Sunday 1 May 2011

Specific or General Skills?


What do game companies want from graduates?

Firstly, all game companies want experienced individuals. A good course should offer and encourage internships. Without this we have a choice between candidates with specific tendered skills and those from a general art background. We can further divide these categories into those who are competent at and those that are not. Competence/proficiency at art is only nominally effected by university. Regardless of the resources and teaching provided, it is still up to the individual to knuckle down and apply themselves to improve their craft.

So, do they want specific skills or a general art background? Ideally, both. Unfortunately the problem is actually the lack of Universities which offer both. I feel that the DMU course is one of the few courses to actually provide this.

In the absence of courses that offer both, what advice would I give to a student about to choose between the two? Go for the general art background. Anyone can use Photoshop, 3DSMAX or UDK etc if shown how. The knowledge of art is priceless. It takes time to develop your eye, be able to create nice compositions and understand colour/light. Three years of university are far better spent on this discipline. Especially as art skills are transferable to a range of careers. Game art technical skills are very specific in their nature and whilst they are still transferable they are not nearly as versatile as a solid grounding in art.

Game art skills should be as relevant as possible to the current industry. Learning future skills is useful but should not be pursued at the expense of current skills. It is much better to equip graduates for the industry they will be primarily entering. As times change they can augment their skillset on the job. This is how many current veterans learned how to use programs such as MAX and Maya.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to the attitude of the student. Many students are unaware of the full scope of the industry and underestimate what is actually required leading to poor course choices. These keeps many of the 'easier' courses in business. If a greater proportion of students made informed choices then some of the ‘mickey mouse’ courses might start to disappear.

So in summary, companies want either experienced individuals or a solid grounding in art fundamentals. Not all courses have internships available so choosing a course focusing on art instead of technology is important. This would help to extinguish the spattering of 'mickey mouse' courses and graduates would be better equipped for their chosen industry.

Unfortunately, I doubt this will happen.

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