College or bust?

[soratron]

I've been in a debate with my parents and want to know who's right on the question will going into game art design teach me how to make the actual game mechanics or just how to make the art?

[Necrovarium]

You should probably ask the school, because some schools will offer classes in both, but with a name like that the specialty sounds like it would be in the art department, so you'd probably have mandated C.A.D. classes and things of that sort. It also depends on the games you'd want to design the art for. I prefer pixel design and making sprites. Uh, depending on the school, which is why you should ask them, you may have options to take design / programming courses.

[soratron]

It's an online course from fullsail.org

[Colamisu]

Game Art Design would be the art specifically. Yeah, you'll probably get a few 3D modeling classes, probably a couple Photoshop classes, maybe a little bit of sound design. Animation, also. It'd get you a job in the industry, but if you want to work on mechanics you should go for something like Game Development or Game Design. If they don't offer it, go somewhere else. SHOOT FOR THE STARS, GO TO DIGIPEN!

[soratron]

Thanks I'll try to use this to convince my dad on this.

[GunSlinger Boy]

Look into the school, ask alumni and students, teachers, etc. I know one programmer who regrets going to college at such a young age and wishes he had waited and not wasted his potential on boilerhead and grinding on assigned courses

[Ragnarök]

I've been in a debate with my parents and want to know who's right on the question will going into game art design teach me how to make the actual game mechanics or just how to make the art?

Do you have a dossier, I mean professional dossier not the ones you make in high school. Typically Colleges will have you make them.

[Svardskampe]

I wouldn't recommend doing this at all. It's a very thin market, and I know friends studying 5 years at a gaming design school, and in that 5 years you can become an engineer in technical informatics, which for 1. you are a master of science, an engineer and have a way broader spectrum of jobs you can apply to, INCLUDING the game industry, and 2. as it is not the focus of course, they still cover it and in the practical assignments you can make games as well. I've a very good friend which does this and really, you wouldn't tell the difference between a real game design school and his education.

So you tell me what sounds better Wasting the same numbers of years, but have an additional masters degree, an engineering title, a much broader spectrum of jobs you can apply to, the most paid type of engineering you can choose and you make your parents proud, get to see a lot of international facilities and communication with them, international internships and all that.

Or you go to game design...your choice.