Thursday, May 29, 2008
Examining ITT's Game Design Program
Yesterday I was invited to be on the program advisory committee for ITT Technical Institute's game design program here in Salt Lake. The goal was for us to evaluate their game design program's curriculum, and offer suggestions and feedback as professionals in the field that they are training their students to enter. Greg Squire (who runs the Utah Indie Game Night meetings), Lane Kiriyama of Wahoo / NinjaBee, and I represented something of the "indie contingent" of people on the committee. They didn't swear me to secrecy or anything, so I figured I'd share.
They fed us lunch, which consisted of sandwiches bigger than my head (plus salads, chips, drinks, and a dessert that almost nobody touched). Greg and I split a sandwich, and neither of us could finish our halves. I think those sandwiches were really for feeding a family of four. As we tried to work our way around the gravitational pull exerted by the significant mass of these things, they gave us a Power Point presentation of the curriculum, with a week-by-week breakdown of everything taught for each course, and asked for feedback for each class.
Game development degrees have been described by Chris Crawford as producing "foot soldiers for the video game industry." I've had something of that attitude for game development schools, too. And - to be fair - the curriculum at ITT is definitely geared more towards getting students jobs at mainstream studios. I don't really have a problem with that. I think "doing some time" at a professional, mainstream game studio is an invaluable experience for a serious would-be indie.
(Yes, I do note here that being an indie is often considered a possible milestone on the path to becoming a professional in the mainstream game business. Naturally, I look at it the other way around).
What was really cool is that - at least in Greg's case and my case - they were specifically seeking out indies. The local ITT here has been very good about offering its facilities and support for the indie game night, and told us that they have a few students who really want to go that route. That impressed me. I mean, the indies (except for NinjaBee) in the local area aren't prestigious, and aren't in a strong position to hire students coming out of the program (what I am sure was an additional motive behind having these review committees - to keep local companies informed of the quality of ITT's training and the strengths of their graduating students as potential job candidates).
Another thing I've noted - both in ITT's curriculum and from graduates of game development programs at other schools - is that they do tend to concentrate on completed game projects from their students. This is a huge deal. One of the hardest things in indie-dom is to finish a game. That last 20% of the game tends to take 80% of the time, and that's usually when inexperienced hobbyists quit. Hey, I have my share of incomplete projects, too. The experience of seeing a game to completion - of learning what that takes - is outstanding.
Finally, I noted with glee that an entire course on game design mechanics emphasizes RPGs. Is there any other college course out there that has students perform a comparative analysis between three major pen & paper RPGs? And the class project is to create a class project using RPG Maker. I gotta say, that made me an automatic fan of the program, right there!
The concerns I voiced involved addressing the evolving needs of the industry... including expansion of the audience beyond males ages 14-24, and the much broader range of methods of delivery of games to their audiences today. Too many game designers have trouble understanding the needs of an audience that does not include them. And, in an era of downloadable content, constantly updated massively muliplayer online games, and alternative means of distribution that bypass traditional publishers completely, it is no longer just about giant, departmentalized teams delivering a gold master to the folks who commissioned their work.
Another thing that came to mind was how much there is to learn about the games business for a young 17 or 18 year-old today. I mean, it is scary to imagine that these people entering the program today are too young to remember the release of Twisted Metal and Warhawk, the first games I worked on when I entered the business in '94. I grew up with video games - becoming truly aware of them just as the industry was beginning to explode (and before its first implosion). So I've had nearly three decades to learn something of the "history" of video games, and to learn what works and what doesn't through years of watching them appear, playing them, talking to people about them, and reading about them. I had a ringside seat in the early console wars (Atari vs. Intellivision vs. Coleco vs. lots of others...) and the home computer wars. I remember when arcades - now almost extinct - were everywhere, and you could keep abreast of the industry for a pocketful of quarters. I was a participant in the 32-bit and 64-bit console wars. There was too much happening for me to see more than a fraction of it, but as much as possible I got to live it.
These new students don't have that history, and have to pack that information in during a very short time. It's mind-boggling. And from the sounds of it, the ITT program teaches a few things that I could stand to learn more about. I have to admit, it sounded pretty comprehensive.
And that sandwich might keep me fed for two more days.
Labels: Biz
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 8:05 AM (Permalink)
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Interesting stuff, I'm glad to hear they're looking for indie input here.
It's also good to see that they are focusing on completed games, although I wonder how feasible that is for the students given their other responsibilities. Was there any emphasis on working with indies on projects and using that as a resume-builder?
I'll be finding out shortly if this is going to work out, but I've started into some discussions with the EAE (entertainment arts and engineering) program at the University of Utah about this kind of thing. It's a new program that focuses on training students for the animation and videogame industries, so I'm potentially going to partner with them to have students working on Vespers. Sounds like it could be a really good arrangement, since the students are interested in working on real projects and getting experience, while I need...well, you know.
It's also good to see that they are focusing on completed games, although I wonder how feasible that is for the students given their other responsibilities. Was there any emphasis on working with indies on projects and using that as a resume-builder?
I'll be finding out shortly if this is going to work out, but I've started into some discussions with the EAE (entertainment arts and engineering) program at the University of Utah about this kind of thing. It's a new program that focuses on training students for the animation and videogame industries, so I'm potentially going to partner with them to have students working on Vespers. Sounds like it could be a really good arrangement, since the students are interested in working on real projects and getting experience, while I need...well, you know.
Definitely talk to them! He brought that up specifically and invited us to talk to them and use them as a resource for research projects and whatnot.
Twisted Metal was a great game, by the way. Congrats on that.
I didn't realize ITT was getting involved in the game business. If they've got a nice program up there, maybe I'll check out their program here (Houston). I've considered going someplace like that to learn programming, so I can actually make use of my ideas. I won't be starting anytime soon though (maybe they'll have better programs by then).
I didn't realize ITT was getting involved in the game business. If they've got a nice program up there, maybe I'll check out their program here (Houston). I've considered going someplace like that to learn programming, so I can actually make use of my ideas. I won't be starting anytime soon though (maybe they'll have better programs by then).
For the past 5 months, I've been attending The Guildhall at SMU (their branch campus at Plano, Texas).
From what you've said, it seems as though they are doing some of the same things that we do here. Our Game Design classes focus on pen and paper RPGs, and we used the Oblivion engine already to make complete mods (a main quest and several sub quests). We are also designing pen and paper RPGs this semester.
However, you have hinted at something that, as a student at one of a game school, that has started to bother me slightly- Chris Crawford's comments about these schools being in the business to make foot soldiers. It seems when someone mentions "Game School" somewhere, some comment along these lines pops up, inevitably.
It is probably different in the art and software engineering tracks (Guildhall seperates us into three specializations: level design, art, engineering- I am level design with a minor in coding), but for my fellow level designers, I can say categorically that none of us are in this to be foot soldiers.
We understand that we are going to be exactly that in the industry for awhile, but each and ever one of us has the necessary "delusions of granduer" to really produce some amazing games, so as long as we continue on our current path and work as hard as we are here.
Speaking now just for myself, being more and more educated and acquiring more skills has already caused me to begin working on side projects, completely outside of the assigned material. Being involved in team projects definitely creates a real hunger for making something for yourself.
The biggest thing about The Guildhall (and ITT's situation sounds simlilar) is that yeah, you are made to finish stuff. That is probably the most valuable lesson of all!
From what you've said, it seems as though they are doing some of the same things that we do here. Our Game Design classes focus on pen and paper RPGs, and we used the Oblivion engine already to make complete mods (a main quest and several sub quests). We are also designing pen and paper RPGs this semester.
However, you have hinted at something that, as a student at one of a game school, that has started to bother me slightly- Chris Crawford's comments about these schools being in the business to make foot soldiers. It seems when someone mentions "Game School" somewhere, some comment along these lines pops up, inevitably.
It is probably different in the art and software engineering tracks (Guildhall seperates us into three specializations: level design, art, engineering- I am level design with a minor in coding), but for my fellow level designers, I can say categorically that none of us are in this to be foot soldiers.
We understand that we are going to be exactly that in the industry for awhile, but each and ever one of us has the necessary "delusions of granduer" to really produce some amazing games, so as long as we continue on our current path and work as hard as we are here.
Speaking now just for myself, being more and more educated and acquiring more skills has already caused me to begin working on side projects, completely outside of the assigned material. Being involved in team projects definitely creates a real hunger for making something for yourself.
The biggest thing about The Guildhall (and ITT's situation sounds simlilar) is that yeah, you are made to finish stuff. That is probably the most valuable lesson of all!
Hi Rob - and congrats for your progress at Guildhall! I wish you the best!
Chris Crawford's comments probably stuck in the craw of a lot of people. While I do not believe its accurate, the part that stings is probably the element of truth in it. At any school (even the more erudite universities), there's an emphasis on making their students employable in their respective industries. I don't think anybody can fault that. Except maybe Crawford.
And the industry they train students for remains pretty soul-crushingly dedicated to being a factory cranking out last year's games with this year's graphics.
But the schools also have to serve the students, I'm finding, and the students want to rock the world. So the schools are giving them the tools to do that, too, I feel. Just don't let your soul get crushed by the Biz when you get out, and you'll do fine.
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Chris Crawford's comments probably stuck in the craw of a lot of people. While I do not believe its accurate, the part that stings is probably the element of truth in it. At any school (even the more erudite universities), there's an emphasis on making their students employable in their respective industries. I don't think anybody can fault that. Except maybe Crawford.
And the industry they train students for remains pretty soul-crushingly dedicated to being a factory cranking out last year's games with this year's graphics.
But the schools also have to serve the students, I'm finding, and the students want to rock the world. So the schools are giving them the tools to do that, too, I feel. Just don't let your soul get crushed by the Biz when you get out, and you'll do fine.
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