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Getting into the game development industry

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Could I get into the game industry as a game programmer with a degree in games software development - not computer science. Here's the course I'm looking at:
http://www.shu.ac.uk/prospectus/course/720/
All the computer science courses say I require an A-Level in Maths, but I don't think I'm that good enough to achieve an A-Level in it.
But I'm guessing with me saying
All the computer science courses say I require an A-Level in Maths, but I don't think I'm that good enough to achieve an A-Level in it.
you guys are gonna say "Well, if you're not good enough for A-Level math, you're not good enough to be a game programmer" but that's just a prediction
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You don't need anyone's opinion. Go for it.
Then you can answer your own question, if you can do it or not.
I just started my CS degree and I didn't do maths at A-level (because I was lazy at AS and I failed). You should take it anyway if you're choosing your AS subjects now. It isn't that difficult, but you have to work pretty hard.

As for your degree, I would do CS if I were you. It looks a lot better as a degree, especially if you can't get into game development or don't want to any more. It keeps your options open.
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closed account (1yR4jE8b)
With a CS degree you can get into any field of computer science. With a "degree" in game development, you can only get into game development. Many of the big AAA companies won't even look at game-dev degrees, they see them as jokes and cash-ins for schools not worth anything.

The choice is obvious.
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DONT BE INTIMIDATED BY MATHS you CAN do maths its NOT boring!!! people think its hard because its supposed to be boring and people cant imagine themselves getting good at it, but like running, its a lot of workgeting round to doing it but once your up you get twice as good at it by the week once your into maths you will be fine. (programing you dont notice yourself improve maths you do)

but then if maths is your only tiny little obstical in doing what you want then you dont really really want to be a game designer (you can clean my poo bowl in my office when i have one)
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closed account (zb0S216C)
From what I've read, it takes more skills than mathematics to acquire a job as a game programmer. Based on an article I read a while back, all game developers can program, but not all are A-level math students. In reality, the employer's requirements will depend based on the position you want. For instance, say you want to develop the story -- they're no going to expect you to be a math prodigy.

Wazzak
Deconrevenge, I'm not intimidated by maths, I can DO maths. I think I should have said that I just always seem to rubbish in the actual exam, but I do great work in the class. And the stupid questions they put in maths exam, yeah to be a game programmer I must find out how much profit steve will make if he bought x melons with £x and he sold 2/4 of them £x and the rest for half of what he sold the last amount for. I'm like just give me algebra, graphs, trigonometry, 3d trigonometry. Things I actually need.
Rant Over :D
I've read that a big reason people like to see more formal degrees, is because of the stuff you have to do that nobody actually likes doing. In the real world, you don't always get to do cool exciting stuff, so employers like to see that you did well in your economics, or sociology, or business management. Because it's boring and you still manged to muster up the balls to do it well. If you want be involved in AAA games, join a CS program and work hard in all your classes.
@DJLad15
A-level maths isn't really like that.
resident biscuits right to an extent but you can get the jobs you want if your good at them and you dont get your spirit broken by the world, thats all part of the education process you see, that way you will do what your told
I must find out how much profit steve will make if he bought x melons with £x and he sold 2/4 of them £x and the rest for half of what he sold the last amount for. I'm like just give me algebra,


That is algebra.
This is not algebra, I using x to represent any number
That's algebra.
closed account (3qX21hU5)
Actually that is algebra, X is used very commonly in algebra
The entirety of algebra is learning how to manipulate equations and formulas that have variables
If you think that's not algebra, I want to know what you think algebra is :)
Fine then its algebra, but I don't think I need that kind of algebra and zereo, like I said. I'm not using "x" like 2x(5+4) I'm using "x" to represent any number
If I were you, I would take A-level pure maths and further maths. Pure maths is pretty much just calculus and trig, and you also have to do two applied maths modules (my school did statistics 1 & mechanics 1). From what I saw, further maths involved matrices, decision (discrete maths) and algorithms. All are extremely relevant to computer science, so you should definitely try to take further maths*. Pure maths won't be as relevant if you aren't studying maths or physics at university, but like I said before, it keeps your options open. Plus, I imagine schools wouldn't let you take further without pure.

* you don't have to (I didn't) but you'll have to learn a lot of it in CS anyway (in the second year, I think), so when you do, if you've already done further maths you'll just be expanding on what you've already done when you do it in CS, rather than learning an entirely new field of mathematics.
course i looked at wanted you to be good with photoshop qbase have good design skills good storyboard skills basic scripting and model making (i dont kno if thats 3d modelling) if i wanted to do it as a mature student no one would care about maths
closed account (o1vk4iN6)
DJLad15 wrote:
I'm not using "x" like 2x(5+4) I'm using "x" to represent any number


As far as I can tell x can be any number in 2x(5+4). Unless you meant solving for x ?

2x(5+4) = 0

In which case what does x equal for:

x-y = 0

They are the same thing, "algebra", only you simply picked an equation which was simple and only had one solution instead of many.

Also yah I think you need to spend some more time studying although high school math is just so simple after a while. Also yes you kind of need that type of algebra, although it is kind of calculus (I think you meant solving for how much he would need to sell melons for to maximize his profit) as you can simply differentiate the equation, find its' zero and determine if it's a maximum. I forget how it's done in high school some simplified method probably. To say you don't need math, sure that's easy but your better with it then without it. I remember not too long ago someone trying to implement the addition 2+4+6+...+n with code and it was incredibly slow but it can be solved algebraically and require only a couple multiplications.

In ID tech's game engine they were able to create a fast square root by doing a simple operation by using some tricks with how floating point numbers are stored, it obviously isn't as accurate as the sqrt on the FPU but in some cases that precision isn't needed. I think that's cool and clever and it definitely wouldn't be possible without algebra, low level knowledge and some creativity.



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