Esbie - Latest Comments in Procrastinating

Re: Procrastinating

esbie — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:10:36 -0000

That's great, Maria, that Daniel has big dreams and that you're so willing to support him. You remind me of my mom :) Here is my advice for any student that wants to be a part of the games industry.

First, I'd suggest that a student begins learning a skill that is crucial to game development, so that they can be a useful member if/when assigned to a game design team. Traditional roles include artists, game programmers, musicians, and sometimes plot writers.

Artists draw all the assets for a game; the characters, the backgrounds, the user interface, etc.

Game Programmers are the core of any game design team; they write the code that makes the game interactive and fun (industry usually uses C++ programming language, but Java, and Actionscript 3 are also sometimes used)

Musicians compose the music for the game, along with any special effects the game needs.

I would urge Daniel to choose whichever of these roles sounds most fun :)

Second, I know there are lots of vocational schools etc. that specialize in game design training... but I'm convinced that getting a traditional degree in Art or Computer Science is better worth your time. That way you're still a contender for game industry jobs, but not pigeonholed into one industry in case you want to try something new.

Lastly, make as many games as you can! Game industry employers are looking for a portfolio of good quality game design experience. To start making games immediately, I would recommend Gamemaker. It's free to download, easy to use, and a great way to start designing your own games.

Hope this was helpful,
Sarah

Re: Procrastinating

Maria Delgado — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:35:47 -0000

Hi Sarah, My son Daniel is 16 years old and wants to be a computer game designer when he grows up. I am doing some of the "leg-work" for him early on by looking in the net for schools, programs, people, etc in this field. (I would have preferred a more traditional career for him; but I want to support him in his choice.) Would you mind sharing your thoughts in your career plans, how do you find it so far, etc?
Thanks, Maria (aka helicopter mom) PS You can find my profile in facebook and LinkedIn.

Re: Procrastinating

esbie — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:45:42 -0000

DUDE I love the amelie soundtrack. werd.

For this particular sample, I mapped the sample onto a midi keyboard using Reason, and exported the song via Reason as well.

For recording, I don't have a mic/preamp per se, so I just use the portable H2 Zoom I got for christmas.

Re: Procrastinating

Luke Hoersten — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:19:21 -0000

Amazing! This is probably the coolest music and concept I've heard since the amelie soundtrack (first thing that came to mind as a benchmark). What software do you record and mix with?