From "Graphic Designer" to Game developper

[rituals]

Hi all.

I need advice, and I guess this is the best place to have "practical" information on getting in the video game industry.

For the little background, I am 26 years old, I have a diploma in graphic design (Quark, Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc) and 2 years studies in computer programming. With that 4+ years of mixed experience making websites (both interfaces and xhtml, css, php, mysql, etc) and doing graphic design for print.

My real passion is game design. So far I went with programming and publishing to take "the right choice" that wil pay the bills... But now that I have a margin of error, I will take the opportunity to get into things I really enjoy... I want to get into the video game industry, and for this I am thinking of starting studies in 3D/animation this september or january.

For now nothing is planified, and I have many questions. Please answer/give your opinion if you can.

1. Will a one year diploma in 3D/animation land me a job in the industry later on?
2. If not what else do I need?
3. For those who live in Montreal/Canada, do you have any recommendations of diplomas or schools to study game design? for now I am considering www.nadcentre.com, but I don't know if I would be accepted there. (Poor drawing skills.)
4. While studying, what are the things I could do in parallel to become a better game designer, and why not, get better chances to land a (good) job later? drawing classes? painting classes? sculpture classes? certifications in Maya/3Dstudio?

I'd appreciate any and all feedback, thanks.

[dm3da]

Hi all.

I need advice, and I guess this is the best place to have "practical" information on getting in the video game industry.

For the little background, I am 26 years old, I have a diploma in graphic design (Quark, Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc) and 2 years studies in computer programming. With that 4+ years of mixed experience making websites (both interfaces and xhtml, css, php, mysql, etc) and doing graphic design for print.

My real passion is game design. So far I went with programming and publishing to take "the right choice" that wil pay the bills... But now that I have a margin of error, I will take the opportunity to get into things I really enjoy... I want to get into the video game industry, and for this I am thinking of starting studies in 3D/animation this september or january.

For now nothing is planified, and I have many questions. Please answer/give your opinion if you can.

1. Will a one year diploma in 3D/animation land me a job in the industry later on?


Depends on your portfolio, and your portfolio depends on your talent and dedication. The more talented and dedicated you are the easier it will be for you to do well. There are many self-taught people in the gaming industry who never took any art/programming classes, but were dedicated and had enough telent to create cool stuff that got them work.


4. While studying, what are the things I could do in parallel to become a better game designer, and why not, get better chances to land a (good) job later? drawing classes? painting classes? sculpture classes? certifications in Maya/3Dstudio?


I think you are confusing game design and art. Typically, a game designer is the person who designs the game play and story. Usually this person never does any art or programming, but coordinates artists and programmers toward his vision of the game.

[rituals]

Game designer is my ultimate-dream-job position. I see 3D/animation as a way to build up on top of my graphic design experience, and get into the industry.

Eventually, with some hard work, time, and a bit of luck I am hoping to get into game design. At least, that is the best plan/path I could come up with.

[WhizBang]

One glaring point that would hold you back is the poor drawing ability.

No offense to people who do 3D, but how do you guys know if perspective is off? How do you know if a figure is mis-proportioned? How do you know how to crop an image to show a mood?

If you have the drawing skills- the 3D, animation & other computer skills are just bonus. I'd work on the drawing part to obtain some vision.

[Icelandic Norm]

You didn't mention your storytelling skills. What Whizbang also needs to say is that with the drawing skills, you'll also learn to tell stories better too. I do agree with him that your should improve your drawing skills as much as possible.