You've made the decision to work in video games. Now what?

If you're anything like me, you love video games but have no idea how to make one, and that's okay! There are programs all across the country that will show you the ropes so you can find your place in this immense industry.

At the Toronto Film School (TFS) in the RCC Institute of Technology in Toronto, for example, you can enrol in video game design and development or design and animation, both specifically for gaming. Both the programs also offer design courses, production courses, business for games, and audio, says Jean-Paul Amore, chair for both programs. Each student collaborates with one another to create games.

Collaboration and networking are key in these programs, a significant perk while learning design and programming. Students interested in indie gaming oftentimes come out of a program with a group of people they've found they work well with.

Ultimately what makes the program strong is working in a team environment, says Conor MacNeill, professor of game development at Niagara College. The projects they're working on, are very close to working on an indie game or in a studio environment where relationships are very important. Everybody in your class has strengths. If you want to learn modelling and that's the expertise of the person next to you, they can reach over and show you exactly how that's done.

Game development strengths that you build while in these programs range from model development to landscape design to character animation, not to mention everything on the programming side. There are many different focal points, but you'll get a basis in all areas, no matter the program.

We're trying to develop well-rounded video game developers here, says MacNeill, so if there's a young entrepreneur who wants to build a whole game by themselves, they can come here and learn everything that they need to do that.

These programs aren't only focused on the fundamentals of game development, though. There is also game theory and history, as well as the business side of things, something that's becoming more important as the indie game scene gains steam. We have courses that train them on production, so how to manage a project, budget, and schedule, says Amore. We have courses on how to market games and how to complete proposals for funding.

At some schools, like TFS, students can complete a follow-up bachelor of business administration at partnered universities'Yorkville University, in this case. The benefit to the student is if they worked on games that they would want to commercialize, they'll have the means to do it.

Ultimately, these programs are about starting a career, so many will have internships available with local studios. And the instructors likely have backgrounds in game development, meaning getting on their good sides may lead to networking opportunities.

Programs like these are for all types of students, from recent high school grads to mature students. It's an open, exciting field, so if you're interested, schooling in game design is definitely the place to start.

Photos: aodt.ca