Game design course query

Xios

Hey, my brother is doing a multimedia fetac lvl 5 course in dorset street college.

I was wondering if it's possible for him to get into one of the game design courses next year, like LUDO or the other one.

He doesn't have a leaving cert, but would a fetac lvl 5 be enough? He was accepted into the course before he got his lc results, but since he failed he couldn't continue with it

Any advice would be great.

docdolittle

Xios wrote: »

Hey, my brother is doing a multimedia fetac lvl 5 course in dorset street college.

I was wondering if it's possible for him to get into one of the game design courses next year, like LUDO or the other one.

He doesn't have a leaving cert, but would a fetac lvl 5 be enough? He was accepted into the course before he got his lc results, but since he failed he couldn't continue with it

Any advice would be great.

Ludo is a 1 year FETAC lvl 5, so he'll be doing a lvl 5 again. CGH is a 2 year Higher National Diploma in Game Design.

I got in with a lvl 5 to CGH, but I was also considered a mature student with my leaving cert behind me... To go straight into CGH, I'd say he'd have to have a few portfolio pieces to show Shane at the interview as well as a Merit profile in his current course. With a Fetac LVL 5 in multimedia, he should be able to walk into LUDO.

As I said last year to a fair few people, you're better off applying to CGH, LUDO (and the Diploma In Digital Media if he's still interested in doing more in Multimedia) just in case.

If you want to know anything about CGH, ask away, I didn't do LUDO though...

Xios

Thanks doc, i'd actuall love to know more about a course, from a student experience. Cause you can only learn so much from looking at a course description

Dr. Jonathan Crane

Friend of mine is doing the music production course, he started in September and had done his Leaving in 2009 before taking a year out. He didn't get 5 passes and was told because he wasn't getting in pending his leaving cert the results didn't matter. Hopefully that's not just a once off and it'll be the same for your brother.

I'm sure for LUDO his level 5 will be a grand way in, not sure about CGH.

I'm in LUDO now and it's been great so far, highly encourage anyone interested and willing to work to go for it.

Fiddlex

About the CGD portfolio what would you need for it? I heard tomhey use unity Photoshop and 3dsmax programs, I know basic info on these programs as I have done basic tutorials, what would I need to have and do to get a place in this course?

docdolittle

Doc is your name Darren?

And also on a more focused note- I have done both LUDO and CGHND and I actually wouldn't recommend doing Ludo unless you have to, but apply for it anyway incase you don't get in. The reason being it was a little too laid back and, while I was happy with what I was doing while I was there, what I learned there didn't help too much in CGH at least in the 3D classes (which are the main classes)... Let me make it a little more clear- the 3d classes in Ludo taught me things you don't need to know for game modeling and not enough of the stuff I did need to know. In the year I spent there I reckon I could have gotten out some really good game ready models if the 3D classes were more focused.

As for CGH, shane is quite an amazing teacher and very inspiring you would do well to listen to him and work your arse off in his classes. My main problem with both of the courses is the time and effort I wasted in classes I wanted nothing to do with. Business and the like...

In conclusion I guess LUDO is good if you want to dip your toe in the water and try some of the very basics out, or if you need to build a portfolio to get into CGH (a little advice though- do some tutorials on UV unwrapping and normal mapping outside your normal projects- Shane will be very impressed. they don't have to be of super high quality but he will appreciate enthusiasm and effort and if a certain level of effort is put into it he will take note of your efforts)

CGH is good if you want to get an actual idea of how games are made and the work that goes into them. It is also more of a proper "college course" rather than a one year fetac course. Skip Ludo if you can but when I left CGH Shane toild me that the standard of applicants was getting higher and higher every year and it is going to be increasingly difficult with every passing year- this is because of the larger amount of people going back to college because work is a little scarce.

If you know for a fact what area you want to be art of in game design then skip these courses and get a degree in your preferred area. Go to england preferrably as they have courses that are second to none. I would recommend this especially for the visuals side (modelling/texturing etc) as courses in this country are very much lacking in this area. The only acception to this is of course animation in which case you should do the animation course an BCFE as it has obviously produced some of the most talented animators in modern times- Richie baneham obviously but countless graduates have gone on to work for the likes of Disney and ILM

Why was that post removed...? Had some pretty good points in it. No mod posted up why or anything so might as well ask...

Yup, I'm Darren, had to check my email to find out who you were there