[Opening theme]
Hey guys,
please join me in welcoming our guest buddy Sarah white
known as shear at sean on Deviantart
and creator of the fluffer nutters webcomic
she's going to help us tackle something you guys have been asking about for a long time,
game schools.
We've been planning this episode for a while because it's something that needs talking about.
Game schools are one of the greatest things to happen to our industry,
but at the same time they're also one of the worst,
while many are a place to experiment and to learn
many others are nothing but repellent leeches
working on loopholes in our educational system to defraud kids
it's one of the most hainous and inexcusable crimes in our industry but every day I see schools
exploiting somebody's dreams to leave them $100,000 in debt
with a meaningless degree that will not get them anywhere
And that has to stop
We're going to avoid talking about any specific school
and instead focus on what to look for if you're thinking about going to a game school
so it's useful for anyone even if you're watching this a Few years down the road
Because too many game schools out there prey on the fact that
parents don't know how to vet these schools like they would a traditional college
in order to make a profit off students who want to believe in a dream.
So first off,
here's the scam:
while there are many legitimate game schools out there
many of them are for-profit
which opens us up to a host of illegitimate profit driven schools
what these schools do is send out recruiters
or put up advertising that promises that if you go to their schools
you'll get to become a game developer
you remember that dumb old tighten up the graphics on level three add
If not look it up
It's hilarious
that ad has nothing to do with what a game developer actually does
But that's the sort of vision they try to sell
they try to hook people in by selling them the idea that they'll get to
play games for a living
or they'll get to tell people their grandiose ideas and get them made
when that's simply a lie
These schools try to target people who either don't want to go to a traditional college
but whose parents are telling them they have to go somewhere or
people who really want to get into the industry
but don't have a support network that will guide them to a better school
worse still
these schools tend to target students
Whose high school grades and SAT scores
might not be enough to get him into a traditional college that will get them the career they want
They often tend to sympathize and say they understand but hey
games are a creative industry
just because a person didn't do well in high schools no reason to keep them from working in games
Which is true
But it walks a dangerous line Toward Falsehood because what many of these schools are
[actually] doing
is simply accepting anybody who's willing to sign the loan papers
they might claim otherwise
But they have no real entrance requirements other than being willing to pay
and even worse these schools are usually
barely accredited
often maintaining their accreditation by buying failing colleges that have a better
accreditation rating
also they can skirt the minimum requirements the government demands to a diploma and
And unfortunately this means that none of the credits from these schools usually transfer
So if a student wants to transfer out
or go through the program can't find a job and wants to get another degree
They have to start all over
But what makes this to me seem criminal
is that these schools are aware that the education
they're giving doesn't remotely leave the students with the skills
they need to actually get into the industry
a few people might come out of these schools and actually land a job
But that is due to their strength as an individual
not to anything the school gave them
so now you know the dangers
Let's talk about how to find a good game school
first you have to decide if a game school is right for you
I'll be totally frank. It's completely possible to get into the game industry by going through a traditional education
I mean James got his Bachelor's in Classics A
Solid traditional foundation means a lot
you can get a degree in computer science from any reputable school if you want to be a programmer
You [can] take a liberal art or a math related major if you want to be a designer
or you can go to a conservatory if you want to be an artist
You're just going to have to do a lot of extra work on the side making games for your portfolio
and getting out to things
Like GDC to meet industry people while you're keeping up with all your other classes
Additionally traditional education also usually offers an opportunity to experience more disciplines
and transfer to a wide range of other things if you find that Games aren't really what you want to do
But let's say that you're dead set [on] working in the game industry
that is what you want to do with your life
So [a] game school is probably right for you
But you better be prepared to work
any game school worth its salt is going to push you harder than most traditional colleges
Regardless of what discipline you're taking?
programming, design, art, sound,
there's way more to learn about making games than they'll ever [have] time to teach you
so be prepared to work more than you have ever done in your life
if you think you're mature [enough] to handle the workload
and self-directed enough to continue learning even outside
Of what's taught in class
then you are probably ready for game school?
So how do you find a good one
follow these steps
step one
check their accreditation status
They should have it posted on their site
It sounds a bit counterintuitive,
but a regional accreditation is usually considered better than a national one
But you want to make sure that they're at least
accredited by one of the national accreditation institutions
If not,
don't go there
achieving national accreditation is a pretty low barrier for some place calling itself a school
if they can't even manage that they're not worth your money.
Step 2 :
look at their entrance requirements
if they look too good to be true,
they are.
Any good school will tell you what the average SAT Score of their successful applicants is
if they aren't looking for you to fall in the top [thirty] percent of test takers out there
They're probably not asking enough to truly prepare you for the industry
As a rule of thumb, you want your school to expect a lot from you?
Step 3
Look up any awards the school or the students may have won
The steps a little biased Toward schools that have been around longer but
if an educational facility [is] really preparing you to do top to your work
the evidence should be out there
see if they've ever
Gotten one of their students games entered into igf
iGc
Indiecade the Pax 10
or any of the other game awards that are judged by professional developers
It's a great way to see what the industry thinks of that school
Step 4
Look for games out in the marketplace that have been made by teams largely composed of students from the school
games like world of goo
Portal or anything by that game company are good examples
now this one isn't a deal breaker by a longshot
But it's a good plus if they have it
Step 5
ask the school what they're hiring ratio is in the industry
not including jobs in Qa
not every faculty member will know but they should be able to instantly direct you to someone who does
they shouldn't be [wishy] [Washy] about
This detail at all i
f they get dodgy about answering
that should set off some alarm Bells
Step 6
see if they have paid recruiters
as a general rule of thumb
I found that you want to avoid any school that pays headhunters to find students
this practice is sketchy enough by itself
But if they pay those headhunters by commission
giving them a bonus for each student they get to sign the payment contract
then you really need to watch out
a good school will attract students without these sort of predatory practices
step 7
check out the professors
have they done [anything] noteworthy
are they names you might recognize
if you google their names are they cited by other industry members have they
Shown up in the press or have been asked to speak at industry conferences
Good faculty is essential to a good game school
this doesn't mean that they have to all be notable
But at least having one or two people you know are highly regarded within the industry or Academia certainly helps
step 8
look for Portfolios of students from that school
Many students will put up their work on their websites as part of their efforts to get a job
after [looking] at a few you
Should be able to get a general sense of what level of work that school is turning out
step 9
along with the Portfolio
I recommend looking on game career guide for articles Written by students of your perspective [college]
it'll not only tell you something about the school
but also the level of writing that the better students are coming out of the school with
Step 10
if the school markets themselves to you as being in any way about playing video games
This is one of the clear red flags
do not I repeat
do not go to such schools
Step 11
Look at the course descriptions
if you're looking to get into the industry rather than becoming an academic
[you] need to do project work
So make sure that a decent number of the classes are project focused
writing a design Doc means nothing when you're competing with students
Who've made entire games
also if most of the courses seem to be focused on teaching you tools like
teaching you unity the unreal engine
Mudbox or the like
then it's probably not very good
any game developer will tell you that you should be able to learn tools on
Your own because you're going to be spending your entire career learning new tools
It's the fundamentals you need to learn from a college education
and finally perhaps the most controversial thing
I'm going to say at the undergrad level look for a four-year degree
Anyone who tells you that they'll make you a game developer
in two years is pretty much straight [up] lying to you now
There are very very few [exceptions]
vancouver film school being one of them
But even [at] the best of these schools the students who really [make] it
Often have already taken some college or have a degree
if the school promises to make your dreams come true in a highly competitive highly
technical industry in just two years
You better research it completely before you gamble thousands of dollars in two years of your life on what is probably an empty promise
Game schools are great
and it'll be a big part of helping this industry grow
[I] encourage you to go to them if being part of this industry is what you're passionate about
[I] hope this has helped some of you, and I really hope it steers you away from the predatory schools.
It's time They stopped getting rewarded for such practices.
Good luck.
[I'll] see you all next week
you