[game_edu] Getting information about game education to those interested in it

[S. Gold]

Last year we had an ad hoc committee put together and we discussed the idea
of an IGDA approval/accreditation. Upon completion of their report, the
answer was overwhelming not at this time. Meaning this is a subject we need
to approach in the future, possibly put together a more formal committee to
work in tandem with the next (2011) Curriculum Framework project.

Susan


On 7/9/09 11:19 AM, "Andrew Armstrong" <andrew at aarmstrong.org> wrote:


> Just a point, I'm getting feedback and ideas for revamping the Students SIG,

> and a few people have brought up the IGDA and accreditation for courses. I did

> mention this was more and Education SIG area, and possibly worth thinking

> about in the long term.

> 

> Since the Students SIG doesn't even exist yet, really, I honestly agree that

> the IGDA website is utterly unknown for those who are choosing where to go. If

> it gets off the ground (with worldwide information made available), the site

> as a whole could be pushed to those advice institutions who run career

> websites, perhaps.

> 

> (Advice for your career after you have a degree is something else though, and

> entirely suited to the IGDA site).

> 

> Anyway, neat idea, it didn't really end though - I presume this is something

> the Education SIG is now going to do?

> 

> Andrew

> 

> Lewis Pulsipher wrote:

>> Some time ago there was a discussion here about how to help potential video

>> game students make good choices about their education. 

>>  

>> The problem is not so much to create that information, as to make it

>> available where those folks might actually find it.  Unfortunately, the IGDA

>> Web site is not likely to be a high traffic method of distribution; a great

>> many wannabe students don¹t seem to be aware of the IGDA at all.  Further,

>> the minority of game students who actually come to IGDA looking for

>> information is the group who least need what IGDA might tell them.

>>  

>> So I prefer to use GameCareerGuide.  At 200,000 page views a month, it

>> probably gets a lot more traffic from potential students than do IGDA

>> education sites.  My latest take on what students need to do is at:

>>  

>>  http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/757/industry_hopefuls_prepare_.php

>>  

>> You may know that the company that runs Gamasutra/GameCareerGuide etc. laid

>> off some people some time ago, including the editor of GCG.  Jill Duffy did a

>> good job of answering student questions about game schools, but now no one on

>> staff has time to do that job.   This is an opportunity, then, for educators

>> to take a more active part by contributing to GCG.   If you disagree with my

>> article, or have more to say (I know I have), then write something and send

>> it to Gamasutra (cnutt[usual symbol here]gamasutra.com <http://gamasutra.com>

>> , the C stands for Christian).

>>  

>> Using this venue avoids another problem which was becoming obvious during the

>> discussion on this listserv, that any IGDA-approved recommendations would be

>> quite unlikely to ³tell it like it is², that is, would be something like

>> lowest-common-denominator (in this case, that most of us teach game-related

>> topics).  

>>  

>> But more than just students need information.  Three other groups need

>> information:

>>  

>> Administrators who have no idea what a game creation program entails. 

>>  

>> Those who may teach in a new game creation program.

>>  

>> Parents and councilors/advisors of those students.  (Because in many cases

>> it¹s the parents who ultimately decide what their children do---both a matter

>> of financial resources and of the initiative to find out what¹s what!)

>>  

>> How do they get this information? 

>>  

>> Administrators will likely get it from people (teachers) at their school who

>> are interested in the new curriculum, most likely.  Very few will have the

>> time/interest to search out the information themselves.

>>  

>> Teachers may go to IGDA to get the information.  They may also read sites

>> such as GameCareerGuide and Sloperama.

>>  

>> Parents?  Maybe from the Web, but where?  I really have no idea, I¹m afraid. 

>> Are there sites for parents whose children are about to start college? 

>> That¹s where the information would need to be.

>>  

>> What would they want to know?  Administrators want to know software and

>> facilities costs, level of student interest, likelihood of students getting

>> jobs, difficulty of finding teachers. Teachers want to know what they should

>> do.  IGDA already has one set of advice, the recommended curriculum topics.

>> Parents want to know the likelihood of their children getting jobs, not just

>> in the video game industry but more generally, if they decide to do something

>> else.  What useful things will the student learn (many parents aren't going

>> to regard "making video games" as very useful!)?

>>  

>> So if IGDA produced this kind of information and distributed it, some people

>> would enefit.  The interested teachers at the school could provide the "Info

>> for administrators" to the administrators; they might also need a brief "what

>> is IGDA" so that the administrators will realize that the source is probably

>> reliable.

>>  

>> Lew Pulsipher

>>  

>> 

>> 

>> 

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>>   

> 

> 

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-- 
Susan Gold
Skype: tahoegold

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."
Oscar Wilde

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