   Where to begin?
  I have always been interested in creating games (because of the great imagination I have) but never really knew where to start. The reason I never pursued this is because I had no school in the area to help further my desire to create games, but now the university in the city I just moved to is implementing a class this fall for game design. I don't have any prior experience in any sort of game creation, so can someone push me into the right direction? What are some programs for coding? Graphic design? Just everything in general in whereabouts I should begin learning.-Thanks!   
  The For Beginners Forum FAQ should answer those questions.As an aside, you don't need a school or university to learn this sort of stuff, it's perfectly possible to teach yourself using online tutorials and forums (That's what I did).   ;Quote:Original post by Evil SteveThe For Beginners Forum FAQ should answer those questions.As an aside, you don't need a school or university to learn this sort of stuff, it's perfectly possible to teach yourself using online tutorials and forums (That's what I did).Well, if I have to start out with some sort of programming job, I did notice that most job listings around here want someone with a degree (and not equal experience). So schooling is something I want/need to show that I have a degree/certificate.;Quote:Original post by MoroxWell, if I have to start out with some sort of programming job, I did notice that most job listings around here want someone with a degree (and not equal experience). So schooling is something I want/need to show that I have a degree/certificate.What I meant was that having a degree and no programming experience is worthless. It's much more worthwhile to have experience and no degree, although a lot of larger companies will just skip over you completely if you don't have a degree because their HR department will just chuck your CV away if you don't have a degree.   ;Quote:Original post by Evil SteveQuote:Original post by MoroxWell, if I have to start out with some sort of programming job, I did notice that most job listings around here want someone with a degree (and not equal experience). So schooling is something I want/need to show that I have a degree/certificate.What I meant was that having a degree and no programming experience is worthless. It's much more worthwhile to have experience and no degree, although a lot of larger companies will just skip over you completely if you don't have a degree because their HR department will just chuck your CV away if you don't have a degree.That's what I mean. I want/need both. If I want a job in the future, the employer WILL ask for a degree. ;  Most companies value a bachelors in Computer Science alot more than they value a game design degree(unless its from digipen or somewhere like that) IF you are looking at being a programmer. You dont HAVE to start in programming, either. If you like being an artist and making models and/or textures that is another route, you can use programs like Photoshop, 3D Studio Max, Maya, ect just dependinging on what you want to learn. Also, one thing I'd like to point out is remember John Carmack (The person who programs the game engines for Id and is Co-Founder of the company) saying that they value experience alot more than a degree. I think he said something along the lines of(he was talking about the modding community): If you have worked on a significant mod we value that alot more than a CS Degree unless its from somewhere like MIT.   ;Quote:Original post by MotoxproMost companies value a bachelors in Computer Science alot more than they value a game design degree(unless its from digipen or somewhere like that) IF you are looking at being a programmer. You dont HAVE to start in programming, either. If you like being an artist and making models and/or textures that is another route, you can use programs like Photoshop, 3D Studio Max, Maya, ect just dependinging on what you want to learn. Also, one thing I'd like to point out is remember John Carmack (The person who programs the game engines for Id and is Co-Founder of the company) saying that they value experience alot more than a degree. I think he said something along the lines of(he was talking about the modding community): If you have worked on a significant mod we value that alot more than a CS Degree unless its from somewhere like MIT.Yeah, it's believable. I really don't want to have to take school, but if some places ask for degrees, I might consider it. I have another question here:Who actually creates the idea for a game? Is there any specific job for that? For example: The universe of FFVII. How does one go about on creating the plot/characters/setting?;  There are a number of decent books on the subject that could help you get started.For someone with absolutely no experience, perhaps something like Microsoft's "Learn Programming Now! : Microsoft XNA Game Studio 2.0".I took a look at this book after downloading XNA.  It turned out to be much more rudimentary than I was expecting, however, it appears perfect for someone who is both new to programming, and new to making games.   ;Quote:Original post by MoroxI really don't want to have to take school, but if some places ask for degrees, I might consider it.Your chances of breaking in are low without a degree.Quote:Who actually creates the idea for a game? Is there any specific job for that? Read IGDA and FAQ 7Quote:How does one go about on creating the plot/characters/setting?Read FAQ 2.   