Any decent choice other than UofT & Waterloo?

[siegfried7b]

I'm applying for universities right now, and I already know that these two are top choices, but I need some back up plans.

[Dan]

That completely depends on what you are looking for in a university, what your academic goals are and what your plans are after you graduate.

[siegfried7b]

Dan @ Sun Jan 10, 2016 5:22 pm wrote:

That completely depends on what you are looking for in a university, what your academic goals are and what your plans are after you graduate.

Don't really have an academic goal if that means becoming super expert in the area.
I basically just want to work as a programmer after graduate. To be honest, I want to be involved in game industry, but if not, other types of software is fine.
Anyway, I'm not interested in hardware.
Also, I don't care about campus/social life, etc.

[Dan]

Then I would recommend looking into CS programs that have a game option or minor. Almost all universities have their course calendar online. You should check out what courses are being offered that might be related to gaming.

The big thing for getting hired as a game developer is going to be experience. It will likely matter more than what university you went to (so long as you have a degree). You should be looking to see if any university might have a co-op program that would let you do something related to game dev. Another thing to check for is if the university has a 4th year project course involving game dev.

I have not looked into any of this my self, but I do know Western has a minor in game development for CS students and a 4th year project courses in game development.

Disclaimer: I work for Western as a TA/grad student and could be biased.

[Tony]

I've been suggesting UBC. Presence of video game industry; chance of having Amazon or Microsoft moving you down to Seattle. Failing all that, Vancouver is just a really great city to live in.

While you are interested in video game industry now (most people would be, at this point in the decision making process), there are many more areas to software that you probably don't yet know about. Keep your options open, during your studies.

[siegfried7b]

Dan @ Sun Jan 10, 2016 6:25 pm wrote:

Then I would recommend looking into CS programs that have a game option or minor. Almost all universities have their course calendar online. You should check out what courses are being offered that might be related to gaming.

The big thing for getting hired as a game developer is going to be experience. It will likely matter more than what university you went to (so long as you have a degree). You should be looking to see if any university might have a co-op program that would let you do something related to game dev. Another thing to check for is if the university has a 4th year project course involving game dev.

I have not looked into any of this my self, but I do know Western has a minor in game development for CS students and a 4th year project courses in game development.

Disclaimer: I work for Western as a TA/grad student and could be biased.

I actually can't find CS in Western's program list. But thank you a lot for your advises and information!

[Dan]

siegfried7b @ 11th January 2016, 9:23 am wrote:

I actually can't find CS in Western's program list. But thank you a lot for your advises and information!

Western Undergrad CS Programs: http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg653.html

Western Undergrad CS Courses: http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg900.html

Department Website: http://www.csd.uwo.ca/


Tony is right, in that many students go into CS wishing to go into game development and change their mind by the time they graduate. Regardless of what university you go to you should make sure you still have options if you no longer wish to go into game development (e.g. make sure your able to easily switch from a game dev degree into a noraml CS degree). My recommendation would be find a few universities you are interested in and try talking to someone from their CS department about how their program works and what would be required in their games development option/minor/program.

[siegfried7b]

Dan @ Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:19 pm wrote:

siegfried7b @ 11th January 2016, 9:23 am wrote:

I actually can't find CS in Western's program list. But thank you a lot for your advises and information!

Western Undergrad CS Programs: http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg653.html

Western Undergrad CS Courses: http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg900.html

Department Website: http://www.csd.uwo.ca/


Tony is right, in that many students go into CS wishing to go into game development and change their mind by the time they graduate. Regardless of what university you go to you should make sure you still have options if you no longer wish to go into game development (e.g. make sure your able to easily switch from a game dev degree into a noraml CS degree). My recommendation would be find a few universities you are interested in and try talking to someone from their CS department about how their program works and what would be required in their games development option/minor/program.

Yeah that is pretty much why I'm not seeking for specialization in game field