74 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
74 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
From: barmintr@origin.ea.com (Bill Armintrout)
|
|
Newsgroups: comp.sources.games.bugs
|
|
Subject: Re: Careers in computer games
|
|
Date: Mon, 8 Aug 1994 11:55:04
|
|
Organization: Origin Systems, Inc.
|
|
|
|
... LOTS deleted and edited by x2ftp.oulu.fi maintainer ...
|
|
|
|
>>> Anybody know how a young person (18) can get started or educated in a
|
|
>>> career creating computer games ?
|
|
>>
|
|
>> You may want to ask this question in rec.games.programmer. There are
|
|
>> (or seem to be) quite a few experienced game programmers who frequent that
|
|
>> newsgroup. From my understanding, though, the only school that actually
|
|
>> teaches games development is in Japan. The usual recommendation is to
|
|
>> get a graphics library and just start programming some games.
|
|
>>
|
|
>> then there are courses in graphics programming and algorithm development
|
|
>> that will also help. Learning assembly programming and how to program the
|
|
>> vga card would also be useful, and there are several good books on these
|
|
>> subjects. Anyway, I'm not a professional game developer, but I've played
|
|
>> around with it some. The biggest things you'll need, though is patience
|
|
>> and the desire to learn about game programming for yourself.
|
|
>>
|
|
>Theres also an MSc course being offered in the UK, but like Mr Carey wrote,
|
|
>the usual way to get started is to create some games or demos yourself and
|
|
>send them to the software houses. I suppose the best things to learn is stuff
|
|
|
|
Strange that most of the replies assume that someone who "creates computer
|
|
games" (see original question) must be a programmer?!
|
|
|
|
The team that makes a computer game consists of designers, writers, composers,
|
|
artists, and programmers. (Hope I didn't leave anybody out...) Many of the
|
|
individuals do more than one of the above (i.e. writer/designer/programmer, or
|
|
artist/designer).
|
|
|
|
DESIGNERS: There is no known career path in this field, because it's a moving
|
|
target. Designers not only invent paths, plots and stories, but also might do
|
|
research, video processing, work with actors, or "build" cities or landscapes
|
|
in a game-editor. Helps to be able to show that you can do some of the above
|
|
(such as being a published author, or having a background in video).
|
|
|
|
WRITERS: Nobody has ever written interactive scripts before, so this is
|
|
another wide-open field. Having a background in (video) scripts or published
|
|
fiction is useful, but only if you can also handle the interactive angle.
|
|
Writers with design or programming talents will be more versatile, and more
|
|
effective in seeing their vision implemented. Some writers specialize (i.e.
|
|
only game manuals).
|
|
|
|
COMPOSERS: I'm using this term to include everyone who works not only with
|
|
music, but also with sound effects and voice processing. A prospective
|
|
composer should be able to produce a wide variety of music, and also know the
|
|
commercial computer tools (some on-the-job training is available, though).
|
|
|
|
ARTISTS: There are different "types" of artist positions, ranging from
|
|
traditional art (drawing portraits, backgrounds) to technical (creating movie
|
|
sets or animated 3D figures). Need to be able to show that you can do art well
|
|
in either 2D or 3D, and it helps to know the computer tools (though OJT is
|
|
available).
|
|
|
|
PROGRAMMERS: Again, a wide variety of job descriptions. Some programmers
|
|
specialize in writing library code -- they don't work on specific games, but
|
|
provide code that everyone uses. Others specialize in assembler (used for
|
|
speed-critical portions of most games). Yet others work in C or C++, doing the
|
|
higher-level game programming. And yet others don't write "code" at all, but
|
|
instead work with "scripts" -- essentially, programs written in the
|
|
data-language of a specific game. Those working in high-level coding have the
|
|
greatest influence on the final look and feel of the game, while the low-level
|
|
programmers are immersed in the coding bowels. Scripters may control anything
|
|
>from how the game decides to move from one mission to the next, to elaborate
|
|
"set scenes" that require creative stage directing.
|
|
|
|
|