How could i get into the game industry?

The Edster

Hi I am not very sure if this is the right place so I apologise if it is not.
My name is Eddie Reilly I love video games and I began learning to program 3 months ago.
I started with html and css and now I am doing Javascript.
I am 13 and love working with the unity engine.
I have made a few small games ....eg: Pong, endless runners, a simple shooter, .....etc
I am now working with someone i met online that is 16 on a video game I am fully programming it and he designs levels and we put it together bit by bit.
We are 2 weeks in and I Have coded most of the basic game mechanics...eg: movement, enviromental effects.eg: bouncy platforms platforms that delete after 1 second after collision, moving platforms, ; the GUI , a level timer
We plan to put it on desura for free or sell it for 2 euro

well I want to get into the game industry and not just be a small indie developer

My plan is this: Go to trinity college
get a masters in computer science
hopefully get a job for havok

I chose trinity because of their havok connection and all the other connections they have and also how not many people in my town have ever gotten in

I get good grades
My end of year exams last year were 6 A 3b and
I am in all honors and my tests were in honors also
Is this a good plan ?
Please give me some advice as this is my dream
I absolutely love programming

satchmo

Sounds like you're off to a great start! Your plan is solid, especially considering you're only 13. Just keep going the way you're going and you'll be in a great position to get into the industry. For now don't worry about where you're going to work or whether you'll get a masters or not, just concentrate on doing well in school - especially maths. If you have the opportunity to do physics or applied maths they would also help, but maths is the most important one for programming.

My only advice would be to try to transition over to C# for your Unity scripts when you can - you'll learn a lot more about real programming than staying with Javascript, and it'll put you in a much better position when starting college. But there's plenty of time for that, just keep doing what you're doing and make sure you're always enjoying it!

The Edster

Thanks man will do

markfinn

I agree almost entirely with Satchmo, with one difference.

Move over to C# immediately if sticking with Unity. (Big Unity fan myself, it's a great way to get a game up and running).

However, too much time on Javascript (particularly the Javascript variant used in Unity) tends to teach extremely bad habits, especially if it's your first main language.

It's never too early to get some C/C++ practice in. It's a lot less visual than working with Unity, but can be a lot more satisfying to learn development at that lower level. They've been around a long time already. They'll be around a long time yet, and are still very popular in big industry games development as the performance gains tend to be crucial in triple-A game development.

At some point, if you haven't already, read up a bit on the MVC (Model View Controller) design approach. It makes small quick games more difficult to finish at first, but is a lifesaver when working on larger and more complex games.

Languages/Environments with "Visual" in the name are for office workers who wish they were coders, and who need a team of 20 and a budget for six months to get close to the productivity of one good night of solo. Avoid those languages like the plague, as they seem to rot people's brains and destroy coding capability from the inside like mind-viruses.

megaten

If your 13 I would just focus on making games in whatever way you want.

The Edster

megaten wrote: »

If your 13 I would just focus on making games in whatever way you want.

I didn't ask that

Kyotokid

Good work Edster! Keep doing what you're doing and yes C# would be the one to go with. Maybe in a few years we can take you on for transition year at Team Aozora

It would be worth checking how many Trinity grads go on to have careers in the game industry.



/off topic aside: So not only can't I submit url's I cant add a signature?? I don't get this forum. What is the minimum posts I need to be able to add one. Surely that just encourages me to post lots just to hit the target...anyway.....

RedXIV

The Edster wrote: »

I didn't ask that

Worth noting Eddie, the games industry, in ireland in particular, is a very close knit group of people. I've seen people lose any chance of their careers in it because they were rude to one person and every other employer found out within days.

Just be careful, the above sounds a bit off.

The fact you're coding already stands massively to you, if you keep at it, you'll be in a great position. If you want to get hired as a developer, your portfolio is key, and will probably make or break your entry into the industry. And a portfolio should be broken into two categories. Demonstrating a particularly sophisticated mechanic in a single demo and completed games. Not half finished games, that will damage rather than enhance your portfolio.

If Havok is your main goal, you really need to get Physics under your belt, you need to get to grips with some of the advanced mathematics involved with their physics engine which has been the main component since inception. If you're willing to get into any games company, it might be worth investigating mobile development as quite a few companies here are doing that. Demonware are also here and they are mainly networking middleware.

satchmo

Kyotokid wrote: »

/off topic aside: So not only can't I submit url's I cant add a signature?? I don't get this forum. What is the minimum posts I need to be able to add one. Surely that just encourages me to post lots just to hit the target...anyway.....

It's 50 posts I believe, as an anti-spam measure. Kinda strict alright but I guess it's necessary for a site this big.

RedXIV wrote:

Just be careful, the above sounds a bit off.

I thought the same thing when I read it. Be careful Eddie, if you ask for advice and react like that (no matter what the response) then you'll quickly find the advice drying up. Also keep in mind that the first thing potential employers are going to do is Google you, so try to not look like an asshole online.