Gaming and animation level 2 diploma?

[KaneMac]

Looking for any advide of what people know of what this kind of course is like. i love gaming, and would like to possible do a course in it. my it skill are ok, but not great haha. how hard is this? would just like some opinions or even people expiriance studying this kind of thing in a college/uni

 

[Wozza63]

Well a few things you may want to know about the gaming industry before you decide to go into it, this is stuff I've been told about it but I still want to go into the industry myself

1. It's a lot of hard work - You may be working ridiculous amounts of hours before release to get the game out on time. Most likely unpaid hours. Why? Well because if the game is not finished and you are not at a major studio, the publisher will likely shut you down and you will lose your job.

2. Pay is ok - I'd say the game industry offers a slightly above average wage. I've seen a lot of junior positions at around £20k and the highest I've seen for a senior job was about £65k.

3. You probably won't game much - You'll be working on games so much that you won't want to play them when you get home, partly because you don't want to be staring at a screen too long

4. There are a decent number of jobs - Gaming industry is still experiencing massive growth and there are plenty of jobs to apply for in the UK, even more in the US.

5. Experience is key - More important than any qualification. You need to do a lot of work yourself to prove you are capable. Build up a portfolio of all your work

6. You may need a degree - Almost every job I've seen requires a relevant degree. The only other way in seems to be through an apprenticeship scheme or having a very large amount of experience through your own work and through getting work experience in the industry.


It may differ for you in some places as I want to do games programming but I know that a lot of it is similar

Also try and attend events. There is one not far from me in Cambridge called Brains Eden (http://www.creativefront.org/brainseden) and would be a good way to get contacts in the industry possibly leading to a shortcut in gettting a job.

Hope this helps