   Student seeking advice.
  *deleted*[Edited by - nickelplate on January 16, 2007 8:39:14 PM]
  When I started my masters, I knew I wanted to do a thesis on something graphicallyorientated.  The professor I ended up choosing was the one more interested indesign and data structures.  This ended up being a good thing though.  Throughhis influence, my thesis went from just research into some new form of outdoorrendering, into one that also emphasized scene management and the combinationof dynamic data in a BSP tree.  He also had Microsoft contacts, so that meanta free computer to do the research on and a 2 year subscription to a Universal (or was it Enterprise, which ever one was more expensive) MSDN (which is worth A LOT of money.).Also, working with a company is a BIG plus on the resume when you get out.That same professor got me a grant with NASA doing image recognition research,and it really helped out when I finished.You have to weigh not only what you like, but what will help you in your career.Software Engineering, and having done it in practice, really is a plus.If you are going for a career job, there is already a big chance you won''t do exactly what you want, but having good experience before you get there willhelp you choose.  I say work for the game company, get engineering experience, get working with a team experience, and get to work with a game company.  ;  The process project may also be a better project because process is a hot topic right now (And will be for the next 10 years).  Games are reaching blockbuster movie production value, but without the process.  If you are able to do some truly ground breaking research, you should have very little problem finding a job in the games industry.   