Archive for October, 2008

Video Game Design Schools – 3 Favorite Schools

Monday, October 20th, 2008

When you decide that you want to be a game designer, you need to learn the skills needed in order to do the job. This means going to a school with the required curriculum. There are a surprising amount of colleges and universities now serving this field. These are three of the best.

The ITT Technical institute has 85 locations in 30 states across the US, and offers a bachelor’s degree in Digital Entertainment and Game Design. The program offers a strong foundation in game technology, game design, animation, level design and general education. The program falls under the School of Drafting and Design. There is very likely a campus close enough to attend, and the college is accredited by Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.

DeVry University has various campuses across the US, Canada and online. DeVry offers a Game and Simulation Programming Bachelor’s Degree teaching software development, programming, software engineering and project coordination. The program is applications oriented and provides a foundation in math and physics for games, programming, game design, modifications, massively multiplayer online role playing game programming, two and three dimensional graphics design, simulation and game engine design. There is also a good grounding in general education to provide the well grounded team members the industry desires. DeVry works on a trimester system and many degrees can be achieved in three years of work. DeVry is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.

Westwood College is located at Anaheim, CA, Denver, CO and Chicago, IL. They offer a bachelor’s degree in Game Art and Design, which focuses on design, computer and problem solving skills, focusing on applied knowledge and hands on teaching. In addition to practical exercises, Westwood also provides grounding in theory. They also offer a Game Software Development degree, teaching software fundamentals, game software development and an emphasis on game development and interactive entertainment.

One of the main outcomes of a good college program is exposure to more than just the core material. A well rounded person will be able to know of concepts and information in other fields that impact the major area of study, but which were not included. Additionally, a good program will include both theory and practice, so the student can tell how things should be, and what actually takes place in the field.

With the electronic component to the industry, just about everyone concerned should have a good grounding in computer programming to understand ways to most effectively work within the limits of the computer while maximizing the capabilities of their own disciplines. Most work on computer games is obviously computer related, but there is a need to understand the artistic components, such as music and the visual arts too.

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Handheld video game systems: The best of the best

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

The hand held wars began with Nintendo, and there’s no evidence today that their leading position has changed.

The Nintendo DS is the greatest hand held ever to grace the gaming world. Sure, Sony’s PSP has better graphics and supports DVDs; however the offerings from Sony still pale in comparison to those granted by Nintendo’s touch screen wonder.

And it’s that very touch screen which makes the DS stand out. Nintendo has a penchant for ‘looking outside the box’ when it comes to their gaming systems and games, and the DS certainly adheres to this rule. Rather than using the same old directional pad the player can guide their on-screen characters around with a plastic stylus, allowing for free form play that’s not only a nice change but easier on the wrist. The stylus opened up a whole new market for clever game designers normally restricted by standard gaming controls, and you have to give Nintendo kudos for that much.

But there’s more. The DS also sports a screen that flips up from the base. Perhaps not so innovative in itself, this – that is, until you realize that there’s another screen underneath, used for the stylus. These two screens used in tandem can make games hectically fun, especially if your on-screen counterpart is constantly bouncing from one screen to the next.

The DS Lite in particular wins great praise for its sleek design. The old Gameboy was always a pain to fit into a back pocket for travel purposes, and the much newer PSP, while noticeably less bulky, can still prove a bit of a chore. The DS Lite, however, isn’t much bigger than a wallet – it’s probably thinner than most, actually – and slides as easily into your pockets as your car keys. Nor do you need to free up extra space for the stylus, as it slides neatly into the base.

And the games! Oh, the games! Not only are DS games outrageously fun to play (well, for the most part, anyway – every gaming library has its black sheep) they’re pretty to look at and generally cheap to buy, much more so than console entries. And, to cap it off, each one is physically tiny, so you can carry your entire library along with you in one handy case. Be sure to bring along your extension cord, as well, though you probably won’t need it – like most Nintendo systems the DS has a surprisingly long battery life.

But I think what I appreciate most about the DS is its backwards compatibility. Got old Gameboy Advance games you want to play? No problem. There’s an extra slot in the front of the DS for just such a purpose. They play as nicely as they ever did on the GBA, appearing on the top screen of the DS. What’s more, some DS games (I’m looking at you, Pokemon) can interact with their older brethren: simply putting certain old games in the GBA slot will open up secrets in the newer DS games. By doing so Nintendo has ensured a greater shelf life for their aging GBA games, which, I think, was a brilliant marketing strategy.

And all this in a package that’s considerably cheaper than the PSP. Perfect for kids, teens and adults, the DS is the ideal hand held system. Long trips will turn from a chore to a joy with one of these systems hanging around, and if you have more, well, all the better! You can chat wirelessly from DS to DS! How’s that for convenient?

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Creating your own video game – Part 3

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

Creating your own video game is a fantasy many people think about. And it is possible! From full scale role playing games to click-on-the-answer type programs, it is possible and I’m here to tell you how you can easily get involved and make some beautiful games.

One of the first things you need to do when you want to make a game is to find out how you are going to do it. Now, now not everybody wants to learn how to right a full scale program or code and so many programs allow you to do this in a simple drag-and-click format. One of the best programs for this is Game Maker. Game Maker is free to the public and comes with loads of pictures and tutorials that help you make your own game. It means that you can create a game in under half an hour and still have it look good and plus have some excellent game play.

I myself have my own Game Maker program and have successfully made some excellent games with a minimum effort.

After you have acquired a game-making program (like Game Maker or Neverwinter Nights creation software, I have mentioned where you can find some programs below) you need to get a basic understanding of how a game works, when should you change level, what kind of game do you want, have you got instructions, can other people understand the game as well as you etc! When it comes to this stage allot of it comes to trial and error and comparison. Does the opening part of your game attract the user? Do you explain how to play? Some of the best ways to test this is to get some one to play it, even before the whole game is finished. But, you may ask, how do I know what I should include in the game? One of the best ways to learn about game design etc is to play other games.

When you play another game, analyze how it works, does it get harder as the game goes on, to they have a menu that lets you access help? The best way to learn about games is to play them. Another way to find out about game design is to use some of the tutorials available on-line, the Game Maker homepage has stacks of easy to use tutorials readily available 24-7!

Now after you’ve supposedly ‘finished’ a game, it is not a bad idea to play it through a couple of times to make sure it runs the way you want it to. Then, let some of your family and friends play it and take in their opinions it may be to hard for them (remember you’ve made it and so your probably going to be pretty good at it so make sure you don’t under estimate the difficulty level) and so you may have to add some easier levels or tasks. Then, once it’s all finished, advertise it! Tell people about it, put it on a few CD’s and lend them to people, after all games are meant to be played!

Hope this helps

Here is the Game Maker website, it’s really good and I encourage people to check it out:

www.gamemaker.com.au

or go to google and type:

Game Maker

and you’ll find it sooner or later!

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