Video Games Graduates Getting Worse
Dribbling morons coming out of university... not quite.
Students... just look at 'em. Bah!
David Braben - known and loved by real gamers for Elite among others - has told the ongoing Game Horizon conference in Gateshead today that "We are facing a serious decline in the quality of graduates looking to enter the industry".
Braben is blaming all you liberal arts (you know, meeeeja studies, cultural studies and bloody psychology) students for the fact that video game design graduates can't add, subtract or understand basic physics.
He's more polite than us, saying "The death of maths, physics and computer science graduates is hitting us hard."
But, basically, this means that universities are churning out marketing people who can go forward out of the box 24/7 with gaming experience synergies that overlight the intense creative/play interface forefronting modern (and legacy) consumer propositions.
But there's no one but dribbling morons to actually create games. Just to be plain about that - we made the 'dribbling moron' comment not Mr Braben.
According to Dan Hodgson (course leader in Computer Games Engineering) at Northumbria University, the people who actually do turn up to study are expecting an easy ride (something like Film Studies, we reckon... Film Studies!) are either scared off by needing a maths 'A' Level or are expecting to sit around all day playing with their Wii.
Hodgson said, "We do have people who don't have the right mindset. We consistently tell them that this is one of the hardest courses we offer at this university. It's certainly not for the sort of people who want to laze around and play games for three years."
Exactly. Lazing around playing video games was not what the Evil Editor did while getting his degree.*
Anyway, Braben makes a serious point that makes sense despite our ramblings, "95% of video gaming degrees are simply not fit for purpose. Without some sort of common standard, like Skillset accreditation, these degrees are a waste of time for all concerned."
Are you a filthy, lazy student studying to make video games? Can you wake up for a second and tell us about your course and experience of it in the Forum. Are you studying marketing? There's a brilliant forum somewhere for you, we're sure of it.
Mark SPOnG is currently in attendance at the conference and will be reporting back once he sobers up from all that broon ale and that.
Source: BBC
* In Cultural Bloody Studies
Braben is blaming all you liberal arts (you know, meeeeja studies, cultural studies and bloody psychology) students for the fact that video game design graduates can't add, subtract or understand basic physics.
He's more polite than us, saying "The death of maths, physics and computer science graduates is hitting us hard."
But, basically, this means that universities are churning out marketing people who can go forward out of the box 24/7 with gaming experience synergies that overlight the intense creative/play interface forefronting modern (and legacy) consumer propositions.
But there's no one but dribbling morons to actually create games. Just to be plain about that - we made the 'dribbling moron' comment not Mr Braben.
According to Dan Hodgson (course leader in Computer Games Engineering) at Northumbria University, the people who actually do turn up to study are expecting an easy ride (something like Film Studies, we reckon... Film Studies!) are either scared off by needing a maths 'A' Level or are expecting to sit around all day playing with their Wii.
Hodgson said, "We do have people who don't have the right mindset. We consistently tell them that this is one of the hardest courses we offer at this university. It's certainly not for the sort of people who want to laze around and play games for three years."
Exactly. Lazing around playing video games was not what the Evil Editor did while getting his degree.*
Anyway, Braben makes a serious point that makes sense despite our ramblings, "95% of video gaming degrees are simply not fit for purpose. Without some sort of common standard, like Skillset accreditation, these degrees are a waste of time for all concerned."
Are you a filthy, lazy student studying to make video games? Can you wake up for a second and tell us about your course and experience of it in the Forum. Are you studying marketing? There's a brilliant forum somewhere for you, we're sure of it.
Mark SPOnG is currently in attendance at the conference and will be reporting back once he sobers up from all that broon ale and that.
Source: BBC
* In Cultural Bloody Studies
People:
David Braben
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Comments
JJ 18 Jun 2008 15:55
1/5
I think it starts with the poor education system we have, many people leave school not good at maths so they're hardly going to do a physics degree, even a few universities have ditched the must have A levels and gone and produced their own entry tests since "A levels are useless" then there's the knock on effect that degrees are more dumbed down as well.
I think games companies (like many companies lacking skills) are going to have to realise that THEY are going to have to invest in their employees and give them some of the lacking skills, rather than have ready to go fully skilled people handed to them on a plate.
Anyway this is probably all the Thatcher children who were educated or their educated started in the 80's and 90's, we won't know if Labour have done any better for a good 15 years.
I think games companies (like many companies lacking skills) are going to have to realise that THEY are going to have to invest in their employees and give them some of the lacking skills, rather than have ready to go fully skilled people handed to them on a plate.
Anyway this is probably all the Thatcher children who were educated or their educated started in the 80's and 90's, we won't know if Labour have done any better for a good 15 years.
p 18 Jun 2008 17:01
2/5
JJ wrote:
I think games companies (like many companies lacking skills) are going to have to realise that THEY are going to have to invest in their employees and give them some of the lacking skills, rather than have ready to go fully skilled people handed to them on a plate.
Or THEY could just go somewhere else, maybe somewhere offering tax breaks.
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Joji 18 Jun 2008 17:41
3/5
Our education system will always fail so long as its a dart board for do gooder politicians. And looking at the lack of tax breaks in the games industry, if these came to pass, some of that cash could be put to bettering education, to help the industry.
Sucks to be a programmer in training, without good math knowledge. Think about it though, if your homework was to write a small game or program in a month, kids would jump at the chance.
My advice to fix this problem is to, would be to teach those vital skills in programming and 3D graphics at school level, the same way dedicated programmers used to in their bedrooms. Such courses could be written or overseen by games industry folk, and by the time these pupils got to college and uni, they'd be better at maths, understanding its importance more, and be ready for pickings, if you excite and inspire them, with the possibilities beyond school etc (something schools are rubbish at doing, thinking only of the marks and grades).
Better yet, western schools should be looking, at how the japanese educate their potential next gen artists, programmers etc, at all levels. We could learn a lot from them and benefit from it.
Sucks to be a programmer in training, without good math knowledge. Think about it though, if your homework was to write a small game or program in a month, kids would jump at the chance.
My advice to fix this problem is to, would be to teach those vital skills in programming and 3D graphics at school level, the same way dedicated programmers used to in their bedrooms. Such courses could be written or overseen by games industry folk, and by the time these pupils got to college and uni, they'd be better at maths, understanding its importance more, and be ready for pickings, if you excite and inspire them, with the possibilities beyond school etc (something schools are rubbish at doing, thinking only of the marks and grades).
Better yet, western schools should be looking, at how the japanese educate their potential next gen artists, programmers etc, at all levels. We could learn a lot from them and benefit from it.
Dan Hodgson 2 Dec 2008 14:44
4/5
It's nice to see balanced, intelligent journalism in action. So much of it is biased and sensationalist, like this piece.
Just for the record, along with the applicants expecting an easy ride (we do have some) we have students who work hard, study programming and maths and are snapped up by an industry hungry for competent programmers as they graduate. Our graduates are not morons, and they hardly ever dribble.
Just for the record, along with the applicants expecting an easy ride (we do have some) we have students who work hard, study programming and maths and are snapped up by an industry hungry for competent programmers as they graduate. Our graduates are not morons, and they hardly ever dribble.
TimSpong 2 Dec 2008 15:56
5/5
Dan Hodgson wrote:
It's nice to see balanced, intelligent journalism in action. So much of it is biased and sensationalist, like this piece.
I feel you may have missed the large slab of irony in this story. For example, slagging off the degree that I got and pointing that up.
Dan Hodgson wrote:
Just for the record, along with the applicants expecting an easy ride (we do have some) we have students who work hard, study programming and maths and are snapped up by an industry hungry for competent programmers as they graduate. Our graduates are not morons, and they hardly ever dribble.
:-)
I'd welcome a proper 'right of reply' from you which I'll happily publish. Please feel free to contact me at tim@spong.com
Thanks for coming to the Forum as well.
Regards
Tim