game theory

[bluejives]

this is a pretty cool website that provides descriptions and details about a recently developed university-style formal curricula in video game development.

http://guildhall.smu.edu/index.htm

i think if i were 5 or 10 years younger, i would seriously consider doing something like this. for all you younger fightin-44s out there, check it out. it might intrigue and inspire you.

[Kuroyama]

Blue J

semi interesting point for you about the way Guildhall operates. The idea there is NOT that you get a diploma after years of work.... the idea is that during your stay there you will have made enough industry contacts that you will have had a job offered to you. Kind of like one really long HELLA expensive cocktail party for game dev types.

OK so, heres the interesting part. I used to work with a guy (that quit to go to guildhall) He threw away a career path in engineering to pursue this dream of making games for a living. This by itself is a most respectable notion.

But this guy is less than sociable. By that I mean that if a hardcore asiaphile were to be your roomate for a year, you might have to kill him, but you would find the experience MORE tolerable than hanging out with the guy I worked with. At least the asiaphile can see beyond his role-playing game equipment and acknowledge that there are other countries besides the U.S., England, and the worlds of Morrowind, D&D, and all that stuff.

So if after his years of guildhall toil he has to rely on his social skills to get a job (because theres no diploma at the end of the road)... where does that leave him? I have heard from his friends (I dont keep in touch with him) that his junior classmates are being selected for internships... everyone is being passed over this guy like the "stapler guy" from Office Space...

BTW this guy JUST got married before quitting his job to do this genius move!!

[bluejives]

you bring up valid points, kuroyama-san.

i studied electrical engineering myself in college. it felt like boot camp for the mind.

the importance of social networking is true in any field regardless, whether you're in business, marketing, entertainment, the arts, or technical fields.

around my way i see bunches of high school and college students spending vast quantities of time playing starcraft, counter-strike, or other multi-player games in internet cafes.

i feel like telling them do something constructive with that passion. get an idea or a vision.

here people talk about the importance of the media and the need to play a part in shaping the media. i believe video games and its ancillary fields, such as computer graphic imagery will become more and more an important component of what we call media, esp visual media. interactive video game style movies may be a thing of the future. many young azns have a healthy interest in graphics, gaming, and crafting algorithms. this is a growing field and is still in a state of flux. i'd like to see more young azns going into this field and making their mark instead of settling for conventional technical careers