[game_edu] Brenda Braithwaite's game_edu rant at GDC

[Mike Sellers]

I started my career as a software engineer: I was on the first team outside
of AT&T to use C++.  I've programmed professionally in Fortran, C,
Smalltalk, LISP, C++, Pascal, Java, ActionScript, Python, and other
languages I'm sure I've forgotten.

I've also designed games professionally for over 15 years: MMOs, social
games, and other online games.

So with that as context, IMO telling students "to be a designer you have to
know how to program:" is doing them a grave disservice in putting
programming in a position of primacy above other skills (and I think is
perhaps "the zeal of the recently converted" in Brenda's case, as she's only
recently begun to learn programming).

I would of course agree with the more moderate statement that knowing a bit
about programming and understanding technical realities is extremely helpful
for designers (and maybe necessary for senior designers) -- as is, say,
having a grasp of UX principles for programmers.  But we don't tell our
graphics engine programmers they have to spend a year doing usability
studies either.

Being a game designer necessarily means being something of a generalist.
 This includes being able to draw from psychology, art, theater,
anthropology, statistics, combinatorics, and other disciplines.  There's a
lot of advice on what it takes to be a designer out there; IMO one of the
best pieces is that from the Escapist last year (see
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2443-So-You-Want-to-be-a-Game-Designer).


IMO, while rants may be cleansing for the soul, setting expectations like
this does a disservice to the still fast-developing understanding of how to
best educate future game designers.

Mike Sellers

On Fri, Mar 4, 2011 at 9:33 AM, Roberts, Scott <sroberts at cim.depaul.edu>wrote:


> 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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