Ahhhh.. Technology. Isn’t technology great? It is. Though technology would be a lot better if we as humans, were not limited by our own capacity to use and understand that technology. Still, we are getting there. Slowly but surely, video games and the technology for video game development are improving and the costs are lowering. But what is improving even more is, the amount of talented individuals who are coming from game education programs who take with them new skill sets and creatively innovative ideas to help usher in a new age for the video game industry.
A perfect example of course would be the game Flower. It’s not your typical game. No guns. No swords. No blood. Not even human characters we have become so accustomed to seeing on screen. Literally, it’s just a bunch of flowers. Of course there is more to it than that, but the way this game was developed, the core idea behind it, has helped touch many gamers, and game developers in a way that makes us say, “there is so much yet to be explored.” Game innovators such as Jenova Chen, as well as future game developers who are influenced by him and the innovative “out of the box” thinking are just some of the reasons this industry is so great.
From a recent article on Gamasutra, James Portnow of Divide by Zero discusses game education and the role it plays in the sea of change the game industry is currently experiencing. I couldn’t agree with him more.
Gamasutra excerpt:
For the first time in history “game creation” is being taught as a focus of higher education. From the bachelor’s degree given out by DigiPen to the masters degrees offered by more traditional universities such as USC or CMU, today people are getting rigorous formal training in game crafting before entering the industry.
But, perhaps more importantly, these institutions are providing the next generation of game developers with a safe space to innovate and create, outside of a corporate environment.
Game schools will do for us what film schools did for film. They are a place for wild experimentation and valuable, if not immediately profitable, research. These schools focus a community of dedicated, energetic young people and give that community the critical mass it needs to allow these young people to learn from each other and formulate new ideas as a group. Our Lucas, Coppola, and Scorsese will come from these schools.
Just look at this technology being developed. It’s ridiculous. What an exciting time to be part of an industry that not only provides awesome entertainment to families across the entire globe, but also provides a path for students to earn a promising education in doing something they love to do. Colleges and art schools around the world are providing students a path in game education, and developers in turn are developing games for educational purposes. Educational games have so much room to grow, and the sea of change discussed in the Gamasutra article is spot on in its assessment.
The Gamer Report 