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This topic has moved here: Subject: So I'm 16 years old, not quite sure what I want to do with my l...
  • Subject: So I'm 16 years old, not quite sure what I want to do with my l...
Subject: So I'm 16 years old, not quite sure what I want to do with my l...

I'd like to learn more about the gaming industry. I'm not one of those kids who "has a great idea for a game! OMG". I know that is unrealistic to think I could actually design a game, but I want to learn more about the jobs at Bungie and see if any of them would spark my interests. Would it be possible to get an internship? I'd do what I am told there. I just want to see what it is like.

And do you really need to be good at math for programming stuff?

  • 07.17.2012 10:00 AM PDT

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure there are no internship programs at Bungie. I recommend just doing good in school and take a lot of classes related in math and computers.

[Edited on 07.17.2012 10:09 AM PDT]

  • 07.17.2012 10:08 AM PDT

The videogame industry unfortunately doesn't really offer internships usually. I did see an internship for Magic the Gathering Online once, but beyond that I've never seen anything.

I'd say Math is important, it's the language of the universe, and I use it all the time with my Computer Science classes. By the way, Computer Science is super useful in this day and age, and it wouldn't hurt to go into it even if you're not sure if you're going to go into videogame development afterwards.

  • 07.17.2012 10:09 AM PDT

Depends on your interests. There are a huge variety of roles within the gaming industry. Programming is a necessary skill for certain of these jobs. Others, like art and audio, would not require such a background.

Certain companies offer internships. It is a good idea to ask around.

[Edited on 07.17.2012 10:14 AM PDT]

  • 07.17.2012 10:12 AM PDT

Key

1. Take any computer programming courses your high school might offer (mine offers like 10, yours might not).

2. If your high school does not offer any classes, to start, I would go over to the Computer Science section of Khan Academy. While I've never visited that section of the sight, I know from experience that this guy is an amazing resource so you should get some good out of it.

3. If that doesn't work for you, while seemingly juvenile and sophomoric, YouTube and Wikipedia can be amazing outlets to learn if you're smart about it.

If you don't want to do anything with computer programming, it takes an incredible amount of real-world experience to be accepted into even a bigger independent studio. Just look at the requirements for writers and artists to apply for Bungie. At least 4 years in TV or Movies for writing or something like that if I recall correctly.

  • 07.17.2012 10:14 AM PDT

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Bye.

I know that some game developers do run internship and work-experience programs but those opportunities are hard to come across with the big developers and are often highly competitive.

You could try getting a little internship with a smaller studio. Sure, they won't have the unlimited soda and rock climbing walls, but they will show you the skills necessary to make a game.

http://www.gamedevmap.com
Gamedevmap is a handy little website to show you developers in your local area.

:-)

  • 07.17.2012 10:27 AM PDT
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ಠ_ಠ

There are probably a lot of options to choose from, I would imagine, when thinking about the game industry. Have you ever thought about anything else, other than programming? There are plenty of other places that might offer what you're looking for.

You could try maybe level design, pretty simple if you've got a good imagination. A handy knowledge of toolkits like Source or UDK, and some modeling tools, like Maya, Blender or Lightwave can also help.

I don't have any knowledge of computer programming, but I'm sure math is pretty important for it.

  • 07.17.2012 10:30 AM PDT
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I suppose if you don't know about the positions, you could check out http://www.gamecareerguide.com/ for info on the different roles in game development.

If you're not ready for college quite yet, consider the different mod communities. Mods are an awesome way to get some hands-on experience and see if you like any specific role. A good site for that would be http://www.moddb.com/.

  • 07.17.2012 10:36 AM PDT
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Anyone but Foman. He smells like cheese.

Posted by: orlando1971
I want to learn more about the jobs at Bungie and see if any of them would spark my interests. Would it be possible to get an internship? I'd do what I am told there. I just want to see what it is like.
I have not heard of any internship positions at Bungie, but if you want to learn more about the jobs people do there, you should definitely be reading the Breaking In series. Tons of insight from Bungie folks there.

  • 07.17.2012 10:45 AM PDT
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Posted by: orlando1971
And do you really need to be good at math for programming stuff?
That depends on what you're programming exactly. All of it requires some math, and a lot of it is pretty intensive. Propositional logic is a must, but not so difficult.

If you can't find an internship, don't be surprised because there just aren't that many in a lot of places, and they can have a lot of people vying for them. But don't give up too quickly if you can't get an internship. Starting thinking about a program you'd like to write, pick up a book or two, and work on it. There's a lot of open source software out there that can get you off to a good (and free!) start.

  • 07.17.2012 10:49 AM PDT


Posted by: The SyNnergy
There are probably a lot of options to choose from, I would imagine, when thinking about the game industry. Have you ever thought about anything else, other than programming? There are plenty of other places that might offer what you're looking for.

You could try maybe level design, pretty simple if you've got a good imagination. A handy knowledge of toolkits like Source or UDK, and some modeling tools, like Maya, Blender or Lightwave can also help.

I don't have any knowledge of computer programming, but I'm sure math is pretty important for it.


Alright, thanks! Level design would be my biggest interest probably. Maybe that or sandbox design? Like vehicles and weapons. Would I need to learn to draw to do this? I can't draw but I have ideas in my head. I could do a pretty crappy drawing but nothing with shading or anything special.

I live in Washington State and am hoping to major in Computer Science, because even if I don't get into the gaming industry, Microsoft is always an option. Especially since my dad is pretty high up the latter there. And I will definitley take some computer classes throughout highschool. Thanks guys!

I wish I could get a tour of Bungie to maybe see what it is like, but I tried that once and was turned away :/ they have a pretty cool studio btw from the outside. It isn't its own building though, there are some stores and a movie theater in the same building.

  • 07.17.2012 11:08 AM PDT

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Posted by: orlando1971

Posted by: The SyNnergy
There are probably a lot of options to choose from, I would imagine, when thinking about the game industry. Have you ever thought about anything else, other than programming? There are plenty of other places that might offer what you're looking for.

You could try maybe level design, pretty simple if you've got a good imagination. A handy knowledge of toolkits like Source or UDK, and some modeling tools, like Maya, Blender or Lightwave can also help.

I don't have any knowledge of computer programming, but I'm sure math is pretty important for it.


Alright, thanks! Level design would be my biggest interest probably. Maybe that or sandbox design? Like vehicles and weapons. Would I need to learn to draw to do this? I can't draw but I have ideas in my head. I could do a pretty crappy drawing but nothing with shading or anything special.



Art would be helpful to you if you have a lot of ideas, because you want an effective way to communicate your ideas to the designers. If drawing isn't your thing, why not graphic art on things like photoshop? If you can't get PS you can get GiMP, which is a free, less stream-lined version of it.

  • 07.17.2012 11:12 AM PDT
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ಠ_ಠ


Posted by: orlando1971

Posted by: The SyNnergy
There are probably a lot of options to choose from, I would imagine, when thinking about the game industry. Have you ever thought about anything else, other than programming? There are plenty of other places that might offer what you're looking for.

You could try maybe level design, pretty simple if you've got a good imagination. A handy knowledge of toolkits like Source or UDK, and some modeling tools, like Maya, Blender or Lightwave can also help.

I don't have any knowledge of computer programming, but I'm sure math is pretty important for it.


Alright, thanks! Level design would be my biggest interest probably. Maybe that or sandbox design? Like vehicles and weapons. Would I need to learn to draw to do this? I can't draw but I have ideas in my head. I could do a pretty crappy drawing but nothing with shading or anything special.

I live in Washington State and am hoping to major in Computer Science, because even if I don't get into the gaming industry, Microsoft is always an option. Especially since my dad is pretty high up the latter there. And I will definitley take some computer classes throughout highschool. Thanks guys!

I wish I could get a tour of Bungie to maybe see what it is like, but I tried that once and was turned away :/ they have a pretty cool studio btw from the outside. It isn't its own building though, there are some stores and a movie theater in the same building.


Well, Valve tends to be pretty generous when it comes to tours. Send an e-mail to them about it, you might stand a good chance at getting a tour. As for getting started in level design, if you own Steam (who doesn't), as well as a Source game like Left for Dead or Team Fortress 2, Steam automatically gives you the tools needed to start creating your own levels for the game, as well as a well-documented website here. The UDK is also free and you can DL it here. And if you want to do sandbox level design, there's Crytek's toolkit.

You don't have to know how to draw, I don't, at least. If you've got great ideas, and know how to make the magic happen, that's all you'll need, for getting started, at least.

Blender is also free, if you want to get started with 3D modeling as well.

[Edited on 07.17.2012 11:25 AM PDT]

  • 07.17.2012 11:23 AM PDT
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I understand nothing because my life is a conspiracy.

I once heard that Bungie hires people who have experience from personal projects, so that could be some helpful info. Also, don't aim for Bungie. Aim for them in the long term. Get into a smaller company that would hire you right off the back, get some experience, and then apply. That's what I'm going to try doing.

  • 07.17.2012 11:28 AM PDT

Hey I am a big Bungie fan ever since I played Halo 2. I love the series, I love Bungie. I have made a few Bungie logos in my metal shop.

I took a summer Digipen Camp it is helping a lot. I in it right now typing.

  • 07.17.2012 11:33 AM PDT

Posted by: AngryBrute1
Oh yeah, since somebody does not believe what YOU believe; that makes us vapid...
I cannot grasp that what you call "Something happened to nothing, and that nothing became something, and it was smaller than than a period."

Whatever job you get, a degree in computer science will probably help you a lot.
Other than that, good luck.

  • 07.17.2012 11:35 AM PDT

Ugh...

First on a BWU.. yeah, I'm cool.

ODST;MYTHIC Screenshot winner! One of the first to get their hands on the mythic map pack.

Try out some programming courses at your high school, they probably offer something. If you like it, go into it. If you don't, you don't.

If not programming are you amazing at any of the visual arts? Can you make environments, concept sketches.. etc?

  • 07.17.2012 11:47 AM PDT

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[*Please note that anything in my posts is likely to be filled with sarcasm, and should be taken with a pinch of salt. I tend to help people, usually*]

Invest in Adobe Flash, as well as XNA Game Studio.

I can't decide whether to consider myself an artist or a producer, but dabbling with something of your own accord in Flash (with help from tutorials online; Newgrounds is a pretty good source for that) you tend to discover what you lean closer to.

And I don't believe you need to be exceptionally good at mathematics for programming, but it would certainly help. It's more that you require a systematic mind that can understand a whole new language. I know for a fact I'd be a terribad programmer because I spend most of my time copypasting code to hack things to make them work...and that's in Flash.

Definitely look into doing little projects first, just to toy with. You're young yet. I didn't really start learning anything serious until I was 17 (though I'd toyed with Photoshop since I was about 12 or something) so you've got plenty of time, I'd say.

Also, as cynical as it is, try and watch this with a level-head and clear mind. Whilst it's not as bad as that everywhere, this does reflect a lot of hidden truth.

  • 07.17.2012 12:08 PM PDT
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Posted by: SonicJohn
Invest in Adobe Flash, as well as XNA Game Studio.

I can't decide whether to consider myself an artist or a producer, but dabbling with something of your own accord in Flash (with help from tutorials online; Newgrounds is a pretty good source for that) you tend to discover what you lean closer to.

And I don't believe you need to be exceptionally good at mathematics for programming, but it would certainly help. It's more that you require a systematic mind that can understand a whole new language. I know for a fact I'd be a terribad programmer because I spend most of my time copypasting code to hack things to make them work...and that's in Flash.

Definitely look into doing little projects first, just to toy with. You're young yet. I didn't really start learning anything serious until I was 17 (though I'd toyed with Photoshop since I was about 12 or something) so you've got plenty of time, I'd say.

Also, as cynical as it is, try and watch this with a level-head and clear mind. Whilst it's not as bad as that everywhere, this does reflect a lot of hidden truth.
ActionScript (what Flash uses) is pretty Java-like. If you (OP) want to tinker with Java stuff for free, you may want to look at Netbeans or Eclipse software. Both of those are available for free, so no up-front investment. If you've got an Android-based device, I'd go with Eclipse, but very carefully follow the instructions to set it up for Android. It's not quite as simple as just downloading one install file, running it and following a wizard. Or, if you aren't looking for Java, there are plugins available for both of those for plenty of other languages as well.

Just be patient. It's very likely you'll get off to a slow start, and that's just normal.

  • 07.17.2012 12:28 PM PDT

"No, Hoobla. No."
~DeeJ

Ahh the classic "I want 1337 job but don't want to learn math" thread. Pick your field then learn the skills for it. Don't pick a field based on your current knowledge. You want to be a programmer? Get your grades up, go to a decent tech school, start out small (maybe testing) then apply at bungie or where ever.

  • 07.17.2012 1:27 PM PDT
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I <3 you too Bungie

- Be consistent.
- Own your successes and failures.
- Stick to your word.
- Learn how to effectively converse and write.
- Work hard and be hungry for a challenge.


In my experience with design/development studios (web not video game), if you can do ^^ that, you'll already be ahead of 90% of your industry peers; off to a great start.

  • 07.17.2012 1:38 PM PDT


Posted by: killing4justice
I wish there was an internship because I am 16 also. How cool would it be to work for them. :)


Do you live in the area? ...Maybe I know you from school

  • 07.17.2012 1:43 PM PDT