What direction could i go with studies

[Anonymous]

Hi guys I’m currently doing a PC repair and tech support course in dun laoghaire. I will be taking my A+ and Network + exams early next year. I like it but its not really what I’d like to be doing in 5 -10 years time

I’m looking for advice about where and what I could study next year. I always wanted to get into game design but never knew what way to go

What I think I’d like is the Model/level design animation kind of side rather than the coding side. Maybe it is all one, correct me if I am wrong.

I don’t really come from an art background but I done well in engeering and tech drawing side and used a little of solid works in school and have dabbled in Maya which I really like, also recall making some basic levels in call of duty 2 with the mod tools which I really like.

I wouldn’t really pride myself on my maths ability so I’m just trying to find out the right way I could go?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :) I’m in Wicklow at the moment so anywhere within an hour or two would be good

Im very willing to learn just a bit intimidated by all the code and stuff that comes with game design

[Anonymous]

Hi Liam,

It can be tough finding your own particular niche, but to be honest with you the only way to figure out what suits you as an individual is to experiment. Try a little level design with Unity or UDK, watch tutorials from 3DBuzz.com and make use of whatever Gnomon Workshop resources you can get your hands on. Work with Photoshop and see if you have a talent for texture/pixel art. Can you tell stories? Do you have good verbal skills? How good is your spatial reasoning? These are questions to ask yourself when deciding on a career path.

If you’re hoping to land a job with a major studio, then it all comes down to specialisation. You will have to choose a discipline that you feel you will be good at and, of course, one that you will enjoy. If, however, you would like to go down the indie route — which a lot of people in Ireland are doing now — then you will need to be something of a jack of all trades. As far as courses go, most of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. It all depends on what you’re looking for. Check out the list maintained on this site:

http://www.gamedevelopers.ie/courses/

Now go forth and conquer!

Richard

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that reply, very helpfully..I will experiment with all these things for sure, just now I’m learning basic c++ , I’m liking the logic of it :)

Thank you for the great advice :)

[Anonymous]

Im checking out 3dbuzz now. I was just wondering can i take any exams myself in maya or similar software so i can be certified or do i have to do it through a college ?

[Anonymous]

Artist get hired for being great artists, not for having certain letters after their name.

If you want to study or have a deeper understanding of art then consider further education, but software use is a skill not a qualification. While I’m certain that there are exams that you could take they won’t count for much.

If you want to demonstrate that you can use Maya (or any other package) then just build up a portfolio of pieces that you are proud of.

To be clear, I’m not dismissing education in a discipline, but I am questioning the value of being certified in a particular product.

[Anonymous]

I would have to agree with nifty…. If you are looking to get into an art role (modelling, animation, char design, layout… whatever)… it will be based on your showreel/portfolio, more than knowledge of a particular software package.

I know of animators trained in 3D Max, getting hired and told to learn Maya…. because they were great animators! Same goes for environment artists & character modellers.

Personally, I would recommend attending a good course which delivers modules in your particular area of interest. This will 1. Teach you the skills you need 2. Allow you to hone those skills 3. Give you the time to gather a collection of pieces for a portfolio 4. Allow you figure out if it is definitely the area you want to work in, cause any decent course will keep you busy and have you work to tight deadlines for assignments.. preparing you for industry.

Hope this helps
R

[Anonymous]

Im finding it kind of hard to find a suitable course in Leinster due to low points in the leaving cert (255)

I was looking at applying through Fetac maybe also but some require moduals i dont have like programming for beginners or things like that

I was looking at this course, i see it only deals with gaming in year four though. Would that be a waste of four years? What other routes could i go?

I also was trying to keep in mind that i could look for a job in a different area of it other than gaming if i couldnt find work. Any advice ? :/

http://www.qualifax.ie/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=15

[Anonymous]

Im finding it kind of hard to find a suitable course in Leinster due to low points in the leaving cert (255)[/quote:7d30c1f1e5]

Not all courses are based on the points system; that’s just for the CAO. In Ballyfermot College, for instance, admission is largely dependent on how well you perform at the interview, as well as on aptitude assessments (which may measure such things as your results in subjects which actually relate in some way to game design). This is also the case with our course at Clane College.

[Anonymous]

I went to the Trinity open day with a friend just so we could have a look at their It facilities and have a look around and i was talking to one of the guys who done computer science through engineering i think and he said that it probably would be a waste of my time time do my 4th year in specialising in game design because most of the content is pretty basic and can be learn quickly.

I have been on 3dbuzz allot and am working through the maya course at the moment. Would it be unusual if i was to do a course like this and then self learn from online resources, in the specific area i was interested in?

http://www.ncirl.ie/Programmes_Courses/Full-time-Courses/BSc-Honours-in-Computing-BSHCIFSC2

[Author]

Posts