So umm I really need some career advice
So let me start off by telling im almost 15
please dont report me but anyways its sort of been my dream to work as a videogame designer
id hate to put the nerd glasses on but i honestly love videogames
I enjoyed fable and other rpgs as a kid and then id discover the elder scrolls series last year
i know im not the first to fall in love with an elder scrolls game but i knew that these were the games i would love to make
so basically i want to know how can i get into modding and game developing
i know you should first off get a good pc, skyrim, and the creation kit
thing is i cant afford a pc and my parents honestly dont care
like im like the only kid who doesnt have a phone or nice things in my school, which is probably one of the ghetto est schools in the country
ive tried learning programming but i lose motivation when i think that ill never even get a chance to try a mod
i am a fairly good cartoon artist but again i cant afford programs like photoshop to work on textures and what not
so basically im looking for advice from anyone who has any

ps sorry if im in the wrong thread or something

You could try taking some computer science or graphic design classes if your school offers any. If you're 15 you've got a lot of time to save up money to buy supplies you need or learn a skill. What part of game design are you interested in exactly?

Hey there. We get a lot of threads like this round these parts, so you aren't alone in wanting to become a videogame designer.

Just going to pick up on something you mentioned:


My advice is stick at it. Don't lose motivation, because learning all you can right now is probably the best thing you can do, then in the future perhaps you'll be able to get a better computer of your own, and be able to put all you've been learning into practice.

You don't mention what stage of education you're currently at. Do you take any IT classes or anything similar? Following the education route for now would probably be your best bet if your heart is set on becoming a game designer, and like I said before any learning or research you do in your own time will help you as well.

Keep playing games, and keep up to date with developments in the industry!

Stay in school, eat your vegetables, and respect your elders...

Look, you wanna make games, fantastic, there is probably no better time to get into the field. Its gonna take hard work and long hours, sacrifice and stress, most of all its gonna take dedication. You cant afford the tools you need? Get a job. Mow lawns, clean houses, deliver pizzas, etc. You get depressed when you think you cant ever do something? Get that [censored] outta your head! That kind of thinking will only hinder your progress.

You want advice, grab a piece of paper and write "Game Developer - 25" and put a picture of Skyrim on it (it seems to be your favorite game). Now, stick it to the wall in your room at ceiling level. Grab another piece of paper and write "High School - 15", put that 5 feet below the other picture. Now you have a visual of the next 10 years of your life. Every 6in. write on a piece of paper your goal for the year.

Year 1 should be something along the lines of "Get a job, save money, buy equipment"
Year 2 should be something like "create a mod I'm proud of"
Year 3 - Build programming skill set and start applying for colleges
Etc
Etc

Stick to your goals, work your ass off, and reap the benefits. Just remember


Believe you can and you're halfway there. - Theodore Roosevelt

I can't speak for general game design/computer art education, but most computer programming classes svck, honestly.

I mean, they really svck. You wouldn't learn anything from them.

That said, if you don't have the determination to teach yourself a programming language on your own, you will not be able to get into programming... at least, not at this stage in your life.

im a freshman and i plan on learning on python and java but i want to be good at all trades in level design
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To be honest I think Chef Kronus hit the nail on the head. You need to set some goals for yourself and work hard if you're really passionate about this.

Edit: Guess I should have started by writing that your opening post really did not tell me much about how much you've learned. From what I can gather it almost sounds like you haven't even gotten started and that is what the following post will assume.

I went into a computers course in my college albeit more out of a lack of direction than out of passion for programming but what my school seems to have a hard on for is C# so I wouldn't really be able to refer you to basic course material in anything else.

However there is some free stuff out there. Like visual C# 2010 express http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/downloads#d-2010-express Just click on the blue bar that says "Visual C# 2010 Express" and there will be a tiny "Install now" link there. You could get the 2012 version I guess but the upcoming exercise I'm going to link assumes you have the 2010 version. Not sure which minor differences might be between the two.

http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/csharp/csharp_s1p1.html is something I found after a quick google search. I just skimmed over it and did not read through it line by line but from checking the first chapter of this it at least should manage to get you acquainted with the kind of working environment you might be working in (on a very basic level) and teaches you some very basic stuff. It's not much but it's something to start on I'd wager and of course you could go on and learn further by searching for more material to learn from on your own accord.

Good luck.

Want to be a game designer?

The first thing to remember: Being a game DESIGNER and a game PLAYER are two completely separate things. It sounds glamorous when you're 15, but being in the game industry does NOT mean you'll get to spend all day playing your favorite video games. It's long hours and hard work, and actually playing games will take a very large backseat.

Classes are for some people, not others. A lot of it comes down to the teachers too. If the teacher doesn't teach you how to problem solve, think logically, and find solutions on your own, then the class is going to svck.

Actually, taking a logic class or two before setting out to learn how to program would probably be quite helpful.

The advantage of a classroom learning scenario is that you have peers right next to you and there are consequences for not solving problems, doing the work, and reaching your goals. Some people may have the desire, but not the motivation when it doesn't have consequences. Those type of people learn better in a class than on their own.

To be honest, Python is a fairly useless language for games. None of the professionals use it.

Java is usable for games, but as a starting point for (serious) programming it really is horrendous and encourages a lot of bad practice.

If you're really serious about learning computer programming for games, I actually suggest you start with Pascal or C. They are not difficult - in fact, they are less complex than Python or Java.

This is a good piece of advice.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what most CS classes lack, whether you're in Highschool or college. There are some colleges that take programming seriously and they structure their classes accordingly, but most colleges teach it in a half-hearted manner that's designed to get people where they need to go in their academic career without actually teaching them anything practical.

Anyone is more motivated to "learn" something when they have a professor breathing down their neck, but that doesn't mean they're engaging in effective learning. The best kind of learning always takes place through self-motivated exploration and experimentation, a kind of mentality that modern academia heavily discourages in favor of trivia memorization and other useless practices.

If someone requires forced motivation to learn something, it's doubtful they could ever become very good at it.

Look for a local Video Game Developer in your area.

If you have one throw yourself at their feet as an intern.

My brother did this at a local radio station.

I used to scoff at him throwing all his time at the station volounteering, pulling wierd hours etc...

He's now the National Marketing Director.

Az

There's no problem with being interested in creating video games. I would say most young gamers think they want to get into video game creation when they're older but, like someone above has mentioned, they learn that it's not as amazing as it sounds and you actually do very little game playing. I don't know much about the industry so there's not a whole lot of advice I can offer you.

However, if you feel like it's something you really want to pursue then you should get a job. Like I said, there's not much I know about programming and all of that stuff but it sounds like there's quite a few things you need or want that can help get you started. It doesn't sound like your parents are interested in funding your goal, but honestly, you shouldn't rely on them anyway. 15 definitely isn't too young to get a job and it would actually be a very wise decision. I was working on a farm 6 days a week when I was 12 and all of my siblings had jobs before the age of 15.This way you'll be making your own money that you can put towards the computer, software, programs, etc that you need. If it's something you're truely interested in you shouldn't have a problem using your own money to fund it.

Losing motivation in programming because you won't get to try a mod is really no excuse. There's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said, but setting goals is something you should do. If you're already setting and surpassing your own goals at the age of 15 or 16 you'll be well ahead of most in your class. It's pretty great to see someone focused on a career at the age of 15. Hopefully you can get the things you need and find a real interest in programming or designing. Good luck.

If you live near a university, see if their games or computer departments have open houses, or university visit days, etc. It's another way to get more info.

Another way is to befriend someone in the industry or the academic side. Prove your mettle and see what happens - it's how my brother in law became the youngest train engineer ever hired by his company...

Okay. This took me a while to type. If you don't care, go away. Otherwise...

Here's the thing: if you don't have a computer (and I mean that literally - as in, the OP is accessing this forum on a phone) then saving up money to buy one would be a wise thing to do.

But beyond that, there is literally nothing you have to spend your money on to learn the basics of computer programming and game design. Beyond the money you put down for your computer, your budget for these pursuits should be $0 for your first couple of years.

I'm absolutely serious. It sounds ludicrously minimalistic, but it's not. You know, you could buy a cheap computer for as low as $50 (Raspberry Pi?) and it would be more than adequate for computer programming and powerful enough for game design, too. The truth is, the simpler is absolutely the better here. Did you have some cool ideas for some mods for Skyrim? Awesome, now throw them away. The interesting ones are far too complicated for you to pull off, and at this point, you wouldn't be able to learn anything from any of them anyway.

So here's what I would do if I were you (funny thing is, this is exactly what I did):

1. Get a really cheap, really old PC. I used a decrepit old monster running MS-DOS 5.0, but you could use something a bit younger if you wanted.

2. Setup either a Pascal or C compiler on it. I chose C because it is the most versatile of the two, but Pascal is a bit easier to pick up.

3. Write some programs. Boring programs. Like the ages old, "Hello World!"

4. Write more programs. Boring programs. Like "Hello World - The Sequel!"

5. With your brand-new programming knowledge, remake an old game in any way that you can. Pong is good. Pac-Man is really ambitious. I did Space Invaders.

6. Game written, expand on it a bit with a couple of your own ideas. Add powerups to Pac-Man. Add bonuses to Pong. Make new alien types or weapons for Space Invaders.

7. Write some more games in this same environment.

8. Once you feel confident in your abilities and start bumping the metaphorical ceiling of your programming environment, make the glorious jump to a modern OS like WINDOWS! (Or Linux!)

9. Write some new games and revel in the glory of your modern environment.

10. Learn object-oriented programming. This should be the LAST THING you learn when you go through basic (programming) training. And yes, this has all been the basics so far. Most schools will try to trick you and tell you that you should learn Object-Oriented programming first. Nope. That's baaaaad advice, and they are baaaaad teachers.

When you finish following all these steps (which should take you a few years at least), congratulations! You will be a fully-fledged computer programmer.

Also. All of the computer groups near and in my local highschools and universit(ies) share nothing worth knowing about computer programming. What little things they know of actual value is nothing that anyone with a moderate interest in the subject wouldn't know already by following the outline I just provided. Really, I can't stress this enough, but universities and other big-name sources are just a tremendous waste of your time.

Really.

Also, I'd like to stress the fact that computer programming and even game design is not a discipline that requires anything expensive to learn about. Beyond the initial cost of buying a computer, your costs are nothing. Absolutely nothing. And you can go as high as you want from there - there are no barriers in computer programming and game design. They are purely intellectual and artistic pursuits.

To be honest, I've only bothered to read two or three programming books, if you want to call irregular referencing and skimming "reading." And I haven't learned anything useful during my time in college, despite the fact that I am an active core member of my university's computer hacking group. The total truth is that most of my knowledge on computer programming has come from self-experimentation and the internet, and I've spent exactly $0 on the information and software I've used to do the things that I do on a regular basis.

I've quoted this at least once before on these forums, but I honestly feel that John Carmack put it best when he said, "In the information age, the barriers just aren't there. The barriers are self-imposed. If you want to go off and develop some grand new thing, you don't need millions of dollars of capitalization. You need enough pizza and Diet Coke to stick in your refrigerator, a cheap PC to work on, and the dedication to go through with it."

So have at it.

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If you've just skipped to the end of my post, OP, then I would ask you to go back and finish reading it, though I applaud you for your sense of pragmatism. You will want that when a bunch of schools start popping up and saying that YOU MUST BUY THESE BOOKS and PAY THESE FEES and TALK TO THESE PEOPLE and USE THIS EQUIPMENT. Because they are WRONG.

Being 15, you have time to get a lot of learning under your belt and figure out what, perhaps, you wish to focus on in game design. There are all sorts of different game-related careers- it's not all quest/content design, it's also things like tools design, testing, platforms, security, concept art, graphic design, level design, worldbuilding, etc. Probably for most positions like content or tools or QA, some programming background is only going to help.

You say you don't have a PC right now, to be able to use the Creation Kit. Well, there's a shorter term goal - take odd jobs, save money and build your own PC. Learning to use a tool like the CK, for example, will help you understand some behind the scenes aspects of game design. And a good mod - big or small, can be used in a portfolio - could get you an internship down the road or something. I know of a couple people who got their foot in the door based on some solidly executed and creative mods.

I think it's good to have a direction at your age - you may decide to focus one one thing or another, based one what interests you. Just keep an open mind, study games, play games, get access to some tools and see what the future brings.

Good luck.

It's unpleasant to think that you won't get to do it. So whenever you think that, just switch your focus back to learning programming. Or modding. Or whatever it is you are doing to get to your goal. You'll have to take risks, and choosing to switch your focus back to work is risky, true. But that's where you see what you really do or don't want to do: if you aren't willing to risk, then maybe you really don't want to do it or don't want it enough, yet. Maybe you will grow up and be a video game designer. And maybe you won't, maybe you'll later find that something else has your heart. But right now, looks like you settled on this, so go, do whatever it takes. Easier said than done, I know. And maybe it's cliche, but Edison did invent the light bulb on the first try.

This is probably the best advice Ive ever gotten in my life
IN MY LIFE
THANK YOU

Hey wow, you're welcome!

If you need any help, PM me. Probably the most difficult part of learning to program is getting started in the first place. Being confused and having to ask "dumb" questions to get help doesn't mean you're stupid.