Topic: Going to "Video Game School"

Hello, my name is Trevor. I want to make video games for a living. How does one go about this?
I know there are colleges that teach video game development classes. Does any one have any good suggestions for one?
If not, any other advice for me?

I dont know about schooling, but as for advice, i would say start working on your skills as early as possible. I am 17, and have completed 2 games of my own, one an rpg amd the other a puzzle game both created from scratch. If you have no experience at all, start with something like rpg maker vx ace, its affordable and powerful. While it really holds your hand and isnt to much lile making your own game from scratch, it certainly gave me a platform into learning scripting. The engine will also help formulate a solid base as to what you are getting in to, so you are prepared. Petit computer is great for learning BASIC on the dsi or 3ds, but the program itself wont teach you. Overall my advice is start now, before schooling to be sure you like it (its a lot of work) and so that you arent totally lost in your eventual classes. Try learning Python, BASIC, or Ruby. They are simple compared to the mess that is java, and give you a good look into game development. If youwant to do more art design, thats simple, just get some programs and experimenting or online tutorials. Good luck to you,

@Kagamine thats weird... i think ive actually heard of you. i swear i seen you leave a youtube comment somewhere saying your age and you completed 2 games...

Thanks for the useful info, Kagamine. I'm impressed that you've gotten that far at 17. I'm 20 and I'm still trying to wrap my head around Basic. I've been messing around with Petit Computer a bit lately, and you're right to say that it doesn't teach you. I suppose I shouldn't have expected it to lol. If you know of any good books or websites with BASIC tutorials that are any better than the Petit Computer manual, please link it up.

I'd suggest getting started on something like C++ as soon as possible, although something like BASIC would be good for learning the basic ideas for programming.

C++ is an industry standard for video games on PC and console, and in-depth knowledge of it would be advantageous for getting a job. The language is different for something like mobile or web gaming (Java is used a lot there). Plus, it is a object-oriented language so if you can do C++ you can do pretty much any other common language.

I don't know any advice for classes or books, as I've learned C++ as I've gone along (I need it for my job) and have dabbled with game programming in my spare time. Also, keep in mind that once you get to any of the 'modern' languages you can find development software for free, rather than paying lots of money for them. For example, Code::Blocks is a development environment that is completely free and offers many of the features of Microsoft's Visual series.

Also, C++ takes a LONG time to get to grips with properly (it's easy to code in, but the more advanced concepts may take a while). I started learning it about 5 years ago and I'm still picking new things up on a daily basis. It's hard work, but very rewarding when you make something that works.

Some resources I use are:

• www.cplusplus.com - a great site for helping to learn c++, I find their examples and explanations to be quite clear and informative.
• www.stackoverflow.com - this site is seriously indispensable. Basically a programming Q&A site, you get instant access to professional programmers who will help you with any question - even the crazy, obscure ones, as someone inevitably understands the mysterious inner workings of the language well enough to help. The archive is a great repository but it's easy to ask a new question as well, and you usually get a response in 5 minutes or so. Just keep in mind that it is expected that you have a decent stab at your problem before you ask a question - it's no good just going on there and asking someone to write you a bit of code to do something.
• http://www.cprogramming.com has a lot of good stuff, but I usually come across them when I'm googling for something rather than actually just using their site.
• www.codeblocks.org - A free integrated development environment (IDE). Useful for coding within.
• www.allegro.cc - A free, open source game development library for C++. I haven't used it myself, but it's quite popular.
• http://www.libsdl.org/ - another free, open source game development library. I HAVE used SDL, and I think it's fairly straightforward and easy to use.
• lazyfoo.net - good tutorials for getting started with SDL.

Phew! Anyway, hopefully they should get you started with C++, at least enough for you to know where to go to get extra help. To begin with I wouldn't worry about using extra libraries such as Allegro or C++ - just do text-based stuff, as libraries can be complicated to get working initially. Once you're feeling confident, then start trying to get an image on the screen and other game-related stuff.

Let me know if you want some more advice. I'm certainly not a C++ expert but I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm doing.

Most of all, just enjoy it! Be aware that programming will be frustrating at times, as you'll struggle with figuring things out and resolving weird bugs and the like. However if you're someone who likes making things you'll also get a lot out of it.

Wheels pretty much covered. I'm taking a general programing class this seesmster and then a HTML and C++ in the next two.

I should also add that it really, really adds to your job prospects if you can demonstrate that you've programmed some completed games. They don't have to be the next 3D extravaganza, but you need to demonstrate that you can take a project from idea to completion and have it polished and working.

Wow. Thanks a ton for your help. You may have just changed my life lol. I'll be sure to include you in my acceptance speech at the video game awards XD