[game_edu] Brenda Braithwaite's game_edu rant at GDC

[Roberts, Scott]

Hear, hear.  I fully endorse Stephen's sentiment.  Paradoxically, I also think it's a very good idea for our Game Design students to all learn C++.  I just don't believe in strident absolute declarations, except maybe in internet talkbacks.  

As for the suggestion that Brenda's "rant" be taken in context--she posted it to her blog for everyone.  The context is that she's led a game development program, worked in the industry, and now hires people in the industry.  It's naïve to think that this opinion piece won't be taken as dead serious advice by scores of students and educators, and be quoted in many future curriculum proposals.

Thanks to everyone for the lively and interesting discussion! This list always seems to heat up around GDC.

Scott


-----Original Message-----
From: game_edu-bounces at igda.org [mailto:game_edu-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Stephen Jacobs
Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2011 11:28 PM
To: game_edu at igda.org
Subject: Re: [game_edu] Brenda Braithwaite's game_edu rant at GDC

Does a Game Designer need a CS degree?  No.  You don't need to be able to build an engine from scratch to design a game any more than you need to build a motion picture camera from scratch to write or shoot a film.

(and yes, I know that games aren't films.  They are however major pieces of media created primarily by small or large teams)

They obviously can design games without being programmers, many do.  Many of them do a good, or even great, job despite the fact that they are non-programmers.

They don't need to be automotive engineers to make racing games.  Mario Cart doesn't need that level of accuracy. Forza may or may not need that level of accuracy, game designers cheat all the time because the simulate experience.  People who need to create scientifically and engineering accurate simulators for the automotive industry need to either be engineers or employ them as subject matter experts.

Any member of a multidisciplinary team is a stronger member if they've walked a mile in the other members' shoes.  Ideally game designers will have had some programming, writing, art/modeling/animation experience so they have an experiential understanding of the needs, processes, constraints, roles, etc of the   other team members and can " sketch" what they want from the other members using their vocabulary and/or tools.



Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 3, 2011, at 10:10 PM, game_edu-request at igda.org wrote:


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