About to start Game Development Plan at DeVry - Any experience here?
 

Hey all,

I am about to begin DeVry's game development program. I'm pretty excited about it. Has anyone here gone with this program, or know anyone who does? Pros? Cons?

They sort of offer three tracks of study:

A) Java
B) C++
C) C#

I say they kind of offer this, because a few of their programming series' give me the choice between A, B or C. I am really leaning toward the C# route, mainly because the Xbox 360 developer kit uses C#. Any suggestions, and reasons why or why not?

Go with C++. All games you see on any of the consoles and any of the major PC games are done in C++. Java is used a lot on cell phone games. C# is rarely used for big title games (if at all). The Xbox 360 XNA developer kit uses C#, but this is not what the big game companies use. The big game companies use a Xbox development kit, but it costs a lot of money and is C++ and DirectX. If you are serious into getting into game development than you really need to learn C/C++. If you manage to master C++, going to Java or C# is not a big deal.

How long is this program at DeVry? Do you already have a fair bit of programming experience? If this program is only a couple years, do not expect to be getting a decent job in game development right away. You need to have very good C++ and math skill, which takes much more than a could years of school. I personally don't think a course on game development is the way to go, unless you have already went to school for general computer programming. If the course is only 2-3 years, you most likely won't learn all the basics of programming before you get into the game development aspect of the course, which is not a good thing.

Here is the link to the course list:

http://devry.edu/programs/game_and_s...ng/courses.jsp

There are four general programming course - 1) Intro, 2) Through Procedural in selected language, 3) OOP in selected language, 4) Infrastructure

Then there are three game specific programming course and six game design specific courses. Most programming degree plans that I've seen offer the same amount of programming course, but you usually get two languages out of it. If I can focus on C++ and then turn that into the game programming course, I think I could probably do quite well. Additionally, I have five years of PHP and Python experience.

C++. Pick up C# on the side as a fallback. Java sucks. :p

The Jak and Daxter games were made in Game Oriented Assembly Lisp.

Hi, and welcome to DeVry! I am about to enter my junior year in a few weeks. I myself am a CIS major, I was thinking about going back to do game design before i started doing reasearch on it. A game design degree seems a bit worthless. what they wan't in the game industry is some one who is good at what they do. There are to many aspects of game design for you to get an indeph understanding of it in your three years at devry. The best you can do with the degree you will get is doing games for small buisnesses or online flash games, unless you do a hell of a lot of self studdy. (the no spring break thing sucks by the way. and the no summer) Your best bet would be to take CIS (programming) and learn the other stuff on your free time. well eaither way good luck, and heres a great 3d modeling programm that allows animation and has a built in game engine. blender.org

Listen to Jimbo. C/C++ remains the standard in video games at the mo, and no matter how good C# is getting, its still a way off being used in major game titles.

Don't listen to Kelvoron. Games degrees are getting a lot better recently. many games companies work closely with the universities, which results in the games degrees becoming more industry driven as opposed to academic. The only problem with doing a games degree is that it may limit the scope of your future career options.

Watch it Jimbo! ;)

@OP: Just listen to what everyone else said, go with C++! You'll see! Kelvoron makes a good point with the game degree. However, you would look a lot better if you had a portfolio when you just plan on developing games as a career. A game degree would give you the necessary skills plus experience!

I gotta agree with Jimbo. I was told that Java had progressed substantially since I last use it in 1999-2000. Indeed it has. I've been testing it out, recently, to see how that is.

The authors seem to have been distracted by other considerations. There are things that I can do with an arrayList. There are other things I can do with an actual array. I need both. Why aren't they reasonably compatible? Why do I have to convert an arrayList to an array to do one thing, and convert it back to an arrayList to do another?

I can have an Image, or I can have an IconImage, or I can have a BufferedImage. Each offers me something, but none offers me the useful things, in toto. I have to convert back and forth.

What is this shit? Give me a break. I'll express this opinion now, after trying to do what I could do easily in a number of other languages: Java sucks.

I noticed the same thing in my last Java course. That and having to use NetBeans made me really hate Java. I hope I never have to go near it again.