[game_edu] UPDATE: ‘Devs must aid academia, not b***h about it’

[WEARN Nia H]

Hi,

Yes I can shed some light on the 5 year aspect – it isn’t the content of the modules, which is what you seem to be talking about – that can change on a weekly basis – and we ensure that both practical and theory modules are as up to date as can be-  but core structure of degree programme can be a little harder to change if you have a module in the wrong place, or the wrong module somewhere. All of the changes to our awards, and any new ones we propose, have to go through a multi stage validation progress which can hold up any changes – and then changes can only be rolled out to subsequent years.

 

From: game_edu-bounces at igda.org [mailto:game_edu-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Ian Schreiber
Sent: 30 November 2009 15:27
To: IGDA Game Education Listserv
Subject: Re: [game_edu] UPDATE: ‘Devs must aid academia, not b***h about it’

 

As for game developers using profanity, I would warn any newcomers that this is the norm in the industry and to get used to it. The article is downright tame compared to your average hallway conversation :-)

As for the content of the article, I'm admittedly US-centric, but I've felt frustrated from both sides. Yes, a lot of game devs really fail to reach out to academia... although in some cases this isn't a lack of interest but a lack of time (if you're in 90-hour crunch, are you REALLY going to be responding at length to an email from some school?). But I also don't see a lot of academics reaching out to industry; the article says universities are "crying out" for industry attention, but what does that mean? Are they offering paid consultancies when setting up their curriculum? Do they offer to take a studio out to a nice dinner in exchange for the conversation that comes out over that dinner? Even without money, do they treat devs with personal and professional respect... even the ones who don't have a PhD (or even a BS)? Or are the academics just sitting and waiting for devs to fall into their laps, guilty of the same "b***hing" that the devs are doing?

The other curious thing about the article was how it said it takes 5 years to change a course. I remember this coming up a few years ago on this list, and it sounded just as ridiculous then as it does now. I regularly change my courses in mid-semester, based on both the needs of the particular class and the current events in the industry. Is anyone here still telling their students that Della Rocca is head of IGDA, just because he was five years ago? Is anyone deliberately not mentioning social media games as the next big thing right now, just because they're waiting for the next 5-year review? Maybe that's how things are done in the UK, but it certainly doesn't work that way over here. Can anyone shed some light on this?

- Ian

 

________________________________

From: Sheri Rubin <sheri at designdirectdeliver.com>
To: game_edu at igda.org
Sent: Mon, November 30, 2009 5:36:19 AM
Subject: [game_edu] UPDATE: ‘Devs must aid academia, not b***h about it’

http://www.develop-online.net/news/33201/Developers-must-aid-universities-not-bitch-about-them

"A former brand manager of Sony Computer Entertainment has fired back at the many UK developers who openly criticise game courses at universities, stating that the games industry needs to help education rather than “sit around b***hing about them”."

Interesting, sorry about all the profanity though in the beginning...

Sheri

-- 
Sheri Rubin
CEO and Founder

Design Direct Deliver
Website: www.designdirectdeliver.com
Email: sheri at designdirectdeliver.com 


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