RIT :: Information Technology

GD and D Frequently Asked Questions

So Many Questions!

The new Game Design and Development BS program has generated unprecedented interest and a huge number of questions. This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page contains actual questions from potential students and other interested parties, followed by my attempts to provide answers. Some of the questions pertain to the field of game design and development and the games industry; others ask about our curriculum and the admissions process; and some offer advice to aspiring game developers. If you don’t see your question anywhere, send it to me, and if it’s general enough, I’ll probably add it to the list. Also, be sure and check out games.rit.edu for what's going on with games at RIT.

Al Biles
Undergraduate Program Coordinator
Department of Information Technology
jab@it.rit.edu

Questions about the field of Game Design and Development and the Games Industry

How competitive is the games industry to get a job in?

In a word, “very”. The games industry is attracting an enormous amount of attention among college-bound students. Over the last few years, roughly 2/3 of the potential students I’ve talked with about computing majors have said they wanted to work in the games industry when they graduate. In my 30 years in the computing education game (no pun intended), I’ve never seen anywhere near that high a percentage interested in one narrow market niche.

It’s certainly true that the games industry is experiencing explosive growth, but if 2/3 (or even if it’s only 1/3) of the potential students entering all computing majors nationally are trying to target one specific industry, they simply won’t all fit. This translates to a highly selective hiring process, where games companies are deluged with thousands of job applications for the dozens, or even hundreds, of jobs they have open.

Are your students getting jobs in the games industry when they graduate?

Many of the students who took our concentration in game design and development over the last several years are working in the games industry. Our graduates are working at Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony, and other industry leaders, and RIT is on the select list of about a dozen universities at which these companies actively recruit students. The GD&D program’s design reflects the valuable collaboration of industry leaders who serve on the program’s Advisory Board.

There is an interesting disconnect between supply and demand for job applicants in the games industry. As mentioned above, the industry leaders receive thousands and thousands of job applications, all of which they at least consider. Unfortunately, almost all of these applications are rejected because the applicants lack the mix of skills needed to succeed in the games industry.

What if I finish the GD&D program, but I can’t find a job in the gaming industry?
If I did get a BS in Game Design & Development would I be prepared for a programming job that’s not related to game programming, or is the program too focused on gaming for that?

These are common questions, especially from parents! The answer is that the skill set acquired in the GD&D program transfers just about anywhere in the application development arena. Success in the games industry rests on a foundation of sound problem solving and collaborative skills, which are critical in any application development domain. While we use games as a “hook” to motivate the development of excellent fundamental problem solving skills, those skills transcend the games industry and apply to any domain. In other words, if you pursue the GD&D degree, you will not lock yourself solely into the games industry.

What aspects of game design do you consider most important?

I think that it's the synergy of all aspects that is important. Game design is a collaborative activity, utilizing the strengths of specialists from an increasingly broad range of fields. I don't think any one specialty dominates any of the others, but it is clear that without superb programming skills, it is very difficult to break into the industry, and without excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills, it is difficult to succeed.

Are games developed by a team or a single person?
Can you talk about the relative importance of teamwork?

Game design and development is highly collaborative. Working well in a team consisting of programmers, artists, writers, interface designers, and other specialists is essential for everyone involved. The days of one or two or a handful of developers coming up with a killer game app are long gone, particularly in console-based games, where the development environments are way too complex for one or two people to do everything. Basically, you have to check your ego at the door and work hard to help the team succeed.

How do you foresee the game industry evolving over the next decade or so?

It's hard to say anything about the next decade in any area of technology, much less the games industry, but I think ubiquitous computing (where everything has a computer in it) will provide opportunities for gaming scenarios to invade literally all facets of players' lives and also will influence what games become conceptually.

The main problem in predicting anything that far in advance is that there are unforeseeable technological advances whose implications won't become apparent until they appear. People in the industry aren't bad at predicting the next year or two or three, but they often undershoot when they predict much further into the future, because their extensive knowledge about the current state of things can limit their perspective on what might happen.

Questions about the GD&D curriculum

What will the gamedev program focus on, as compared to a traditional art or engineering degree?

The program is based on a blend of coursework that covers not only technical details like engine development, artificial intelligence, and other "obvious" game development topics, but also the history of games as a medium, the process of world and character design, and an exploration of appropriate aspects of media theory. We have partnered with several entities across the RIT campus, such as the College of Imaging Arts & Sciences, to ensure a unique blend of art, design, media, and content development that augments our strongly technical focus in the study of computing and game development.

How does RIT's GD&D degree compare to the gaming degrees from two-year colleges and trade schools focused exclusively on gaming and entertainment?

The Bachelors degree is a full, four-year degree, with traditional components in Liberal Arts, Mathematics and Science, and all the benefits of a standard college education. Should students decide, either during the program or after graduation, that the games industry isn't for them, they will have lots of other options, including graduate school. Several of our graduates who have opted not to work in the games industry currently have successful careers in fields like military simulation, edutainment, and visualization. Of course, others have decided to fulfill their dreams by going to work at places like Electronic Arts, Microsoft Games Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment of America, Linden Labs, and Vicarious Visions.

Will the students be required to focus on any non-gaming classes, for example, database programming?

Absolutely. Our degree incorporates networking, database concepts, human-computer interaction, graphics, artificial intelligence, multimedia, and web development. All students are required to demonstrate proficiency in these areas, and they can customize their degrees for additional study in a topic that interests them. The benefit of having our program within the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences is that it exists side-by-side with programs from the departments of Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Networking, Security & Systems Administration. Many of our students draw upon recourses across the College to fulfill their academic interests.

What’s the difference between GD&D and New Media, IT, CS, SE?

The GD&D degree has been designed to prepare students to enter the console-based games industry. That industry is pretty focused, and that focus is reflected in the GD&D curriculum. However, there are roles to play in the games industry for graduates of just about every computing major.

New Media students would be well equipped to enter the casual games industry, where the applications are usually deployed as downloadable Flash-based games.

Software Engineers would logically be the software architects, who build the development environment in which specific game applications can be developed and ported to different delivery platforms.

Computer Scientists would be best equipped to develop new algorithms to more efficiently perform graphics operations, develop advanced AI strategies, and in general create the underlying technology base.

Computer Engineers would tend to be the hardware architects of game platforms, and generally work at the hardware/software interface level.

Information Technologists would be best equipped to focus on specific game applications from the player’s perspective and link the technology base to user’s experience.

How does your program specifically benefit or further a career in game design?

I think our degree program, which is a lot more than one course, will be the premier undergraduate program in game design and development in the country, if not the world.

That may sound a bit boastful, but we already are on the short list for EA (they only recruit actively at 11 schools), Microsoft (they only recruit for game developers at 12 schools), and several other industry heavies. Our graduates are getting jobs with these kinds of companies, and we are placing coops there as well. All of this is happening before the new degree has even accepted any students, so we believe the GD&D program will only further enhance students’ credentials for seeking a job in the games industry.

How does the Concentration in Game Programming compare to the BS degree?

The concentration offered by the IT department over the last several years is part of the GD&D degree. For students who are already juniors or seniors in IT, CS or SE, this concentration is your best bet, because you’re too close to graduation for the BS GD&D program. However, you are in a perfect place to set yourself up for the Masters in GD&D. Talk it over with a faculty advisor from the GD&D faculty.

I am a CS major at RIT, and I want to do a game development concentration. I’m currently registered for your Foundation of 3D Programming (4002-502) class. I was wondering if this is the right class to start in, and if it is not, which class should I take?

The game development concentration we’ve been offering for several years in IT includes:

4002-501 Foundations of 2D Graphics Programming
4002-502 Foundations of 3D Graphics Programming
4002-529 Introduction to VRML

The prerequisites for 501 are either 4002-434, Programming for Digital Media, or 4003-570, Computer Graphics. The prerequisite for 502 is 501. The prerequisites for 529 are (either 4002-434 or 4003-570) and 4002-409, Web Site Design and Implementation.

Why VRML, you might ask? Because the course focuses on basic and advanced concepts of 3D environment creation and implementation, and it just happens to use VRML as the deployment technology to put such environments on Web sites. It’s the 3D environment creation part that makes it relevant.

For more information on the game programming concentration, including suggested sequences for IT, CS, SE and CIAS students, visit the Concentration in Game Programming page at games.rit.edu.

I have a friend who would like to go into GD&D. I was wondering if you offered an online alternative?

We will not be offering an on-line version of the GD&D program for the foreseeable future. We teach most of our courses using active-learning techniques, which tightly integrate conceptual and hands-on activities, and we don't feel that we can provide an equivalent experience in an on-line setting.

Can I do the GD&D program as a part-time student?

Like our New Media Interactive Development program, the GD&D program is only available to full-time students.

Questions about the Proposed Minor in Game Design and Development

Is there a minor in Game Design and Development?

There is one that we have proposed and that we expect will be approved formally very soon. The courses are set and the proposal is currently winding its way up the curriculum approval line here at RIT.

Are the courses in the GD&D minor different from the courses in the GD&D major?
Have the courses for the Game Design minor been identified?

The GD&D minor is made up of five courses from GD&D major. The specific courses are described in the IT department Website under Minor in Game Design and Development.

Are there any prerequisites to the minor?

Yes. To get to the five course in the GD&D minor, students will have to complete a set of prerequisite courses in programming, Web and Multimedia Development, Physics, and Discrete Mathematics. Computing majors can meet most, if not all, those prerequisties as part of their respective programs without using up free electives. The prerequistes are detailed in the Minor in GD&D page on the IT Website.

Is there a difference between the Game Design and Development minor and the concentration?

The GD&D minor is totally separate from the existing Game Development concentration (URL). In fact, IT majors could do both as part of the BS IT program by fitting four of the courses in the minor into Free Electives and using the Game Development concentration as one of their two IT concentrations. One of the courses in the minor (4002-330 Interactive Digital Media) is required in the IT core, so it "double counts" in the IT major and the GD&D minor.

Will you be allowed or will it be possible to take additional Game Design and Development courses with your free electives in addition to the minor courses?

It's possible, but it will depend on whether there is space in the classes. By offering the minor, we are committing resources to those five courses, plus the resources we already have committed to offering the courses in the existing concentration. Other courses will not likely be supported beyond the level required to meet the demand of the GD&D majors.

As an IT major will I have the opportunity to Co-Op with gaming companies also or will the GD&D majors have the advantage in landing a Co-Op with a gaming company?

The co-op job selection process is open and transparent. Jobs are listed with suggested majors, but that's not a hard constraint. Any co-op position with a games company would be listed for several majors, not just the BS GD&D program. In particular, students who have strong technical dimensions in areas like networking and system administration, software engineering, algorithm development, database architectures, and digital media, to mention only a few, could be very attractive to games companies looking to fill specificc positions.

There was a limited amount of spaces for the GD&D major; will there be a limit as to how many students can minor in the Game Design minor?

The current plan is to support 60 students per year in the GD&D minor, in addition to the 120 students per year in the GD&D major. Students typically begin their minor in their junior year, after returning from their first co-op experience. The first two years of most programs is pretty full of required courses for that major, and students typical student doesn't get to their minors, advanced concentrations and electives until the junior year. This will give us a little lead time to "bulk up" for the anticipated demand of students.

Questions about the admission and Change of Program processes

How hard is it to get into RIT’s BS in Game Design and Development?
How competitive is the GD&D program to get into?

Admission to the GD&D program is as competitive as the games industry itself. Potential students certainly should apply to the BS in Game Design and Development, if that is their goal, but they definitely should list a second and third choice on the application. Your second and third choices will depend on your intrests and talents. The BS IT program is the closest fit to the GD&D program, in terms of the courses that freshmen take (pretty much identical in the freshman year), but Computer Science, Software Engineering, and New Media Interactive Development are popular choices as well.

One piece of advice: don't try to game the system, so to speak. Some potential students reason that if they don't list a second choice, then "they'll have to put me in my first choice". That's not true. If you don't list a second choice and aren't accepted outright to GD&D, then the Admissions folks might not accept you to RIT at all. In other words, listing a second or third choice has no impact on whether you are accepted to your first choice.

If I'm not accepted to GD&D, can I transfer into it once I'm RIT?

Possibly. If your grades are solid, especially in courses that are either in the GD&D program or are related to it, you would stand a good chance of doing a program change after your first two quarters as a freshman. For a look at how that process will work, see the question below on changing programs into GD&D.

Can I transfer into the GD&D program after finishing an Associate’s degree at a two-year college?

Possibly. We didn’t accept any transfer students for the fall 2007 quarter, because the courses that transfer students would take are being filled with RIT students who changed programs into GD&D for this fall. However, we will evaluate transfer students for the fall 2008 quarter (2008-1 in RIT-talk).

Transfer admission will be competitive, and the strongest candidates will have at least a year of C++ or Java programming, a year of Physics (College or University level), at least a year of math (Discrete Math and/or Calculus), and the general education courses that usually come with an A.S. degree. Probably the best choice of academic program at a two-year college would be an A.S. in Computer Science, but some two-year colleges are building programs in Game Development, which might be a more focused fit if they are A.S. degree programs.

I’m already at RIT now. Can I change programs into GD&D? If so, how?

After the grades are in for the winter quarter, you can submit a change of program (COP) application to the IT department (70-2100), and we will consider your application for the fall, 2008 quarter (2008-1). By waiting until early spring to make decisions, we'll have two quarters of academic work to consider for each applicant, and we should have a much clearer picture of how many seats we'll have for program changers.

Assuming we get more applications than seats, we will base our decisions on courses and grades. Specifically, we will look hard at grades in programming and math classes, but we will look at everything. Students who have done well in the freshman programming sequence in CS (4003-231-233), IT (4002-217-219) or New Media (4002-230, 231, 414) will have a distinct competitive advantage. For those students whom we plan to accept, we will forward the COP forms to the students’ home departments to request their academic folders. If you haven't already taken your lab science courses, I recommend you take Physics, College Physics 1 and 2 is required in GD&D, but University Physics would certainly count instead, assuming you have the Calculus background.

If you are currently a junior or senior at RIT, you probably should take the existing game programming concentration in IT and consider applying to the MS in Game Design and Development if you want greater depth.

What is the time line to apply for a program change into GD&D?

Applications for a change of program into the Game Design and Development program will be considered for the fall 2008 quarter (2008-1). Current RIT students who wish to apply for a change of program into GD&D should follow this timeline:

April 4: Last day to submit a program change form directly to the IT department along with a brief written statement (one to two pages) on your goals and why you should be accepted into the GD&D program.

April 21: On or before this date students will receive notification of whether they've been accepted. If so, they will receive a GD&D worksheet that shows where their credits landed and which quarter they should take the GD&D core courses during the 2008 academic year.

April 28-30: Sophomores and Freshmen register for fall (2008-1) classes. Students accepted to GD&D for the 2008-1 quarter will need to stop by the IT office (70-2100) to add the GD&D core classes indicated on their worksheets for fall quarter.

Advice for aspiring game developers

I’m still a few years away from college. What courses should I take in high school to best prepare for the GD&D degree?
What studies do you recommend for a student preparing for a career in game design?

In school, take as much math and science as you can, especially physics. Take any/all programming courses that are available. Do really well in English, especially creative writing. Take humanities, especially history and social sciences. Go as far as you can in a foreign language. Definitely take Advanced Placement (AP) courses, if they’re available.

Does RIT have any summer programs for prospective students in game design?

RIT does offer game design experiences in our Kids on Campus program, which is a summer day camp for local kids in grades 5 through 12. Specifically, one of the high school workshops (grades 10-12) focuses on game development. Unfortunately, there is no residential facility for non-local kids, at least at this time.

What is the most important thing you would tell an aspiring game designer?

Become an excellent programmer. Without solid programming chops, you won't be taken seriously in the gaming industry.

Develop multiple dimensions. For instance, history, political science, and mythology are example domains in which games have been developed. To build a convincing game, you need to know something about the content of the game – the people, places and events that you will portray. The more you things know, the more compelling your game will be.

What portfolio or resume items do you recommend preparing for entrance into the games industry?

A portfolio of your work is critical when you’re looking for a job in the games industry. Assuming the pieces in your portfolio are the results of team projects, a clear description of your part in the project is essential. Often you can separate your work from the final piece (I did this animation; I designed that game level; I developed these characters). If your resume includes industrial experience, like the co-op experience you will have if you come to RIT, that is a huge advantage.

I have an idea for a game, but I have no idea on how to take it further. Could you please assist in giving me some tips, on what to do next?

I guess the best tip I could give you is to take all the math and science you can, take computing courses if they are available, and do really well in English. If you have ideas for games, try to prototype them in environments like Game Builder or Flash. Even if you don’t get very far, you’ll at least get a taste of what game developers do, and hopefully, you’ll have a lot of fun realizing your ideas in working prototypes.

I want to be a game designer, but I don’t want to program.

No one hires game designers fresh out of college. Game designers start out as either game developers or as artists, and if they contribute creatively and productively to some successful titles, they might be in a position to advance into a design role. It’s very competitive, though, and the simple fact is that most won’t make it that far. RIT’s GD&D program is a superb preparation for entering the games industry as a game developer, and RIT’s New Media Interactive Development program is a good match for the artist’s role.

What college offers the best video game design courses?

RIT, of course!
Actually, there are a handful of other universities that have interesting game development programs or tracks, specifically Southern Cal, Georgia Tech, Michigan State and RPI. There are a fair number of programs with “game” somewhere in the title, but most of them are pre-existing programs in computer science or graphic design with a few games courses thrown in. RIT’s GD&D program was designed from the ground up to address the game developer role, as an extension of the game design and development course sequences we have been offering for several years and as a complement to our MS in Game Design and Development, which welcomed its first group of students in the fall of 2006.

You didn’t get to my question!

If you have a question I didn’t answer, email it to me (jab@it.rit.edu). As I said at the top of this rather lengthy page, I’ll answer your question as best I can, and if it’s general enough, I might add it to this list.

Al Biles
Undergraduate Program Coordinator
Department of Information Technology
jab@it.rit.edu