Hey everyone! I’m researching a career that really interests me. I know that the area I want to work in is in computer game development for now, but is it possible to use a "Bachelor of Science in Computer Games Development " to work as a software dev?
Thanks,
That depends quite a lot on the University. I did a Bachelor of Science called Multimedia and Internet Technologies (MIT), which encompassed many things. The year after I finished the degree, the University was set to change the name of course, as what was covered included, but did not solely include Web and Multimedia (what the title suggested). As Virtual Reality, 3D Game Development and much more was included.
Check the summary of subject names and their descriptions, that’s important.
I have not found that the exact title of any course has restrained my previous career prospects. I have had Web Design roles, as well as Application Development roles, and Technical Support/Maintenance roles.
Hope you get into your University of choice 
I don’t really know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was not very useful. A lot of semi-dodgy universities these days are offering ‘fast-tracked’ specialized courses in exciting areas such as games development. I wouldn’t be surprised if people hiring for more general computer work would be at least a bit suspicious of seeing something like this, and would be far more comfortable with a normal computer science degree.
I don’t think you can go wrong with a standard comp sci degree, and some personal game dev projects to show to your prospective employers.
The course actually has a Software Design and Architecture subject for a full semester, and there are a couple of computer science courses throughout the 4 year course! I’m beginning to think the course is really a broad computer science course that focuses on game development more intensely.
Thanks everyone
If I were personally hiring in a corporation, I would tend to be super skeptical of any game centric programming degree. I’d strongly prefer people who had traditional math/CS backgrounds or dropped out of university to do hands on.
If I were personally hiring with my own money, I would only look at their past work.
Why is each word a capital in your topic title?
In a title these are the rules that should be followed: http://titlecapitalization.com/#
I accidentally capitalized ‘A’ and ‘To’, but everything else is fine. I’m having trouble understanding why that would also be a problem, and it is definitely not linked the the post topic…
Yes?
Portfolio - top priority
Title of your degree - not so important.
I work part-time as a lecturer on a Games Computing course. The course includes good fundamentals on programming and our graduates seem successful in getting a job if they decide to work outside of games. But some of our Computer Science graduates get jobs in games.
It all depends on the course you are doing. That applies if it involves games or not.
The one does not exclude the other.
A software dev can be hired as a game dev, a game dev can be hired as a software dev. It very much depends on your (practical & professional) experience in the areas that are required for the job.
I’m not saying every company thinks so, but probably the most are interested in your qualifications.
I’m also doing my Bachelor of Science with main focus on game development (you have quite a lot of freedom here though, you can also focus on web dev, mobile app dev, network administration, artificial intelligence, etc …) and also started to work for a big company (as part-time software dev) which has nothing to do with the games industry at all.
It might be a factor for your first job. But two years out no one will care.
These things really depend on the interviewer/person who filters resumes. In general, it’s safer to have something more mainstream - you’re less likely to bump into peoples personal bias.
Also probably depends a lot on the industry. Older or more traditional industries probably prefer more mainstream degrees.
Formal rules, like described in that link, are primarily for titles and chapters in books and papers, movies, etc. Forums are informal and capitalizing titles like that is very unusual and generally will get you comments like the one @hippocoder made.
I vote that all forum titles from here on out should be camel case.
yesSir = true; lol.
I have wondered the same thing myself many times, and my experience now has taught me that it really depends on what is covered in your games degree.
If your games degree has stuff like: game design / 3D art / blah blah - none of that is really relevant to Software Dev.
If your games degree has games programming (e.g. Unity) - a lot of that is very different to software development. Yes, you need to know C#, for example, but Unity uses it in a somewhat different way to normal applications. Learning Unity by yourself with the online tutorials for example will not teach you things like design patterns, how to use Visual Studio properly and run compilers outside of Unity, proper software architecture, etc.
There may be a lot of software dev things you’ll miss out on, that a normal Computer Science degree would normally teach you. I know that in my games degree, I learnt almost none of the normal Computer Science stuff, but it was very new when I did it so maybe they have improved now.
If your interest is in programming or software dev then I agree that the safest option is to study Computer Science, and if you want to get into the gaming industry they’ll still look upon that favourably (game examples are good to have). Going from gaming degree into software dev field is also possible but I’d say a bit more risky.
I kind of wish I had studied Comp Sci instead of my gaming degree.
Who knows, maybe when you’re 30 you’ll decide you really like money. Getting a gig at an investment bank might not sound sexy when you’re in school - but, baby, those zeros in your paycheck have a sex appeal all their own.
A CS degree opens more doors.
I don’t know what country you are in, but a lot of schools here are offering software development degrees. They are similar to CS but without as much math. While CS is optimal, other programs might work for you too with more flexibility.
Look for a local school that has ties to the tech industry in your area. My son is enrolled in a BS degree program in management and software development and he gets internship info on a regular basis as well as job possibilities. These will be invaluable when he finishes. He was previously enrolled in an online out of state school and he received none of that.
Also, look for a local Unity User group and start making contacts.