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  • Subject: Bungie Employees: Any Tips or experience for a GDev college student?
Subject: Bungie Employees: Any Tips or experience for a GDev college student?

I'm in my first year of Game Development (of 3) at Durham College (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada), and I'm sure I'm not the only one on here attending post-secondary education for it.

I was just wondering if you had any quick tips or experiences you'd like to drop for prospective students hoping to break into the industry.

I recently learned that my program is in talks with BioWare to set up an internship, which is pretty neat considering nobody does that anymore.

[Edited on 11.28.2011 8:13 PM PST]

  • 11.28.2011 8:12 PM PDT

Why do people in ship mutinies always ask for "better treatment"? I'd ask for a pinball machine, because with all that rocking back and forth, you'd get a lot of free games.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.

What part of game development?

  • 11.28.2011 8:13 PM PDT

Hi. My name is Sean. I've been a Bungie fan since Halo launched. Some of my interests include games, exercising, laser tag, martial arts, movies, music, sports, and technology. Feel free to contact me at any time.

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Posted by: Mr Gruntsworthy
I'm in my first year of Game Development (of 3) at Durham College (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada), and I'm sure I'm not the only one on here attending post-secondary education for it.

I was just wondering if you had any quick tips or experiences you'd like to drop for prospective students hoping to break into the industry.

I recently learned that my program is in talks with BioWare to set up an internship, which is pretty neat considering nobody does that anymore.
It's important to get experience in addition to education, even if it's voluntary work. Also, create a strong portfolio and use LinkedIn as a way to come across new opportunities.

  • 11.28.2011 8:18 PM PDT

- FSC Nightmare

I'm currently a prospective student at a different college, but I do have some advice that you might find helpful.

Make sure you're passionate about this industry, and make sure you are passionate enough to put your soul into your work. You get out of your education as much as you put into it. It's also a huge opportunity for you, not to lay around, but to unleash your full potential and fit as much as you possibly can in your college experience.

Game development studios are mainly looking for what you have done to convince them that you are a vital asset to their arsenal. That means that while you are in college, write down any cool idea you might get, sketch out anything cool that might pop into your mind, and go over the par and overachieve as much as possible in your educational career.

  • 11.28.2011 8:20 PM PDT

You'll probably have a higher chance of getting a response if you PMed a few Employee.

I'd PM JonnyOThan (Jon Cable), who's a Sandbox Engineer (Extraordinaire), or Evil Otto (David Candland) is pretty good at replying to PMs, he's the Interface Lead at Bungie.

  • 11.28.2011 8:23 PM PDT


Posted by: Top_Gun_2021
What part of game development?


I honestly can't decide, I'm in love with all aspects! Character/level/prop design, modelling, animation, writing, coding, and even the audio design!

I'm going to finish my first two years before I decide for certain what I'd like to focus on (my third year is where it splits off into specialization).

And thanks for the LinkedIn suggestion--I think I'll go ahead and create a profile on there shortly.

I'm also working on four game concepts; I want to make a game as a sort of side project in addition to what I do for school.

  • 11.28.2011 8:26 PM PDT

Why do people in ship mutinies always ask for "better treatment"? I'd ask for a pinball machine, because with all that rocking back and forth, you'd get a lot of free games.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.


Posted by: Mr Gruntsworthy

Posted by: Top_Gun_2021
What part of game development?


I honestly can't decide, I'm in love with all aspects! Character/level/prop design, modelling, animation, writing, coding, and even the audio design!

I'm going to finish my first two years before I decide for certain what I'd like to focus on (my third year is where it splits off into specialization).

And thanks for the LinkedIn suggestion--I think I'll go ahead and create a profile on there shortly.

I'm also working on four game concepts; I want to make a game as a sort of side project in addition to what I do for school.


Wait, so you only have ONE YEAR of specialized education?

That sounds kind of suspect.

  • 11.28.2011 8:29 PM PDT


Posted by: Top_Gun_2021

Wait, so you only have ONE YEAR of specialized education?

That sounds kind of suspect.


My Game Dev program touches base with several different areas of study (modelling, animation, preproduction design, level design, coding). In the 3rd year you pick what track you want to specialize in, and your classes all become tailored to that focus.

  • 11.28.2011 8:33 PM PDT

Why do people in ship mutinies always ask for "better treatment"? I'd ask for a pinball machine, because with all that rocking back and forth, you'd get a lot of free games.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.


Posted by: Mr Gruntsworthy

Posted by: Top_Gun_2021

Wait, so you only have ONE YEAR of specialized education?

That sounds kind of suspect.


My Game Dev program touches base with several different areas of study (modelling, animation, preproduction design, level design, coding). In the 3rd year you pick what track you want to specialize in, and your classes all become tailored to that focus.


Sounds kind of cheap to me, but whatever. As long as you can show how good you are at the job you want you have a good chance of getting in.

  • 11.28.2011 8:38 PM PDT


Posted by: Top_Gun_2021

Posted by: Mr Gruntsworthy

Posted by: Top_Gun_2021

Wait, so you only have ONE YEAR of specialized education?

That sounds kind of suspect.


My Game Dev program touches base with several different areas of study (modelling, animation, preproduction design, level design, coding). In the 3rd year you pick what track you want to specialize in, and your classes all become tailored to that focus.


Sounds kind of cheap to me, but whatever. As long as you can show how good you are at the job you want you have a good chance of getting in.


sorry, I think I misworded that. By 'touches base' I mean 'simultaneously clusterf***s you with insane amounts of homework to make up for the diversity.'

:'D

  • 11.28.2011 8:41 PM PDT

Xbox LIVE gamertag: Dat3lessNutella
Steam username: TopWargamer
To look up my Halo stats...search for the gamertag TopWargamer.
SAVED THREAD PAGES: 283
One does not simply get rid of TopWargamer so easily.
You know this to be true.
ALL HAIL GABEN

Just saying, but whenever I graduate from college, i'm going to be doing what the OP is doing, going to college to make video games.

Only 4 more years of high school to go!
-_-

  • 11.28.2011 8:47 PM PDT

Xbox LIVE gamertag: Dat3lessNutella
Steam username: TopWargamer
To look up my Halo stats...search for the gamertag TopWargamer.
SAVED THREAD PAGES: 283
One does not simply get rid of TopWargamer so easily.
You know this to be true.
ALL HAIL GABEN

And OP, I'm going to provide you with a few links. Toy around with these different programs to help cement what you have learned.

ALL Autodesk programs...they're all FREE as well....completely legit.

Now i'm going to provide you with 2 engines to mess around with, if there are more, some other people in this thread may want to link them, but I know these are the best.

UDK, made by Epic Games, this is their Unreal engine....for FREE!
CryEngine3, this engine was used to make Crysis....and now it's FREE!

  • 11.28.2011 8:53 PM PDT

We use UDK in our program so don't worry about that.

Also, I have Maya 2011 at home (dual monitor setup, too!)

  • 11.28.2011 9:00 PM PDT

Xbox LIVE gamertag: Dat3lessNutella
Steam username: TopWargamer
To look up my Halo stats...search for the gamertag TopWargamer.
SAVED THREAD PAGES: 283
One does not simply get rid of TopWargamer so easily.
You know this to be true.
ALL HAIL GABEN


Posted by: Mr Gruntsworthy
We use UDK in our program so don't worry about that.

Also, I have Maya 2011 at home (dual monitor setup, too!)

Shinny...I so jelly.

  • 11.28.2011 9:01 PM PDT

Xbox LIVE gamertag: Dat3lessNutella
Steam username: TopWargamer
To look up my Halo stats...search for the gamertag TopWargamer.
SAVED THREAD PAGES: 283
One does not simply get rid of TopWargamer so easily.
You know this to be true.
ALL HAIL GABEN

OP, when you signed up to Durham College, did you sign up for computer programming? Just curious.

  • 11.28.2011 9:10 PM PDT

Herp
Derp.


Posted by: TopWargamer
And OP, I'm going to provide you with a few links. Toy around with these different programs to help cement what you have learned.

ALL Autodesk programs...they're all FREE as well....completely legit.

Now i'm going to provide you with 2 engines to mess around with, if there are more, some other people in this thread may want to link them, but I know these are the best.

UDK, made by Epic Games, this is their Unreal engine....for FREE!
CryEngine3, this engine was used to make Crysis....and now it's FREE!

Thanks for those last 2 links :)!

  • 11.28.2011 9:40 PM PDT


Posted by: TopWargamer
OP, when you signed up to Durham College, did you sign up for computer programming? Just curious.


No, the two courses I tried for were Game Development and Animation. I got accepted to both, so I chose my number one choice

  • 11.30.2011 5:52 AM PDT

I would say Computer Science and Graphic Arts.


My thread might be helpful. :)

[Edited on 11.30.2011 6:16 AM PST]

  • 11.30.2011 6:12 AM PDT