Spend 5 years in high school, get 5 gcses at grade C or above, get onto a game design course in college for 2 years, pass with a merit or distinction, get onto higher education in university, on a games design course, for 3 years. Pass with flying colours. Work with a less known gaming company for 4-5 years, produce quality titles, probably for the psp, or nintendo ds, apply for a job at lionhead, and pray.

for Those who live in South Australia like me Flinders University has a Digital Media Studies course and one of the majors is Game design.

Um, well first, you have to be old enough, which I doubt you are.

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Rusted22:

I am an extremely anal person

What does this thread have to do with Fable II?

Nothing, I say "OFF-TOPICS" thank you.

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“I am the ripper, the tearer, the slasher. I am the teeth in the darkness! The talons in the night! My name is strength! And lust! And power!"

Beowulf is right that this does not belong in this thread, but it does belong in Inside Lionhead or Games Industry. It does not belong in Off Topic, however.

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Has the world ended already? Oh dear, I must have missed it. . .

Yeah, you're right, it would be better in inside Lionhead or games industry.

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“I am the ripper, the tearer, the slasher. I am the teeth in the darkness! The talons in the night! My name is strength! And lust! And power!"

avo172:

is there some kind of schooling thats not college?

 

dont be a dumbass, go to college so you can make more money

 

no degree, you can look to be paid around 20k less

 

though super expensive college is great!

but before you go, try your best to get as many scholarships, grants, etc... to help pay for it.

 

i did it, you all can too  

 

actually i have two degrees and will be starting a masters program in about two years

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www.lookdeepentertainment.com (CEO)
www.netd.com (Corporate Administrator)

avo172:

so wats the best thing for me to do wen iv got 2 years on highschool left even if i go to college wat the best thing 2 do in the mean time?

another option  is one that my friend Leigh did which was to learn 3d design and character moddling. he used 3Dsmax (well the free source version) and just did that out of his home for fun and just after leaving highschool he was grabbed by a movie company to help them do a CGI movie in Holland. He know works for an American Games company (dont know which one as they have been bought up).

 

on a side note... more an update to me reminising about the old days... I really hope Lionhead is allowed to remain alive unlike the other companies PM has been in. It would be a real shame for it to ever close. You guys at Lionhead keep up the work and may the festivities commence when you release Fable 2.

hey thx everybody for the help. but is there a way that i could present an idea for a game to lionhead even without being a designer? my freind and i have been working on a game we wana create and we have most of the ideas made and just wana get them on paper so does any1 know a way i could get in contact with somone in lionhead and just tell them the details?

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a salute to my bro in the 101st

avo172:

hey thx everybody for the help. but is there a way that i could present an idea for a game to lionhead even without being a designer? my freind and i have been working on a game we wana create and we have most of the ideas made and just wana get them on paper so does any1 know a way i could get in contact with somone in lionhead and just tell them the details?

http://www.lionhead.com/ContactUs.aspx

id suggest using the details on this page. you might not get far but they might bealbe to help you.

For legal reasons no game's developer will accept outside submissions.

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All games companies, including Lionhead hire juniors - people without any profession experience, straight out of uni, etc.

When it comes to programming we prefer people with comp sci degrees, because with them there is a level of knowledge we can work from.  But this isn't absolutely necessary, especially if you've got experience elsewhere, if you're and can prove it then that's enough.

For other departments a degree is less important, but experience and knowledge is needed - you need a portfolio, a demo reel, levels you've built for game X, etc - you need to show what you can do.

To me this is the most important thing, if you want to work in the games industry you should be doing everything you can to make yourself stand out from the crowd - work on mods, make levels for things, create small games, take part in competitions like Dare to be Digital, etc, etc. 

Whatever you can do, do it - don't wait to go to uni or whatever, I started coding games when I was 8 or 9, most of the progammers round here are the same.

We look for people who are talented, passionate, have experience (doesn't have to be pro experience for junior roles) - just doing the minimun, e.g. a degree, isn't enough, you have to make yourself stand out.  For example, we got a bunch of CVs from a job fair that LH sent some guys to from students on a games course - all that was on the 10, 20 demo CDs were the same things over and over again, their course work... who stood out there?

You obviously havent got a passion to work for lionhead if you cant be bothered spending 6 years in education to do so.

as I'm trying to explain in this post just turning up and getting an education isn't enough.  If you're going to turn up on our door step looking for a job straight out of uni you'd better be doing additional stuff.  And it is possible, many coders around here started at LH straight out of uni, myself included.

Just so people know the style of programming for next gen usually at the moment is know as C++ . No one starts straight on this thugh that is top dog stuff you usually start out on something youve all probably heard of known as JAVA same idea but simplified.

okay, this scares me - is this what they're teaching you...  there's nothing special about C++ it's been around and used for games for a long time, it's not 'next-gen' and Java's not a simplified C++, it's a completely different language that was designed for different things (originally), it's got syntactical roots in the C languages hence the similarities.

You will need to know C++, really this is where a comp sci education comes into its own, you're taught to program, you aren't taught languages as such - that makes it easy to move between and pick up need languages.

We use C++ for the game and LUA for scripting and AI code and other bits and C# for tools.

luck to you, if you've got any specific questions feel free to pm me and I'll try and answer.

Thanks for that post The Bag! At least that sets my mind straight and I know I'm on the right track with my courses and all. 

 

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Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7

It is possible (but not likely) to also become a lead designer eventually if you inject yourself in QA with no schooling. I make no promises, but if you have an eye for detail, and make suggestions as well as reporting the basic bugs and balance issues it is POSSIBLE. Also note that undergoing quantum tunneling to the Horsehead Nebula right after reading this post is also technically possible.

Programming is more difficult, that's what I'm planning on studying after my initital degree, looking at The Bag's post it looks like I'm going somewhat the right way, maybe deviating a little.

I'm getting a BA in Game Design while doing programming on the side (know Java, working on C++ and LUA now). Even though I've only been in the course a few weeks, I've teamed up with someone who's currently just an idea guy (we all are, but that's his only real asset now) and a modeler/artist and we're already starting on our final project (basically "make whatever the hell you want") waaaaaaaaaaay before anyone else, like at the start of the degree instead of when its assigned (and yes, we have a sound guy, stand back, I know music theory). That way we have cushion and liberty to innovate more, because we have more time to get the thing working. I'm also, piece by piece, working on a fan-game for the webcomic Control-Alt-Delete (Tim doesn't know this yet, I want a large working chunk before I bring it up, because the last attempt by someone failed miserably) messing around with different genres and a fun "what if" story solo so I can get some variety in multiple genres, and since CAD is so wacky I also have liberty to add some of the more out there systems I want because they fit so well.

Since I want to start in programming a general design degree won't be enough (I knew this) so I'm looking at a masters in Comp Sci at University of Texas, Digipen, or (if I want to feel stupid) Carnegie-Mellon, preferably with a focus in AI. If, by some god-given luck, our (hopefully not, but realistically speaking) terrible indy games are released for pay, and we actually make a reasonable amount of money, I'll move on to a doctorate in AI, which will probably niche me in programming forever even though I want to be a lead designer, but oh well.

Bag, if you could answer one more question tough - with programmers, do you guys look for people who wrote engines from scratch for their games? Or is using something such as Torque or C4 useful as well (with significant bare-bones modifications)?

However

The Bag:

okay, this scares me - is this what they're teaching you...  there's nothing special about C++ it's been around and used for games for a long time, it's not 'next-gen' and Java's not a simplified C++, it's a completely different language that was designed for different things (originally), it's got syntactical roots in the C languages hence the similarities.

You will need to know C++, really this is where a comp sci education comes into its own, you're taught to program, you aren't taught languages as such - that makes it easy to move between and pick up need languages.

We use C++ for the game and LUA for scripting and AI code and other bits and C# for tools.

luck to you, if you've got any specific questions feel free to pm me and I'll try and answer.

In MY course they simply said "C++ is useful and right now is the industry standard, however Java is becoming popular and many companies just use a C-syntax-based proprietary language anyway." When I asked my future programming instructor about C# he said that it's useful to know, because it has a quick turnover rate, but it also runs 7% slower than C++ on average, so a lot of companies don't use it as much, leaving it "lower" on the chain. Confirm/deny?

Okay, so I wrote a personal ad instead of a post, what of it?

Edit to add: In all that stuff about me I probably should have written that basically my point was, if you want to get into the industry, work towards it. Most of the people in my class are just coasting along getting a degree, there is something wrong with that. I'm doing a significant amount of work "above and beyond" for my portfolio, and it probably won't hurt my grades due to experience either. You need to go to school, or at the very least self-educate yourself to the point where you have made a lot of very impressive solo titles, and the latter is necessary if you are going to school anyway. So 1 and 2 are much better than just 1 or just 2. You CAN get in doing one or the other, but it will be a stretch and a struggle, if you REALLY want this, you'd work for it, not expect it to fall in your lap.

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THE GAME COPYRIGHT © AVO AND MERT

1.Platform- Xbox360 (or next vision of Xbox) and PC.

2.Set in a Middle age fantasy world with 15 unique Races

3.Hundreds of skills ranging from Sword ability to Construction.

4.A unique spell system with hundreds of spells at your fingertips.

5.A one button combat system but with the ability to control massive army’s.

I need to work of it but feel free to post the "> and the bad tell me what you think.

PS: thx to Jragony for the help

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a salute to my bro in the 101st

Jragony:

In MY course they simply said "C++ is useful and right now is the industry standard, however Java is becoming popular and many companies just use a C-syntax-based proprietary language anyway." When I asked my future programming instructor about C# he said that it's useful to know, because it has a quick turnover rate, but it also runs 7% slower than C++ on average, so a lot of companies don't use it as much, leaving it "lower" on the chain. Confirm/deny?

C++ isn't going anywhere, there's nothing really out there at the moment to replace it and you have an industry full of C++ programmers. 

Java is used widely outside the games industry but is really only used for mobile/cell phone games.

C#'s main usage at the moment is in writing tools.

The main change we seeing is that bits of game code are starting to be written in a more script like language.

The Bag:

All games companies, including Lionhead hire juniors - people without any profession experience, straight out of uni, etc.

When it comes to programming we prefer people with comp sci degrees, because with them there is a level of knowledge we can work from.  But this isn't absolutely necessary, especially if you've got experience elsewhere, if you're and can prove it then that's enough.

I'm just starting engineering at university and I'm looking at a career in the game industry. So I'm wondering how do LH and other developers look at software engineers? Are they considered the same as a comp sci student? Or what?

As for artists:

A portfolio of work is far more important than any degree or qualification. That's just the way it is (and this is coming from someone with a degree). No one in any art interview ever asked what qualifications I had - they wanted to see my portfolio, and what I could create for their company.

And that's it basically - make the best portfolio of work you possibly can. Strive to be the best, and stand out from the crowd. I got into games from working on Mods for Quake 3, and I think this is a sound route - it proves you can work with a team, to a common goal and even sometimes (shock horror), deadlines!

My biggest piece of advice would be: put all your eggs in one basket. Be the best at one thing. The very best. No one at Lionhead is looking to hire an artist who is at 'a little bit of everything'. Be the best character modeller, or the best texturer that there is. You will be noticed. The rest you can learn if you need to.

Don't forget also, that you can't get away with being a bad artist in the computer games industry any more. Game-art is becoming closer to whatever is in the artists mind. So, in this respect, formal art training is very handy. Take figure drawing classes. ACTUALLY DRAW. You know, the pen and paper. It has no undo.

My last piece of advice, should you take the route to become a games artist, is to fill your portfolio with game-specific work. I would be a rich man if I gained a penny for every mobile phone or bedroom I saw on a showreel. Put your best piece of work at the front of your portfolio, and your second best piece last. Don't fill the middle with rubbish. I'd rather see 5 amazing pieces of artwork, than 15 pieces of average work.

My advice would be to stay in college, and complete a degree. You might get into games and realise it wasn't for you. But similarly, if you have a passion for art, go to art college, work on a portfolio in your spare time, and then join a company. If you're talented, you'll be hired.

 

Jon.

Thanks for the informative post! Next year I was planning on taking a foundation level art class in College because I didn't take GCSE art this year (graphics instead (the difference being this covers photoshop and stuff)) so if I complete the course, it should (hopefully get me back on track.

As for Uni - what kind of courses can you get a degree in art with? Would it be just a course in general art or are there courses in 'video games art forms' or 'concept art' (which is quite a broad spectrum but would be closer to what I draw).

Are there many art colleges around?

 

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Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7

Sell your soul to PM.

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"Women are like sunsets... they're beautiful, but there will be a different one tomorrow."

If I remember right, and bear in mind I'm doing Law, so I don't know much about art, De Montfort has a repuation. I think Leciester does as well. Here, have a look at this:

http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug/universityguide.php Of course, Oxbridge is always a choice, as it'll just open so many doors. I don't know whether it's godo for art though. You might even eb better doing an academic degree and drawing in your free time, for example. That way, you have something to fall back on.

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Boo.

Stilts:

As for artists:

A portfolio of work is far more important than any degree or qualification. That's just the way it is (and this is coming from someone with a degree). No one in any art interview ever asked what qualifications I had - they wanted to see my portfolio, and what I could create for their company.

And that's it basically - make the best portfolio of work you possibly can. Strive to be the best, and stand out from the crowd. I got into games from working on Mods for Quake 3, and I think this is a sound route - it proves you can work with a te