<p>Although Utah has a great facility and supposedly some relationships with Zynga it is new to top ranked GD programs. It is also far away from the industry making it more difficult for internships.</p>
<p>People who work with the gaming industry are in awe of USCs program. The “Trojan network” is powerful as is its reputation. It also built a new Interactive Entertainment center which opened this past fall. </p>
<p>Even if PR ranks Utah first, I give a stronger nod to USCs program.</p>
<p>Op here.
GamerGal, thanks for the insight.
Where is the game design industry located? By your post, it would seem like LA. For some reason, I thought it was in Seattle/Bellevue. Of course, this is only from my n=1 meeting with a video game creator and their video game art director (scribblenauts by 5th cell 
)</p>
<p>Brownparent,
Thanks for the link. Will forward to my kid.
Per your link, my kid enjoys the artist side of game development, but I’m concerned that a pure art school like RISD, Cal Arts, Ringling, SCAD, SVA will pigeonhole him and I would like to see him get a broader education in game development and undergrad business as a safety net. Hence, trying to find colleges with all 3 majors (or minors) available. (Boy, I wished that he liked the CS side of game development; seems like a broader safety net).</p>
<p>Whoopdeedoo- the game industry is primarily located in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin (which is a relatively new phenomenon), Vancouver and Montreal.</p>
<p>I also agree that schools specifically focused on game design are too narrow. The tenure in the industry is only 7 years so our kids need a broader education IMHO. Also artists are easier to find and so the competition is much worse than being a programmer.</p>
<p>WPI has a nice GD program with two paths; one for art and one for programming. I really like that schools curriculum for GD.</p>
<p>Ringling is not strictly art. My D majored in computer animation there. They have recently added (past few years) a specific degree for game art and design as well as a business degree in Art & Design.
I encourage you to study the examples of student work that you’ll find posted by the colleges.</p>
<p>Another option is DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond WA. It’s a for profit school and not a traditional college experience but they offer a great program that’s well respected including a BFA option, I believe.</p>
<p>I am not a fan of the schools designed specifically for animation, game design or game programming like Ringling, Full Sail or Digipen. Since I work as a support service to videogame devs and publishers I asked for opinions. They told me that an education from a more traditional college especially one where the faculty come from the industry (USC) is much more respected.</p>
<p>My “fear” for my son is that he finds another major more interesting and decides to change that these more focused schools would be problematic. If a student went to a more focused college like Ringling they would not be exposed to as many other majors and they would need to transfer to another school if they did change their mind.</p>
<p>I know I changed my major three times. I think it’s pretty typical for kids to change at least once.</p>
<p>Our son was a comp sci/cog sci major with a minor in game and simulation arts at RPI. He got a job at a major game designer immediately on graduating and is now rising up the ranks at an Activision studio. He believes that the strong grounding in compsci coupled with the strong gsa department at RPI has helped him greatly.</p>
<p>He was accepted into a very good grad school program but his first employer felt that the on the job experience he was getting would serve him better in the long run. It seems to be working out that way for him.</p>
<p>There are two sides to gaming–writing code and the art side. If you like computer science that is a great thing to major in if you like coding for games. There are lots of CS grads working in the gaming industry who never saw an art class.
But if you want to do art go somewhere that will get you a job.</p>
<p>Ringling is well known in the industry probably best for computer animation. And one reason for its successful graduates is the emphasis on art that other schools do not have. It has started its game art & design and business degrees in response to the demand. The faculty is more than excellent. I do not know all the ins-and-outs of gaming vs CA degree but I’m sure all bases are covered.</p>
<p>No, they don’t offer other traditional majors so if you decided tomorrow to be a dentist you are definitely out of luck. BUT the college credit you earn at Ringling is transferable to other universities which is NOT the case with many art schools. Ringling specifically went after the accreditation so that it’s credits would transfer in the university system. It was Ringling School–now it’s Ringling College for that very reason. So yes, you still need science, English etc–however it’s science for artists oriented–not physics and anatomy (unless you’re drawing it!). But if you decided to transfer out at least your credits will still count at another university and you won’t be starting at ground zero.</p>
<p>I may be biased because of my D’s experience at Ringling but believe me, I did a ton of research before she went there. We checked out SCAD, Full Sail, and several others.
I will say that she knew what she wanted to learn and what she wanted for a career.
We sent her to a pre-college program at Ringling to make sure (art schools are not a cheap enterprise) that is what she wanted.</p>
<p>GamerGal,
"My “fear” for my son is that he finds another major more interesting and decides to change that these more focused schools would be problematic. If a student went to a more focused college like Ringling they would not be exposed to as many other majors and they would need to transfer to another school if they did change their mind.</p>
<p>I know I changed my major three times. I think it’s pretty typical for kids to change at least once. "</p>
<p>This is my fear as well. My major changed 3 times. D’s major has changed 2-3 times before she is actually declaring, even though her idea for career path has not changed at all. D is also bummed that her current college does not have a business major, which she did not imagine majoring or minoring in when she was in HS and is thinking about transferring to a different college.</p>
<p>But we will definitely see what other majors Ringling has available :)</p>
<p>Here’s what to NOT do…Don’t go to a school that offers accelerated learning (you can do our program in 2 years rather than 4!) hoping you can save money and get a job. Don’t sign up for schools that don’t require portfolios for art skills (if you want to do art). Don’t be mesmerized by flashy computer screens–someone needs to teach you what and how to put things ON them–not run them. (but if you have both together you’re good).</p>
<p>Here’s what TO DO…Look at the student art being produced and awards (and type) won at MAJOR competitions. And judge for yourself–look at the websites and see where the quality is. Check out which major companies REGULARLY recruit at the school. Check out the career services department. See who the faculty is–full time, not just adjunct. See if your credits are transferable to other schools.</p>
<p>You will hear lots about not needing a degree at all in both gaming and CA fields and it’s true–some people are self-taught and extremely talented. But that’s certainly not the norm (especially now with so much more competition).</p>
<p>My son is actually deciding among DigiPen and more traditional programs for a BSCS next year. He is (and we are) pretty confident he won’t change majors, as he’s been writing games for several years and really knows he loves it. But DigiPen would be a very different experience socially and academically. There’s a lot to think about. </p>
<p>I also wonder how that BSCS from DigiPen will look 10 years down the road if he decides he wants to change careers or get a graduate degree in a different area.</p>
<p>I’ll recommend Columbia College Chicago. It’s a four-year liberal arts college with each of those majors. It’s basically open or generous admissions, so there’s a lot of diversity of all types. If you’re looking for the “selective enrollment” factor, not a good match. Worth a look-see. It has a new president and I imagine it’ll just keep getting better.</p>