It’s no secret that video games are big business. In fact, the global gaming market is expected to grow from $91.5 billion in 2016 to $128.5 billion by 2021. And with this growth comes a demand for skilled game developers who can create the next big blockbuster hit.
So if you want to make a career in game development, where do you start to pick knowledge? The good news is that there are many great schools that offer online courses & resources in game development. These courses will teach you everything you need to know about designing and developing video games, including different types of game engines, scripting languages, and other important aspects of game development.
Our top 5 schools to learn game development
- The Gnomon School of Visual Effects is a renowned and highly respected institution that offers an impressive range of online courses in game development.
- The University of Utah offers an online Master’s degree in Entertainment Arts and Engineering, which is one of the most comprehensive and well-rounded game development programs available today.
- The University of Central Florida offers a unique online program that allows students to earn their BFA in Game Design and Development while also completing a Minor in Business Administration.
- The Academy of Art University (California) has a long history of producing some of the best game-developers in the world. And its online courses are just as excellent as their on-campus programs, so if you want to learn game development, this is a great option.
- The University of Texas at Austin offers an online Master’s degree in Computer Science with a specialization in Game Design and Development.
There is a high demand for skilled game developers in the gaming industry. This is because video games are big business, and companies are always looking for talented developers who can create the next big blockbuster hit. So if you want to make a career in game development, it’s important to get a good education from a reputable school such as the ones above.
What kind of online game development courses are there?
In these courses, you will learn about different types of game engines, scripting languages, and other important aspects of game development. You will also learn how to design and develop video games for a variety of platforms, including PC, mobile, and console. So if you want to make a career in game development, these are the courses you need to take.
If you are looking for where to start learning how to develop games online – one website is Udemy . They have lots of tutorials on 3d art modeling and programming that may be helpful when you get into college or university classes. It is always recommended to get a head start before enrolling in any class, this way you will also know if you are truly passionate about the particular topic.
Which universities did famous game developers go to?
Many famous game developers got their start by studying at some of the best schools for game development. For example, John Carmack, the co-founder of id Software and lead programmer on Doom and Quake, studied at The University of Utah. Cliff Bleszinski, the former design director at Epic Games and creator of Gears of War, attended the University of Central Florida.
These are just a few examples; there are many other talented game developers who got their start by studying at one of the great schools for game development listed in this article.
Do keep in mind that not all famous game developers follow the traditional route of college. Even the great Elon Musk sold a game to a company at the age of only 12, clearly he did not study game design in university to help accomplish this task.
What you might learn in online game development courses
These are the basics that you might learn as a total beginner if you want to start making your first game. There are a variety of different game engines with each one allowing you to create a different type of game. Some engines limit this potential based on what is supported or provided for the developer.
The unity game engine will allow you to create 3d games, including using the unreal engine. The unity game engine is one of the best options for beginners because it will allow you to create any type of game that you want within 2d or 3d. It also provides an easy integration with different types of code languages which gives more freedom when designing your game.
A level designer will typically use some type of software. A few common programs used are Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, and 3d MAX which are all available for free. You may also use different types of pre-made sprites or images found on sites like opengameart.org.
All of the online academies let you learn at your own pace. If you want to start the process of pursuing a new career in game development, this is important! Be sure to also look into web development, unless you want to pay a designer to create your website.
Creating your first game
The first step to creating a game is to make an outline on what you want it to look like. Another important thing is to have a captivating story so that players will be interested in your game world. Whether it’s a mobile game or a PC or console game, you need an interesting storyboard or it won’t be fun. Writing a video game script is vital, and can’t be ignored!
Mobile games are notorious for having less of storyline and more of a ‘grind’ type gameplay mechanics. If you’re not the best at writing stories this might be a good way to start with your own game. The video game industry is extremely hard to succeed in, so don’t get discouraged as making games is not easy.
You have to use all your knowledge and new ideas combined to make a game that people will enjoy. You can create it using different software, depending on your skill level you may need some time to practice new things first. But don’t give up on learning these programming languages! As long as you are passionate about the gaming world and design then you will always find something new each day to keep adding into your video game creation process.
Luckily the game community is one of the most supportive industries and you will often find a lot of free help on the various community platforms. Are you struggling with some popular game engine? Just post your question on the reddit section and you will get help in no time. It might be also a good thing to look at the code of some classic games and how they have weathered through the ages of time.
Classic game history – Old school computer graphics
Basic knowledge of the past can help you to be prepared for the future. For example, the Atari 2600 game system was one of the first ever created and it had an enormous amount of video games that were sold millions of times around the world! Be sure to look at some old school computer games if you want to learn more about this past era for game design as it can help your programming experience.
The best game development courses will cover a variety of topics. It’s important to focus on the basics of the classic games and you will be able to easily create any type of game that you want! Very often some sites will even have free game development courses, although these are often much more limited in resources.
The Capstone project is a way to show off your new skills
The Capstone project is the last thing you will likely do in a course is to create a portfolio that demonstrates all the skills that you’ve learned. The end of your journey, or at least one path through it, is near and this final project might be the perfect addition to help you get started with your career.
This can typically include anything from creating 2d sprites, a detailed 2d world, a 3d level design, or even the programming language to make it all function properly. You need to do your research on what you want to create and make sure that it is something you will be proud of as an artist and video game designer.
If you can learn how to code as well as know what makes a game fun, you will be at the top. If you don’t like to code but would rather design, that’s okay too. Either way, getting your degree in video games is a great start for any type of career in the field and these online resources will help you do it.
Our best way to learn game development
There are many ways to become a game developer, but the best way is by learning from one of the top online schools for gaming. This will give you a thorough education in different types of game engines, scripting languages, and other important aspects of game development. Most importantly, you will learn how to code games and develop video games for a variety of platforms, including PC, mobile devices and consoles.
There are many skills you can specialize, such as graphics design, computer programming, and learning to use many of the various popular game engines. All of these aspects of learning game development are available to you through the online course material provided by many universities.
Before you know it, you will be coding your own games as a game designer. Programming is all about persistence though. If you want to one day lead a team to develop your own project you will have to follow the course to the letter and excel.
A great tip is to look ahead before signing up to any universities, and start with some Udemy courses to see if it’s really for you. Passion is what creates success, and everything else follows from that basic pillar.
We hope we have helped you on your way to pick the best schools for game developers.