Is College Worth It?

[Mr Squiggles]

The design is really something of a last-ditch effort. I am not artistically inclined in the least, but if I work and work at drawings, I can make them at least presentable.

Don't even bother going into design if art's not your thing. No good design school is going to accept you if you can't draw. Also, that sort of direction requires countless hours of work/practice (if you want to have a successful career with it anyways) and if you don't enjoy it you're going to absolutely despise it. Go for one of the other options instead

[darkshadow]

...My university's college of technology has about a 98% job placement rate across the whole college, but "finding a job" and "finding the job you want" are two very different things....

True, but to get in the industry you have to grab any job you can get, even if it isn't the one you really want, that way you can always work your way towards that job.

Like I said, I wanted to be a writer/programmer/designer. I haven't even decided on going one way or the other, and by doing this, I'm leaving myself options. I already know I can write, and I enjoy writing. The programming seems to be the hardest of the three options, but it's definitely something I can do if I put my mind to it. The design is really something of a last-ditch effort. I am not artistically inclined in the least, but if I work and work at drawings, I can make them at least presentable.

Well there is a difference, with design you prolly mean Art, since design is a different branch too, its basically coding/design/art, if you become a game designer you develop the layout, concept and gameplay of a game.
And if you say coding and making art are much harder, you should focus on the design side and steadily enhance one of the other two fields, since its expected of designers to know some art or tech.

[python862]

Also, that sort of direction requires countless hours of work/practice (if you want to have a successful career with it anyways) and if you don't enjoy it you're going to absolutely despise it. Go for one of the other options instead.

I do enjoy art, it's just that I'm no good at it unless I work and work at it. I'm not able to draw a masterpiece within a ten-minute timeframe like some people are able to.

And if you say coding and making art are much harder, you should focus on the design side and steadily enhance one of the other two fields, since its expected of designers to know some art or tech.

Well, I think what'd be better for myself would be getting into writing for a few projects and taking courses on coding and maybe wireframe (I know, old-tech, but still usable). That way I'm getting two or three things done at the same time. I know I'm capable of it, so that's not a big problem.

Getting back to the topic at hand; besides Devry and Full Sail, what would be a good school to learn all of these things? I mean, game-centric, and not general knowledge.

[Assertn]

How about Westwood College Online?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ-QSJmEgHU

[XanBcoo]

I wish game designers would start tightening up the graphics.

They never tighten up the graphics.

[python862]

Nah, I think the biggest thing that developers need to focus better on is actually collision detection. Too many a time have I seen the arms floating through the walls and "missing" a shot when I know I was aiming correctly.

[Jessper]

Perfect collision detection is more complicated than you think. =P

[python862]

Ahh, but I never said it was easy. Just something they should work a little bit harder on.

[Jessper]

Really where games fall currently (for collision detection) seems fine to me, I have not fallen out of a world in ages. I'm not saying you're wrong here but that I personally am ok with where we are and if they spend more time fixing other bugs I think it would be a better product overall.