[game_edu] Oh the Artists and the Coders should be friends -Apologies to Oklahoma

[Ian Schreiber]

>Remember a while ago, in a discussion it was suggested that only in universities was 

  >there a distinction between artists and coders, and that was part of why the industry saw 
  >us as 5 years out of date.
   
  Actually, I don't remember that, but I can't imagine why anyone would suggest such a thing. No distinction between artists and coders in the industry? Maybe at the occasional small startup where everyone wears multiple hats and the guy who writes code just happens to also have artistic skills, but beyond that... of course there's a division. Of all of the programmers and artists I know, I can think of maybe three people who have both skill sets (and they tend to gravitate towards "crossover" positions like technical artists and graphics programmers). But I don't know of any company that's ever *required* their programmers to know 3D modeling and animation, or their artists to know C++.
   
  I'm not convinced the industry sees us as 5 years out of date either, but if they do I think it'd be because the students entering our curricula today won't graduate for another 2+1d3 years, so the academic program they enter today may be dated by the time they enter industry. But it's a huge leap from that to "universities are all 5 years out of date".
   
  >Also should I learn coding?

I agree with John -- if you know you want to be a game developer, having at least some minor exposure to all aspects of development (programming, art/animation, design, production, audio) is a good thing because it gives you an appreciation for what all of these other people on your team are doing. That said, if you want to primarily be an artist or animator, I'd stick with an art-based major rather than trying to major in computer science (and vice versa if you want to be a programmer).
   
  Of course, if you lack skills or experience outside of your own field, it will not automatically prevent you from getting a job. It's more a bonus -- if you DO have multiple areas of expertise, it helps you stand out from the crowd and maybe gets your foot in one more door.
   
  - Ian

       
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