For Students (and Parents) Interested in the DePaul Game Dev Program
Choosing a college or university is one of the most important decisions you’ll make, and you need to research your options. As you can tell by the late-night advertisements for game education trade schools, this is an educational area that’s very popular, yet ripe for exploitation by for-profit institutions.
What good is a Game Dev education?
Last year the game industry produced over $13billion in revenues, moving ahead of musicand closing in on the movie industry. It’s a growing field, and there are promising signs that the industry is diversifying its audience with casual games for mobile devices and the Wii. Large game projects have budgets in excess of $20million with teams of over one hundred developers.
According to the 2007 Game Developer Salary Survey in the April 2008 issue of Game Developer magazine, the average American game industry salary in 2007 was $73,600. The salaries were listed by job title:
- Game programmers: $83,383
- Game artists/animators: $66,594
- Game designers: $63,649
- Game producers: $78,716
- Game business and marketing: $101,848
50% of game programmers and 66% of artists/animators surveyed had bachelor’s degrees in this increasingly competitive field. Keep in mind that these figures aren’t for starting salaries, and like any field it requires hard work and dedication.
A good Game Dev program offers students more than just technical skills. They gain meaningful experience working on teams, solving unexpected problems, and dealing with time constraints. All of these experiences are valued by employers in a variety of fields, not just the game industry. Students don’t just work with those in their own discipline, but programmers learn how to deal with artists, artists learn the technical constraints that shape what they can create.
The importance of Teamwork
Team project learning does more than teach skills. It prepares students to be better teammates, an overlooked aspect of education. Students learn how to deal with group dynamics and conflict resolution, building their people skills and leadership abilities along the way. These are experiences that aren’t just valued in the game industry, they’re sought after by employers in every field. Working together with people in different disciplines also gives students a better understanding of how to best make their work fit into the constraints of the game development process.
What’s different about DePaul Game Dev?
DePaul’s College of Computing and Digital Media is the only place you’ll find independent degree programs in Digital Cinema, Computer Science, Animation, Software Engineering, Interactive Media and Computer Graphics, all housed in the same building. This unique environment is a perfect setting for a multidisciplinary Game Development education.
Questions To Ask
There are a number of factors you should use when considering a college undergraduate education in any of the game development areas. Some questions you should ask:
- Does the program offer multidisciplinary team project courses involving students in the various areas of game development?
- Is Computer Science an afterthought?
- Does the faculty have game development experience?
- Will the degree still be valuable if the student changes careers?
Does the program offer multidisciplinary team project courses involving students in the various areas of game development?
Some of the most valuable aspects of a game development program are the skills and experience gained from working on a diverse team. At DePaul students participate in a number of team-based project courses, culminating in the two quarter Senior Capstone Project course. Students work in teams, learn how to deal with group dynamics, and become better educated about the various roles on the game development team.
Is Computer Science an afterthought?
Many of the game degree programs concentrate on only one aspect of the development process, usually the artwork. DePaul’s College of Computing and Digital Media houses one of the largest Computer Science programs in the country, with specialists in Software Engineering, Computer Graphics, Artificial Intelligence and Networking. Game artists benefit as well, since the team projects they work on are programmed well.
Does the faculty have game development experience?
Good instructors with industry experience are difficult to find, and one of the benefits of DePaul’s location in Chicago is our access to many working game industry professionals who want to teach.
Will the degree still be valuable if the student changes careers?
DePaul University is one of the largest Catholic universities in the country, and encourages personal growth for the whole student. No matter what the degree, a graduate from DePaul can be guaranteed that their degree will be valued, and will be well-respected if they decide to attend graduate school. Students at DePaul receive a diverse Liberal Arts education, so they’ll be better prepared for the ever-changing landscape of the future job world.
At DePaul we feel a responsibility towards the student beyond the short-term question of whether they’ll get hired upon graduation. College graduates switch careers several times during their lives, and graduates of the DePaul Game Dev program are prepared for a wide range of possible paths. The problem solving and teamwork skills learned are in demand in many fields.
Students in the Programming concentration are prepared for a variety of computer science careers. This degree is excellent preparation for graduate study in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Graphics, and of course Game Development. The BS in Animation prepares for a variety of animation and multimedia careers, including movies, television, commercials and the Internet. This degree is excellent preparation for graduate study in Digital Cinema and Animation. The concentration in Production and Design prepares for a variety of information technology and business careers. This degree is excellent preparation for DePaul’s prestigious MBA program.
