Games Development - Which Polytechnic? (need urgent advice)

lene321 SG

I decided to take the Games Design and Development course offered by Singapore Polytechnic, due to the assumption that the low cut-off point of 12 meant that it's the best. However with the JAE registration ongoing currently, I've suddenly had a number of people advising me not to go for it.

http://www.sp.edu.sg/SPweb/appmanager/home/default?_nfpb=true&linkNode=/BEA%20Repository/FutureStudent/Courses/Design/FullTime/DiplomaInGamesDesignDevelopment/YourFuture&T17004799711148618167876_actionOverride=/cmsTools/extension/content/main/link&_windowLabel=T17004799711148618167876&_pageLabel=SP_ABT_C_FTD_MICT_GDD

In terms of career development, graduates from this diploma have opportunities to further their studies and training in Australia, UK and the US where undergraduate degree courses in games design are plentiful.

My father spoke to me regarding it yesterday, saying that he's concerned because there doesn't seem to be any University that recognizes the SP diploma in GDD. NUS, NTU, SMU or SIM don't offer any further courses in this field. Seeing how SP doesn't seem to provide the names of any Universities that are willing to take you in and allow you to advance to the second year, it seems like they're saying "After you graduate from SP, you're going to have to find your own way".

Also, this morning one of my classmates of my present JC called me up, advising me against the SP course as well. His reason was that the software which SP makes the students use is basic and stupid, whereas NYP offers a more advanced/sophisticated software. He advised me to go for the Digital Entertainment Technology in NYP instead..

*sigh* I'm really not sure what to do. Part of the reason why I picked this course was due to it's low cut-off point (of course I do have a genuine interest in this), hence I wouldn't be dragged down by the slob-ness of my classmates. My dad told me to find out how far in University this can get me. He says that if there are no Universities that recognizes this diploma in GDD, then there's no point even going for this course.

My questions:
- Which polytechnic course would be most relevant, if I want to work in this industry.
- Which of these can prepare me the best? (lecturers; facilities; projects; etc.)
- Do they offer you an option to further your studies?

Anyone can help me out a little with some advice? Sad

mr_sotong SG

wat they said is myth...

trust me.. i'm from sp.. Laughing

Lin Yu SG

go to poly that work with the industry. NYP and NAP seems to be in tune with that. former seem more systematic

Fatum SG

you may think you'll want to work in this field now .... but you'll likely change your mind in the future .... so don't take up one of these specialized and overly narrow diploma courses .... take something general ....

take a computing related diploma course .... go onto uni, read com engine or com sci, and then specialize from there .....

you'll be stuck in a narrow field and can't move around much in the future .... many diploma grads never work in their field of studies after graduation ....

lene321 SG

Sorry, made a mistake. It should have been Digital Entertainment Technology and not Digital Media Design. Anyway, I've gathered from a number of people that NYP is generally better in Media + IT.

If you were to put both Digital Entertainment Technology and Games Design & Development side by side, would you actually say that DET would prepare you better in terms of understanding and skills? (I know it's very very hard for most of your to make a comparison, since 99% of your won't even be in either course, but any help would be appreciated Sad )

Also, does anyone know which Universities would I be able to advance to, should I take the DET course in NYP?

Thank so much. I really really appreciate everyone's advice.

lene321 SG

Hmm, would you consider Diploma in Digital Entertainment Technology to be more broad?

Fatum SG

I have no idea .... I don't know what that covers ... there were nothing like these choices in my time .......

my advice is don't be sucked in by those fancy, narrow specialty diplomas ..... cos chances are you'll change your mind about it later .... and where will you be then ? ...

lene321 SG

This is what it says for NYP DET:

Focuses:
Games & visual effects programming Create you own world, share it with the world.

*
Would you like to learn the latest technologies to make the next hottest game?
*
Will you take up the challenge of programming the coolest digital visual effects for movies?
*
Do you want to be part of the creative force that shapes the exciting digital entertainment industry?

If you have the passion to build your digital adventure world, if you understand what entertains people, if you have the keenness to build the coolest technologies, then DET would be your first step to realise your dreams.

The course will prepare you for careers in many different branches of the digital entertainment industry: games development, animation and visual effects for film and television production, edutainment and virtual reality technologies. Your skills as a Digital Entertainment Programmer will also give you access to a wide range of jobs in the software and digital media sectors.

Graduates in Digital Entertainment Technology can build careers as a:

* Game Programmer
* Wireless Games Developer
* 3D Graphics Programmer
* Technical Director
* Visual Effects Specialist
* Simulation Engineer
* Scientific Visualisation Specialist
* Multimedia Specialist
* and many more

Your first step into the digital entertainment industry
You will work on real-life projects with the industry, not some boring classroom work. You will meet some of the industry big- names through our network of industry partners: Electronic Arts, LucasArts, and Koei and at least 15 other local games companies. Some of our student projects have already been featured in the renowned online games websites such as Gamastura.

Recognition from National and International Universities
Not only does DET provide you with the first step into the creative workforce, you can further enhance your skills and knowledge with both local and foreign universities (including Digipen Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University ), who offer advance standing for our students. DET graduates will be able to obtain their Bachelor and Masters Degrees with at least one-year exemption from their games and visual effects programmes. No other polytechnic offer such opportunities.

Using programming to animate leaves blown
off a tree near the end of a cliff.

The course offers 2 main tracks:

Games Development
The Games Development Specialisation trains students for the Games Development Industry. Students will be equipped with in-depth games development skills such as 3D graphics, network, C++ programming and be exposed to industry projects. In DDET, we train students to understand the demands and needs of the games market. These students will be capable of developing creative games content.

Technical Direction for Visual Effects and Animation
The Visual Effects and Animation Specialisation covers visual effects and animation programming techniques such as procedural modelling, texturing and shaders programming. It will also cover pipeline management and customization, introducing tools that are commonly used in the industry. You will also be given a strong foundation in visual arts techniques for creating visual effects and animation. This also includes creative story telling techniques.

We are looking for students with passions for the digital entertainment and media related work. Our entry requirements are students from GCE O levels, ITE graduates and other talented individuals with a good portfolio. Come join the digital entertainment revolution

And this is the link for the SP DGDD:
[URL]http://www.sp.edu.sg/SPweb/appmanager/home/default?_nfpb=true&linkNode=/BEA%20Repository/FutureStudent/Courses/Design/FullTime/DiplomaInGamesDesignDevelopment/Overview&T17004799711148618167876_actionOverride=/cmsTools/extension/content/main/link&_windowLabel=T17004799711148618167876&_pageLabel=SP_ABT_C_FTD_MICT_GDD[/URL]

HyuugaNeji SG

NUS, SMU, NTU, SIMuni, INSEAD and many other uni are constantly adding new courses into their curriculum. You never know. Anyway, with that course, you can probably still apply to com science in NUS, NTU.

The requirement is only for computer-related course in poly

FireIce SG

existing thread