The entry way for an aspiring videogame programmer or designer, this can be used to describe a videogame college. In the past, a high school graduate who wants to enter the videogame industry can only go to colleges that offer any computer related course, however the proper blending of subjects and tools the aspiring videogame designer needs cannot be found in these courses; and the videogame industry badly needed the manpower because of their current thrive despite economic problems. The concept therefore of a videogame college was therefore made into reality.
The videogame industry has changed significantly from what it was before; it no longer produces “toys” for kids but what can be termed as toys for the big boys because it now caters to all ages. It has transformed itself from a simple way to pass time into a major media entertainment. Videogames continue to become even more impressive and realistic due also to the leaps made by technology. The videogame industry has evolved so much that it now surpasses the movie industry in terms of revenue by $1 billion. Hit videogames such as the Grand Theft Auto series and EA’s sports games can sell a million copies in a matter of days. Videogames also helped retailers from getting bankrupt as was the case of GameStop, a videogame retailer owned by Barnes & Noble. Revenues from GameStop were the reason they didn’t go bankrupt back in 2002. Due to the rise of the videogame industry, major movie and music label producer Sony has joined the industry, releasing their flagship console Playstation. The rapid growth of the industry and high demand for programmers were the reason for the need of videogame colleges. With that, other universities have started to offer videogame courses. This is a major change, before universities and colleges doesn’t consider the profession of a videogame programmer or designer as something serious.
But to pass the course of a videogame college to become a videogame programmer is not an easy task. First of all, these courses are packed with mathematic subjects, physics, advanced computer programming and animation which are the key tools for developers and programmers. Then add to that the growth of the industry, as the number of these professionals increase, the competition becomes greater, and only the best of the rest would be able to remain. There is a thin line between insanity and genius, and to become a great in this industry you have to be able to walk that line. But the rewards at the end of it are worth it.
Basically, for the students of a videogame college, there are two rewards. The first is they can earn a lot of money. An average videogame programmer earns around $50,000 a year; but a videogame programmer involved in creating a hit game can earn double that amount in a year. But the greatest reward for them would have to be the fact that you do what you want, living a dream then you get paid for it.
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