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ok, just out of curiosity, what sort of qualifications would i need to get a job working in programming for a video game developing studio?

im about to start college and to a 2 year A-Level course in Computer Science which is basically just learning different programming languages.

im really hoping i wont have to go to university because i really cant afford that.

Game programming is known to be the most difficult type. If anything I'm pretty sure that you would need to attend a four year school or at least have something rather impressive under your belt. Consider the amount of others applying to such a position, not to mention the location as well.

I think the only way you could make your way into the industry as a programmer coming from such school is being active in a gaming community such as being an active modder or even be part of a team that makes and manages games. Hell, you could make one yourself and distribute it to your campus so that you name becomes known.

Also, if you don't get it right away, job experience is a MUST, which is perhaps the most important thing you can have.

penguin_king wrote:ok, just out of curiosity, what sort of qualifications would i need to get a job working in programming for a video game developing studio?

im about to start college and to a 2 year A-Level course in Computer Science which is basically just learning different programming languages.

im really hoping i wont have to go to university because i really cant afford that.

Depends on what you want to do. Take a look at the credits for any major game, and you'll see that developing a game covers practically every aspect of creativity. I did an interview with the people at FunCom for the launch of Conan, and let me tell you, despite their constant need for new people, they don't hire blindly. Just out of curiosity, what's the difference between "college" and "university?" If you have a decent education in programming and have specialised in visuals, you've got a good chance of getting a job. Just remember that the programmers are the "drones" who do what the creative team tell them to do. Their job is basically to connect dots. They have no influence on the game design as a whole. Looking at the credits for the original "Fallout" there was over 150 people involved. That was back in 1998. So what do you want to do?

i havent really thought about a specific area that i'd like to go into, i know i wouldnt be any good at design work because i cant draw to save my life.

i guess i'd quite like to be part of a development team, i tend to have some pretty good ideas when it comes to games or features for games, or ways that problems could be avoided, so you could say im pretty creative in that respect.

but wont i need years of experience before i can get anywhere near a development team?

i dont know...

penguin_king wrote:
but wont i need years of experience before i can get anywhere near a development team?

i dont know...

As far as I know, you do.

Maybe not years, but at least some experience.

Their obviously gonna ask some questions, Fill out a paper maybe, I don't know.
Not that helpful there, Sorry

my Computer Science teacher was going through the curriculum with us on thursday and he said we're gonna use a ton of different programming languages and styles, and he said we get to make a small game towards the end!

me = one happy chappy

Well - it isn't games I code/develop, but my understanding of these things - then if you truly are interested in the coding of computergames (more so then the graphical modelling and all that), I'd advice you to look mostly towards C and C++ to begin with and understand those languages.
However - I would think (also for game-coding) that it is more about understanding the application of algorithms, development of algorithms which is important.
Because basically - once you pick up one programming language, it should be relative easy to shift between them. Especially the C++/Java/.NET family of languages which bears many syntax similarities.
Understanding of the concepts, attitude and willingness to learn is very important compared to just knowing a specific language.

@Moonbiter: College and University is somewhat "mixed"/grayed out in Europe compared to how I understand it is in the US.
Basically though - university degrees in Europe is a 3 year bachelor in some field and the 2 year master add on (possible with ph.d. extensions), whereas college is the more "business orientated" educations which take some 2-5 years, but do not provide you with a "degree".
In the US I think it is somewhat different.

just to clear up, in england schools work like this.

ages 5-11: "Primary" School (or Infant School)
ages 11-16: "Secondary" School (or Comprehensive)

*optional*

ages 16-19: College or Sixth Form School
ages 19 onwards: University.

It's one thing to make a small text based or a simple game with a GUI rather than working with a bunch of people and sifting through millions of pages of code, most of which aren't written by you.

I wholeheartedly agree with Xandax. C and C++ are a must. I think it's safe to assume that this high speed language is mostly, if not fully used in all sorts of game programming.

If you just browse around, looking at the jobs of some of the companies, you will also notice that a bachelor degree is always mandatory. Then, the harder part is x years experience in that field/ the game industry. The only way I can think of going about that is perhaps looking for an internship or a co-op at the company, though you have to make yourself stand out as I bet you that a bunch of people with skills equal to or greater than your own are trying to get in there too.

thanks cresh,

quick question... how long does it take to get a bachelors?

im assuming its a fair bit shorter than a masters or a PhD

Bachelor is 3 years, master is 2 more on top of it.

Double post, sry. And beaten to the question by Xandax.

3 to 4 years? I think it is fair to assume that a lot can happen in three years to delay your progress. But generally it depends. Some universities allow for students to work through their program accelerated..ly. I was on my way to do English Literature in two, but I quit to do something else. I'm on a different pace now though, it might take me the full three years.

You should check out if there are any interesting minor programs at the university of your choosing. Something that can complement your goals. If you have the time and money, you might even want to think about topping it off with a two year master.

Heh, I'll be an old man before I stop finding things I want to study.

cool, i'll start checking out some universities soon then (ive only just started college)

on a slightly different note, are there any other programmers on these boards that could give me some advice? i started using Pascal today and im finding it pretty easy, even though its only the bare at the moment.

The best thing to have when applying for a job in the gaming industry is experience, such as going to college for a couple of years, and best of all is to have examples of your work. If the employers see an example of your work (a game, a program, ect.), and it is good, they will almost certainly hire you.

But for now, keep on practicing those skills in your spare time, make some programs/games and make sure you go to college when you can.

Another good thing is to ask your teachers at school (IT teachers) for some 'extended' work, so you can learn more and more and develop your skills.

Hope I helped

Skorm's Reaper

Are there any developers in your area? Many offer tour guides. Ubisoft offered one here (in Montreal) and I am pretty sure some others do. That is the best way to know for sure.

Also, don't hesitate to ask at your college, there must be at least one careers adviser who know about it.

I know a guy who now works for Ubisoft and he got there by making his own website to show his works. (He his very skilled at drawing!)

I would also suggest that you do some modding (Neverwinter Nights, The Witcher, Morrowind, Oblivion or any other I can't think about right now) during your spare time.

As silly as it may sound, if you want to make a career in the field, don't neglect playing games, but don't limit yourself to playing them, think about them while playing, think about what's good, about what you would change. In other words, analyze them.

Edit: Sorry for repeating, I did not see Skorm's Reaper's post before submitting mine.

Xandax wrote:Bachelor is 3 years, master is 2 more on top of it.

And a PhD is 4-5 years more. In the US it is quicker though since you don't need to do a master before your PhD, you can start right after your bachelor's.

penguin_king wrote:just to clear up, in england schools work like this.

ages 5-11: "Primary" School (or Infant School)
ages 11-16: "Secondary" School (or Comprehensive)

*optional*

ages 16-19: College or Sixth Form School
ages 19 onwards: University.

Ah, so college is what they call High School in the US. No wonder I never get that right.

Remember one thing: To work for a game company in this day and age you don't actually have to live in the same country as company HQ. Over half the staff of FunCom lives in other parts of the world. We're all connected now, and due to the increase in virtual work environments, in a few years you'll wake up in Iceland, and go to work in Singapore... or somewhere out there.... :laugh:

Gilliatt wrote:Are there any developers in your area? Many offer tour guides.

I've heard talk that Free Radical (Timesplitters series) is based in Nottingham (my town) but i dont know if its only rumours. i'd love to go there just for a tour or something.

Gilliatt wrote: Also, don't hesitate to ask at your college, there must be at least one careers adviser who know about it.

actually, i hadn't thought of that... silly me.

Gilliatt wrote:I would also suggest that you do some modding (Neverwinter Nights, The Witcher, Morrowind, Oblivion or any other I can't think about right now) during your spare time.

i have thought about doing this in the past, but i was put off by the fact that my PC would barely be able to run any games, so i wouldnt be able to test my mods at all.

Gilliatt wrote:As silly as it may sound, if you want to make a career in the field, don't neglect playing games, but don't limit yourself to playing them, think about them while playing, think about what's good, about what you would change. In other words, analyze them.

im way ahead of you on that one! whenever i spot a glitch im trying to figure out why the game behaves in that way (i.e. the duping glitch in Oblivion) and im always admiring the insane accuracy of the physics engines in games (well... ususally...)

thanks for all your help, i'll ask my Computing teacher on monday, if he cant help i'll seek out one of the elusive careers advisors.

also, i'll look on the FreeRadical website and see if they have any careers available so i can look at the requirements.


edit: on the FreeRadical site it says this:

Programmers
The ideal candidates will have excellent C++, good knowledge of low-level programming and demonstrable excellence in general programming. Candidates need to be passionate about programming, able to work in a multi-disciplinary team and be comfortable working with a large code base. It is also desirable to have knowledge of 3D algorithms and graphics, with a general interest in games and some critical understanding of their strengths/weaknesses.

im pretty sure i'll cover C++ at college, but im not 100%, i guess i'll ask about it. im just happy to see that i dont necessarily need to go to university, i just need a firm understanding of the languages.

penguin_king wrote:im way ahead of you on that one! whenever i spot a glitch im trying to figure out why the game behaves in that way (i.e. the duping glitch in Oblivion) and im always admiring the insane accuracy of the physics engines in games (well... ususally...)

Good to know!

Like Moonbiter said, nowadays it's possible to work for foreign companies in the comfort of your home, so don't limit your search to Free Radical.

Here are some, among others, to get you started:

Jobs @ ubisoft

BioWare: Careers at BioWare Edmonton

Larian Studios - Jobs

Bethesda Softworks

Edit: By the way, the guy I know who works for Ubisoft never went to university.