Topic: I'm Gonna Be Majoring in Game Design But...

The first thing you must have in mind is CUSTOMERS. Not vision, not engines, not artsy crap, not casual or hardcore crap.. CUSTOMERS!

Games are about customers experiences from the game itself. Not the graphics or sounds. Look at Tetris. Is probably the only game that gets close to the perfection of gaming. Hard to defeat. Easy to learn. Engages people and mades them feel acomplished. Look at Wii sports. It makes people gather and enjoy playing together.

It may sound like sells or something but the truth is that if you want to thrive, you must find and create customers (and keep them!). Read the Blue ocean strategy book . Is very good. Look at the story of Apple. They may not be as millionaires as MS but they are one of the most respected companies because their success is about creating customers.

Don't think of games as movies. They are two worlds apart. Videogames are pure entertainment. Don't taint it with Hollywood BS (look at Hollywood. eveyr year the box offices are decreasing, No more movies to be named classic. Is like an old sick dinosaur).

I am talking as a gamer dissapointed with the game industry which is now ruled by people that has no a clue about games or customers. Just about profits and business plans.

Yeah, if you have a good idea, make sure the consumers like it first.

New idea for a genre? Don't bother if the customers haven't asked for it, because everyone knows the only goal you should have is to appeal to the masses.

Cool new engine? Not so fast there, pal: First you need to run it by focus group after focus group make sure it's exactly what they want and all of the soul has been sucked dry.

New graphical style? Well, better make sure that gamers are looking for exactly that; otherwise, back to the drawing board because the last thing you want to do is to be responsible for creativity.

i was also thinking about goingto school for game desgin. other then the the programing classes i say just live life because that's where most of the best ideas come from. Also i know you said e rated games but what genre would you like to work on the most, for me its Platformers and RPGs.

Sorry but I'm not making any 5 minute iphone games! They look like crap!

Actually, for those studying to enter game design and those just getting into it, iPhone development has a lot to offer. The developers license is, at $100, very inexpensive as far as dev kits go. And the iTunes store offers a good way for people to see your game.

Since the license is so inexpensive, it would give you the opportunity to take chances on new ideas. When applying for a job, being able to say that while you were in school, you developed and sold x, y and z games for the iPhone will really look good. Especially if one of them happens to do well. Not only would that give the prospective employer a good way to evaluate your skills, it also shows that you have a passion for the work, since you spent your own time to create something and then market it.

But I really don't want to make iphone games regardless of how great they look or not! Why not WiiWare/DSiWare games?

I believe a WiiWare dev kit runs around $10k and you need to get approved by Nintendo before you are allowed to purchase it. That means you need to already be an established developer with an office, ect. I believe DSiWare is the same way.

Then where do I start with two choices I have left: PlayStation Network or Xbox Live Arcade?

Same story as with the Wiiware, I'm sure. You can't expect to play with the big dogs when you start.

EDIT: XBLA does have the indie game tool (the name of which I can't remember) for about $100. It'd be a good way to get your feet wet.

I saw that it was $2000. http://www.warioworld.com/

EDIT : Sorry, I misread. here is the quote - "The problem is not price - even the official Wii development kit is comparatively cheap at $2000. The WiiWare kit is probably much cheaper; even flash game studios are getting their hands on the kits. The problem is getting Nintendo to accept you. You (or your development team) will need to prove to Nintendo that you are experienced, serious developers, and worthy enough to handle the kits."

Let me guess; PSN dev-kits are $20k while XBLA dev-kits are like $30k, right?

That high? Probably not. Actually buying one might be a problem. Like I said, I'd try making indie games on the Xbox 360. You won't get rich, but you'll get a chance to see what it takes and get feedback on your games.

Ugh, no way! The Indie games look horrid, the graphics look worse than an Atari 2600 game. I don't want to make games that look like they've been designed by 5 year olds!!

What exactly are you expecting to be able to do starting out with no experience, then?

DO NOT WANT:
http://www.gamekicker.com/files/Picture%2025_53.png

Most schools that I know of start you off making games like Pong and then move onto 3d modeling later on. If you do not want to make games that look like crap maybe you should look into another field because you have to start somewhere. If your majoring in something and going to school you will not have a choice on what you make because they will tell you what to make early on. Basically what this guy wants to do is jump in and make a top tier game with no experience.

Well I sure am not going to make TV shows or movies because Hollywood chooses quantity over quality!

But I don't want to experiment with crappy proof of concept games. If only I knew how Shigeru Miyamoto felt when he was starting game design?

I do agree with you on the movies and tv thing. Low quality big quantity.

Good, you've got passion, I'll give you that. I just don't think your impressions of working in the video game industry are quite accurate.

So if I were to create a game without any skills, I could end up like LJN or Codemasters? YIKES!!