tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30766504.post7583517768524581985..comments2024-01-15T03:36:11.777-05:00Comments on Teaching Game Design: Random Tidbits from GDC 2008 for StudentsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30766504.post-77280812994584991922008-03-14T17:14:00.000-04:002008-03-14T17:14:00.000-04:00David: Fair point, although in my experience so fa...David: Fair point, although in my experience so far there's not nearly as much a danger of a typical college student <I>not drinking enough</I>, as the other way around.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous: This is a generalization, but as a whole, game companies care about one thing above anything else -- can you work in our team to help us make great games? The best way to demonstrate this is to make great games as a student. If you make a game that's technologically advanced but absolutely no fun, you've just shown that you're a brilliant programmer with no sense of game design, which is a potential red flag: does this mean you hijacked the project from your designers just so you could show off? Were you unable to function as part of a team, so you just ignored everyone else and did your own thing? Not necessarily, but these are possibilities. But if you make a great game, even if there's nothing special about it from a technical perspective, it'll get you noticed.<BR/><BR/>There's another bonus to this. If everyone on the team is trying to just show off their own skills, it's really hard to function as a team when two people come into conflict. You just can't be an effective team in that environment. But if everyone agrees up front that the top priority is the <I>game</I> rather than the <I>team</I>, it solves arguments before they start. Your programmer wants to spend time on a new shader algorithm? Your artist wants to add new lighting effects? Great -- justify how that makes it a better game. If you can't do that, then spend your time on something else.Ian Schreiberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03146360375570794401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30766504.post-82568686294903898892008-03-14T04:19:00.000-04:002008-03-14T04:19:00.000-04:00Some good sound advice, but I was wondering about ...Some good sound advice, but I was wondering about this one:<BR/><BR/>"Some game concepts are not particularly challenging for programmers or artists. If you are working on one of those teams, you may be tempted to make things more complicated just so you can show off your skills. Don't do this. Do what's best for the game, not what's best for the developers."<BR/><BR/>If you are a group of students working on a project, then I think it would be important for the whole group to be challenged by the project. It is an oppportunity to show "the world" what they can do. I think you have to make a trade-off between a happy project leader (game finihed on time) and a happy programmer (challenging/timeconsuming programming)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30766504.post-31220700654527789932008-03-13T13:35:00.000-04:002008-03-13T13:35:00.000-04:00Funny you should post this today: "Tip from Brenda...Funny you should post this today: <BR/><BR/>"Tip from Brenda: a great way to get promoted at a game company is to find a stressed-out lead and ask what you can do to help. This is also a great way to get noticed as a student if you find a stressed-out professor who used to work in industry."<BR/><BR/>I literally just did this yesterday with a student!<BR/><BR/>And what do you mean - *used* to. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30766504.post-90937092435789139802008-03-13T12:25:00.000-04:002008-03-13T12:25:00.000-04:00"If you go to GDC, don't drink*."*Unless you're a ..."If you go to GDC, don't drink*."<BR/><BR/>*Unless you're a programmer and/or are really shy... Drink 1 to relax. ;)<BR/><BR/>It helped me tremendously, and I rarely ever drink. I didn't need to, but I did and it helped.<BR/><BR/>Just don't be stupid. 'Think'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com