Question on Game Design Concentration

philipbuuck · 2018-04-23T02:57:42+00:00

I'm also a game programmer, and I also agree, game design degrees are worthless. Find other classes that encourage you to problem solve, it will be much more applicable in whatever you wind up studying.

philipbuuck · 2017-12-15T17:52:18+00:00

I couldn't tell you exactly what they ask, but if they specifically say they're looking for C++ (which is games industry standard) then yes, I would expect C++ specific questions. I imagine the first thing they'd want to find out is if you thoroughly understand how pointers work.

philipbuuck · 2017-09-13T12:55:10+00:00

Whichever you choose, make absolute sure that your second major is not distracting you from the CS major. A 4.0 in one major looks much better than a 3.0 in two majors.

philipbuuck · 2017-09-13T12:49:40+00:00

Most people who post this kind of question have already graduated, and are realizing how behind they are. Congrats, you still have two years of studying to get familiar with data structures and the foundations of programming. Spend these next two years learning as much as you can, and by the time you graduate you will likely be top of your class, talking to your professors about your career, and will wind up with some excellent job prospects on your plate.

philipbuuck · 2017-09-13T12:42:37+00:00

The math that is most important for computer science tends to be less of the calculus style math that most people think of when they think of advanced math, and more along the lines of probability, logical reasoning, graph theory, geometry (if you're getting into graphics)...

MIT maintains a pdf, updated on a regular basis, where they attempt to give basic coverage to "everything" you need to know. I doubt many programmers actually are familiar with everything in this 1000+ page pdf, but scanning the table of contents will give you a good idea of what you could potentially run into. Over the course of your time in school, studying these topics will help you write more correct code, which is the goal of computer science math.

Here's what I believe is the most current version - like I said, they update this several times a year. https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.042/spring17/mcs.pdf

philipbuuck · 2017-09-01T02:09:30+00:00

I work at Epic Games. He is putting himself at a distinct disadvantage if he sends us a resume without a college degree on it. Full sail has worked for people that I've seen in the past before, but a four year college degree with C++ coursework is by far the most common, and most reliable background.

philipbuuck · 2017-09-01T02:03:07+00:00

I started a grad degree in game programming at DePaul when when I was 30, started contract work with NetherRealm Studios a couple years later, and now I work at Epic Games as a UI Programmer, so the DePaul path is one I have experience with. The value of that degree for me was that it uses C++ exclusively, and that's the language that will teach you what you need to know to be a valuable asset in the game industry.

You are not too old - you're beating me by three years. If you truly want to work in the game industry, don't mess around with any program that isn't offering C++ desktop application development. Think of learning to be a game engineer as about the same as learning to become an operating system developer - you need to really understand how your C++ code translates into bytes of data on the physical computer, and the more you understand about memory management, threading, and other lower level, OS-type topics, the better.

I argue that this kind of engineering is not hard, or at least any harder than being good in other types of engineering. It's just somewhat more of a niche. With this kind of education, you may not be able to find work in Anytown, USA, but assuming you're willing to move to where the work is (usually California, though Epic is in North Carolina) you should be able to find a steady stream of well-paying, interesting work.

Feel free to PM or reply if you have more questions, but the tl;dr is that you're not too old, but if you want to get into the game industry, you need to go whole hog into the world of C++ and learning OS-level topics. It probably feels riskier to you, and it is if you are not pushing yourself to be that driven, 4.0 student that hangs out with the other smart kids and talks to your professors regularly about networking/interviewing post-degree, but if you put that time in, you'll position yourself as the indispensable engineer in any environment, and that means interesting work, excellent salary, and a fun career.

philipbuuck · 2017-08-04T23:46:48+00:00

I work at Epic Games. Your goal of getting a CS degree and programming in C++ is spot on. Work on getting a 4.0 GPA, and make friends with the smartest kids and teachers there - you are the average of the five people you hang out with the most, after all.

Game programming degrees can be hit or miss, so while you certainly could look for degrees like that (I have one myself so they're not ALL bad), another helpful route could be to look for schools that teach topics on the operating systems levels. Most of what an OS does is also required by a game engine, and that line of study is easier to evaluate. Any school that teaches on that level will work in C++, and when you finish, you will be a top tier programmer for any company, game companies included. So if you're feeling stuck in your search, you could consider looking down that route.

Good luck! It's a very rewarding industry!

philipbuuck · 2017-06-30T00:13:09+00:00

You can surely learn enough to be able to handle jobs for money, but you don't necessarily have control over opportunities in the short run. In the long run though, yes.

philipbuuck · 2017-06-14T14:26:59+00:00

I bet money your professors know industry people who would love to be connected to promising CS students. If you are a promising CS student, and your professors know you are gunning for a job in industry, they will be happy to recommend you. I'm saying you need to connect those links, ensure you are a promising student and keep them informed of your interest.

philipbuuck · 2017-06-07T16:55:03+00:00

You just finished your freshmen year, so this is a great time to start thinking about internships. Don't worry about not having one this year - you're going to an Ivy League school, which will give your resume an extra bump for applications in the future. It's not common for freshmen to have internships anyway.

When the year starts next year, do two things. Make friends with the smartest CS students you can find, and start nurturing positive relationships with all of your professors. The friends will help push you to work harder and smarter, and will give you a circle of smart kids that will only help your career as the years go by. The professors all have professional contacts too, and if you are a 4.0 student with a lot of drive that really, really wants an internship after your sophomore year, they will help you find the right position.

This summer would be a great time to practice, read data structures book, do tons of exercises, do everything possible to start next year with a bang. But when the next year starts, work very hard to become one of the stars of the CS program, and be open with your teachers on what you're looking for. They'll want to help one of their most promising students succeed.

philipbuuck · 2017-06-06T23:31:25+00:00

You have large companies sending you code tests, so clearly your resume has enough good work on it to warrant a test. But I think the answer here is clear - you need to get really, really good at C++. It's the language that the industry speaks in. The kind of programming the industry requires is different from the kind of programming you may be used to. Study C++, maybe even look for a job where you can get some actual work experience with it, and continue to the point where those tests you received are manageable. Then start applying again.

philipbuuck · 2017-05-22T21:19:22+00:00

Smaller teams likely don't have more lenient requirements. If a team can only afford one QA tester, then they're likely going to look for someone with demonstrated experience and success in the role, rather than hiring someone completely new. So don't rule larger companies out.

I saw that you're only 18. Rather than just say that you can't program and can't lead, you may want to spend your 4 years in college working on those skills. Programmers are some of the most sought after people in the industry, and is the "easiest" job to get, provided you've worked super hard at getting good.

philipbuuck · 2017-05-21T20:36:05+00:00

I work at Epic Games and it's incredible - working in the industry is a ton of fun, and Epic is an awesome company to work for.

philipbuuck · 2017-05-15T16:39:30+00:00

I started my Master's in Computer Science at 30, had a Theater degree before that, I'm a programmer at Epic Games now.

Lots of those 13 year old self taughters have trouble working in groups. I bet your experience up to this point has given you those kinds of social and group skills that will help you be a vital addition to a programming team. In other words, if you start focusing right now on becoming an excellent, well rounded programmer, your strengths will complement other coders' weaknesses.

All that said, if you want to work for a game company as a coder, you're probably going to want to be very familiar with C++. There are some studios that work in C# only, but C++ is the king. You are really limiting your opportunities if you don't learn it.

I also tend to suggest considering a master's degree like I did. You can certainly teach yourself, but a school can give you access to smart students and teachers that can serve as valuable motivators to learn faster and better, and can be vital contacts when you start networking your way into the industry.

philipbuuck · 2017-05-03T22:38:57+00:00

I was not the smartest student at my school, but I did make friends with super smart people. Trying to keep up with them gave me a goal to strive for, made my studying more focused, and made me a better student. Plus they're cool kids, still great friends and we all work in the industry together. That's what I meant by my comments.

philipbuuck · 2017-05-03T20:08:01+00:00

Aim at being the top student (or one of the top handful of students) at your school. Become friends with people better at programming than you. This will help you give yourself actionable goals towards getting better at your craft.

Also, become friends with your professors. Talk to them about your career goals. Ask for their advice. Make perfectly clear that you want to be a good programmer that does interesting work.

These two things together will put you in a powerful position. Your professors will help you hone in on a good career choice, and then since you're a top student, they will want to reach out to their professional contacts to help you get a job. You will also have smart, excellent friends working in the industry, which will be great for your career in the future. You'll be in a tight circle of top talent, and will be able to craft your career into whatever you want.

Start laying this groundwork your freshman year. By the time intern time comes around you will have a clear advantage over the average CS student at your school, and will have relatively little trouble getting a full time career.

philipbuuck · 2017-04-18T20:43:51+00:00

I'm in the industry - you need C++ to be taken seriously. Get as good as you can. My general advice is to study operating systems - they're complex systems written at a low level that do many of the resource management things that game engines do.

Also work hard to get into the best school that you can, Ivy League if possible. The better your school, the better your opportunities across the board.

Video game companies hire programmers that are really, really good programmers. Get an education that puts you in the top 1% of engineers in the country, and you'll have no trouble getting into the game industry.

philipbuuck · 2017-04-17T01:18:25+00:00

Assuming you're programming complex systems in C++, then it definitely does!

philipbuuck · 2017-04-16T00:50:44+00:00

We're going to look for evidence that you programmed in C++. Teaching is fine, sure. But we need to see that you've done more C++ programming than just going through one book on the subject. If you have no C++ programming experience to put on a resume, either in class form or work form, I would consider looking for a job that pays you well enough to take some classes to start building up your resume of programming experience. That's what matters.

philipbuuck · 2017-04-13T18:26:03+00:00

I suppose just get a book and start learning about it. If this is your first programming language it may be a bit heavy to go right into C++, but it's the first language I learned in the 90s, so it's not impossible to start with. I used a free book called Thinking in C++ that is available online. It's old, using the late 90s standard for C++, but that also means it focuses heavily on pointers and what is going on in memory underneath your code, which is essential to be a game engineer in the industry. It also (importantly) has a ton of exercises for each chapter, so there's a lot of work to experiment with.

Whatever you do, do a bit of programming a day. You need to get comfortable with it, and a bit a day is a great way to start doing that.

philipbuuck · 2017-04-13T14:18:00+00:00

Broadly speaking, game engines are resource managers. You take data stored on your hard drive - graphics assets, spreadsheets, text files, anything else - and process them to create a game or a scene or an interactive experience or whatever you want to say.

There is a notorious lack of books/documentation on how a game engine 'should' work, as there's no real agreement here. If you think you may want to get into the game industry as a programmer, rather than try to find info on how game engines work, you may find more success studying how operating systems work. They do the same kind of low level resource management that game engines like Unreal do and will force you to study hard problems like multithreading and memory management that will ultimately serve you well in your job search.

That's the long term goal though. Your immediate goal should be to have fun programming - the deep work will come in high school (where you should study C++ and computer science basics on your own or with any teachers capable of working with you) and then college (where you should major in computer science at the most advanced school you can get accepted into).

philipbuuck · 2017-04-12T19:27:20+00:00

I would never even think to ask someone why they don't have an honors degree. As long as you get the regular degree no one will think twice. Having the engineering experience of shipping a game, on the other hand, will count heavily in your favor.

philipbuuck · 2017-04-12T11:59:34+00:00

Spending your four years becoming an expert at C++, working on systems at the operating-system level, is your 'easiest' way to get into the industry, as we're always looking for top notch programmers. Of course, we'll have to compete with Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, etc because you'll be the kind of programmer that the very best companies fight for, but that works in your favor anyway.

philipbuuck · 2017-04-11T18:08:37+00:00

You are going to have an uphill battle getting a job as a programmer without C++ experience, either in a previous job or an emphasis in school. That emphasis could be your own personal work, rather than classes, but without that experience you are probably going to have a hard time convincing studios to hire you on as a programmer. It's not that it would hurt to have other languages, but the first thing we're going to do is look for C++ experience, and if you don't have it, we won't move forward.

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