My daughter is wanting to learn game design and sent me this link: http://www.gamedegree.com/levelingUp_OnlineDegrees.asp. Just wanting to know if anyone here has any opinions or advice on the school, and gaming tech degrees in general.

Thanks for any help, Gardenia

Alarm bells as soon as I read the word "online".

I'd be wary of it

To me I wouldn't trust it. Get your online degree types of websites are kinda gimmicky at best (don't get me wrong there are some legit ones out there).

I'm also wary about the fact that it's a .com rather than a .edu

This doesn't mean that it isn't legit but google it and do a lot of research into it. You can find other, legitimate, schools fairly easily (online and traditional) if that's what your daughter wants to do.

Edit: http://www.ripoffreport.com/colleges-and-universities/university-of-advanc/university-of-advancing-techno-5ce82.htm

UAT is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association to award diplomas, associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees. The school's programs do not have ABET or ATMAE accreditation.

UAT was designated a Center of Academic Excellence by the National Centers of Information Assurance Education (CAEIAE) sponsored by the U.S. National Security Agency and the Homeland Security Department.

Network Security programs certified by the US National Security Agency's Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation program for 4011 CNSS National Standard for Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professionals and 4013 National Standard for System Administrators in Information Systems Security (INFOSEC).

Dug that up about the university in question.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Advancing_Technology

also, http://www.4icu.org/reviews/4974.htm

Anyway, my reccomendation would be getting a more general degree in some aspect of computer science, programming, whatever then getting a "game design" degree, since the skills used by people involved in programming and what-not are transferable to game design whereas a game design degree might hurt chances of a career in fields not related to game design.

For 5k a semester why not a real tangible uni?

This is awesome info. I really appreciate you helping and offering your points of view!!!

yup, if it's online you lose a lot of the "student" element and your pretty much just teaching yourself, which you could have done without 5k a semester

There's so much more than this. I attended Michigan State for their Game Design Specialization program (which according to the "pat ourselves on the back video" played at my graduation is ranked 5th in the nation). We had industry insiders come and speak to us, we collaborated with other group members on games, and in the final semester, we actually cliented to a video game company to build games that they, if they liked them, would try to take to market. We even went down to their studios twice to present in their conference room, saw projects that they were working on, (don't ask, I signed an NDA) and so much more.

Basically, what I'm saying is, don't. My time at MSU has given me direct lines on at least two jobs and apparently made my resume, according to some of the insiders who came through, a lot more impressive than most.

Try telling that to my sister, who is required to attend "class" (a forum) with at least 8 posts a week discussing extremely pointless things.

I'd go for a more general degree. If gaming doesn't work out, she has something to fall back to. If it does, she is going to be a lot more versatile and beneficial than someone who only knows stuff about gaming. I would also encourage her to work on making games outside of school (modding, indy, writing design documents, etc.). Not only will it tell her if she really wants to make games, it will also provide valuable experience. Companies look at that stuff (or so I've been repeatedly told).

Also going to echo SkyShadowing. I'm not a game-anything major (Illustration and Art History at MICA), but I've taken several game-related classes, and plan to eventually work in the field. The best parts, hands down, were the people and the experience. The classes were taught by professionals working in the field, we had assignments that translated to the real world, we visited a studio and were shown their project (also NDA'd). It was the hardest I've worked, and I have no idea how I managed to make it through the semester, but then I'd find myself sitting in a conference room, surrounded by people who make the games I play, and realized thats just the coolest thing ever. Makes everything worth it*. Anyone can learn how to program, but you getting field experience and help from professionals is much harder. If your program doesn't offer that, try to find it on your own - some companies hold open houses (if you're in the Delmarva area, check out the Big Huge Games open house held in March, its fantastic), and then there are cons and forums.

[edit] Whatever school you go for, ask where their graduates and faculty are/have worked.

*free drinks and posters also help.

5K for a semester?!?! You kids are rich!

I can't think of any school that charges only 5k :/ Hell, that doesn't even cover living expenses where I'm at. Education is expensive

Oh my, this place..
Honestly I don't have much to add upon your questions since they were answered so to speak, but I was bothered by this place via mail, email, phone, you name it - ALL the time. It's always been very gimmicky to me. To repeat above, I'd definitely go for something more solid and tangible. Usually being pursued by a school/program constantly over the course of two years is enough to turn me off regardless.

Game Design is one facet of game development. I would perhaps get a simple BCS (4 year computer science degree) and put your foot in the door of a company perhaps even while working with said company if possible, so in case this market either isn't for you or isn't producing job opportunities, you can always find something else. Simply banking on Game Design, imo, is a bad idea.

I think games are one of the areas where it's probably best to get educated in specialised in a specific area rather than taking a general "game design" degree. Decide whether you want to do art, story writing, coding etc. then go for an Art/English/Programming etc. degree. Especially if you want a job at a large gaming firm.

The best game developers are the ones who educate themselves. Whatever your specific interest is, the beauty of game design is that it isn't something that requires a professional environment to develop. Create some textures and models for a mod project, or even start your own team. Design schools can teach you how to manipulate programs like 3DS Max and take you through the more theoretical aspects of design, but in the end nobody in the industry is going to care if you "know" how to make a game - you have to prove yourself capable of doing things on your own and being self-motivated.

As for me, I'd love to get into the industry but my artistic skills are nil. I've done a hefty bit of level design across various engines, but seldom finish a project. If you find yourself boxed into college and societal norms like I have, I'd say that pursuing a degree in art, programming or English would give you the most malleability. I myself have always had a passion for history, although I don't have the time nor finances to go all-out to attain the (generally) necessary Master's or Ph.D. needed to get any employment outside the world of academia. Probably will study English with a minor in Anthropology - when it comes to game design, I like looking at the "big picture". I don't like compartmentalizing things down into set areas or designing gameplay first and the environment second. I like to imagine levels in their fully detailed, final form from the git-go which can prove problematic at times. The lore, and all of the little nuances such as character histories and the geography of the world are what interest me most.

So I'll probably become a grumpy English major and hope to one day find myself writing up the plot for my adventure game, or designing quests for Bethesda like the great Ken Rolston. Hopefully.

If any of this applies to your daughter, or more importantly if any kindred spirits out there want to help me save my soul, feedback is appreciated!