4 year colleges are more respected than technical schools (forget ITT, complete waste).  For the type of art you’re talking about – concept, storyboarding, etc. – you really need a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from a respected school (anything with "game" in the title is almost certainly second-rate).  All jobs in the game industry are competitive to get into, but concept art is worse than other artist jobs.  Most games will only have one concept artist, and half the time that’s the Lead Artist or Art Director, but will employ dozens of 3D modelers, animators, riggers, and texture artists.  So if you want to get work as a concept artist, you need to have a top-notch portfolio and a top-notch education.

Since getting a job as a concept artist is so competitive, having 3D skills is helpful as well, so look for a school with classes in 3D modeling, animation, rigging, texturing, etc.  And any school you go to should teach you how to use Photoshop, Maya, and 3DStudio Max at the very least.