The Games Game

Quick Links:
Archives • Ask Tom

Each month, industry veteran Tom Sloper provides career guidance to game biz wannabes, newbies, and junior professionals with the goal of helping them break into the industry, and stay in. Submit a question to Tom for developer-oriented advice in this column (IGDA members only).

by Tom Sloper

Trust Your Feelings, Luke (March 2004)

Dear Tom,

I've loved video games since I can remember. I've done some research in game development, but admittedly know nothing concrete about the gaming industry. The college I'm attending right now has no solid game design program, but I'm working towards a programming degree. I've always been very interested in the graphic design side of things, and even have some affinity for it but I can't decide which product to get my hands wet: 3D Studio Max, Lightwave, Maya 3d, etc. Can you give me a little guidance in this direction?

As well, there's a plethora of game design books that talk about every facet of game design, but I'm interested in what you'd recommend as good starters, intermediate, and advanced books to work with to get a better idea of the scope of the game industry? I know I'll eventually have to get a job to really understand everything, but my goal is to eventually move to Arizona and start a development studio out there, so I'm trying to get as much information now as possible so I have something to start me off.

Finally, do you feel that a master degree in software engineering or an additional bachelor degree in media design, will be more beneficial for me in the gaming industry with the goals I've got in mind?

Thanks for your time and help,

Jeremy Streeter

Dear Jeremy,

Your first question as a programmer interested in graphics is whether you ought to start by using 3D Studio Max, Livhtwave, or Maya. It doesn't matter which you start with. All are good. Whatever tools you learn now will familiarize you with the concepts - the specific tool you use is unimportant.

Your second question is about books that discuss the game industry (as opposed to game design or game programming). I've contributed to two books of that type, and I'm not that familiar with others. So although it smacks of a plug, I have to recommend Secrets of the Game Business and Game Design Perspectives , both published by Charles River Media.

Your third question is whether you should get a master's in software engineering, or a second bachelor's in media design. You didn't tell me enough about your specific goals or interests to aid me in giving you an opinion on this matter. When you have considered all the pros and cons of an issue in trying to arrive at a cold and logical decision, and still haven't been able to make a choice, then let your gut feelings factor in. Normally I have to remind people that "trust your feelings, Luke" is just a movie line. But sometimes feelings need to be considered in order to make a decision.

Please note that there is no guarantee that Tom will be able to respond to all the questions he receives. It is up to his discretion which questions he uses for this column. For further advice and resources, check out the IGDA's discussion forums, the Breaking In web site and the Students & Newbies Outreach section.

Tom's Bio

Tom Sloper's game biz career began over twenty years ago at Western Technologies, where he designed LCD games and the Vectrex games "Spike" and "Bedlam". There followed stints at Sega Enterprises, Rudell Design, Atari Corporation, and Activision. In 12 years at Activision, Tom produced 36 unique game titles (plus innumerable ports and localizations), designed four games, and won five awards. Tom worked for several months in Activision's Japan operation, in Tokyo. He is perhaps best known for designing, managing and producing Activision's "Shanghai" line. He is currently consulting, writing, speaking, teaching, and developing original games. Find out more at Sloperama.