This last few weeks I have noticed a pattern. I am having a hard time with time management. Time management is a very important skill for college and jobs. To help myself figure out how to manage my time better, I researched articles about how to better manage your time. I found an article called 8 Tips for Effective Time Management. The first tip is to know your goals. To better manage your time, it is important to only participate in actives that support your goals. The second tip is to prioritize wisely. I found this piece of information very interesting. According to the article, you should make sure your activities fall into these four categories: important and urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but not urgent, and not urgent and not important. By making sure your activities fit into those categories, you prioritize what must be accomplished today and what can be done tomorrow. The third tip is just say no, which is basically saying just let it go, move on, and learn. This way, you aren’t wasting valuable time on frustrating tasks. Tip four is to plan ahead. Just taking a few minutes the night before or first thing in the morning can help you organize your time wisely. The fifth tip is one that I am not good at. Eliminating distractions is the best way to get more done. I like taking breaks which usually last a few hours. That is part of my problem, which I plan to start working on. Tip six is to delegate more often. That doesn’t really apply to my situation, because most of the thing I’m doing are individual. The last two tips are very important. Tip seven, which is to watch what you spend, is something that I should try. Timing how much actual productivity goes on can be very helpful for you to determine if you're getting better at managing your time. The last tip is very simple. It is to take care of yourself. It doesn’t mean to pamper yourself but to get a lot of exercise and sleep. Things to remember
Works Cited
Polevoi, Lee. “7 Tips for Effective Time Management.” QuickBooks, 13 Feb. 2018, quickbooks.intuit.com/r/employees/8-tips-for-effective-time-management/.
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So the summer is just around the corner and it will soon be time to start thinking more seriously about life after high school. Over the summer, I plan to go visit schools to prepare for senior year. I searched for the best game design schools in the country and got some surprising results.
I found an article on the Princeton Review called Top Game Design Press Release, which rated the top schools in the US and Canada based off of a survey. The questions asked in the survey are some that could be good to ask on a college visit. All the questions are within four areas: faculty, academics, career, and technology. Some important things to ask about school surround the creation aspect. One of the questions asked was about the game engines they use and if and how many game labs the school has. When deciding if you want to go to an arts college over a traditional college, it is important to know about the academics. Whether or not they have game design courses, how many, or if they have a place to further your educations such as a game design center, lab, or library. One question that stuck out a lot to me was in the career section. They asked how many game companies came to the school. I guess the reason for asking is so they could get a better idea about how much attention they give to the game design program. Another question they asked was about how many graduates get jobs out of college. Before you spend a lot of money on a school, it is best to make sure their professors are legit. You don’t want to pay 80K and have teachers that don’t know what their talking about. It is very important to find out this information before applying to colleges, so you know your getting a good deal. Asking specific questions is the only way to make sure. According to the article, the top 5 undergraduate schools are all in the US. The first one is the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The second is New York University in Brooklyn, New York. The last three are DigiPen Institute of Technology, Becker College, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Game design school are mostly focused on the coasts of the US. The Princeton Review’s top 5 graduate school are not as focused on the coasts. The first one is Southern Methodist University in Plano, Texas. The second is New York University. The last three are University of Central Florida, University of Southern California, and the University of Utah. By the time I apply to colleges, these ranks may change, so I should check each year. What to do regarding school
Works Cited “Top Game Design Press Release.” The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews, www.princetonreview.com/press/game-design-press-release. Since I have finished my programming tutorials and am about to start making games with Unity, I thought it was appropriate to research how to make video games. Learning how to make games is very important especially, if you are thinking about becoming a game designer. I did what any seriously interested in game design would do, which was look up information on the web.
I searched the web and found an article called How to Make a Video Game. Creating a game is not a simple and quick process. The article went through some steps that anyone could follow. The first step is to envision the game. You can’t just jump into making the first game that pops into your head. You need to lay down the framework before getting into the development. I learned a few basics that are fundamental to making of a video game. First, you need to know the genre of the game and the budget. After you have determined that you have to take in consideration the games’ plot, length, and most important your experience. You can’t try and make a big complex game if your a beginner. You need to know your limitations and use them to your advantage. After you have envisioned your game, then you can figure out what kind of software would best suit your needs. GameMaker and Unity aren’t the only programs that you can use. There are many other programs that may better suit your needs but you have to be aware that some cost money. Every program works differently, so you would have to explore. After determining your vision and software, then comes the fun but challenging part, designing your characters and the games’ environment. I know that Photoshop can be helpful, but also know that it is expensive. You can use programs like Gimp to design characters for a 2D game. What I didn’t know that you can use a free program called Maya for your 3D modeling desires. I thought that you had to pay for that and blender. One of the most important things I learned is that after you’ve built your game there are two more things that you have to do. The first time is to try out your game to find out problems. Then you can export your game and share with the world for feedback. How to make a game:
Widder, Brandon. “How to Make a Video Game (Experience Not Required).” Digital Trends, Digital Trends, 8 May 2017, www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/how-to-make-a-video-game/. So, in class I have finally finished the programming tutorials and it got me thinking about whether or not I should look into getting a job in programming. But before I decide I wanted to know the pay that I could get versus other careers in the game design field. I want a job that both pays well and that I enjoy. I decided to research possible careers in programming and the pay I could receive.
I found an article called Computer Programmer Salary that had a lot of information. They had six different sections all about salary that helped me understand the money situation better. I learned that the average wage of a programmer in the US as a whole is $38.39. That is way above the minimum wage. According to the site, if you want a high paying programming, the best places to live are Seattle, New Mexico, California, and the District of Columbia. So, if I want to earn a lot of money, I might need to move to California. It is good to learn that most of the jobs are full time at 79% versus part time at 21%. I also learned that when just starting out, that the pay is about $22/hour and the salary is about $46K a year. Compared to other technology careers, programmers make 60% less a year than the other careers and rank at 79 of all careers, which is something to think about. Another thing I learned is that North Carolina is ranked #11 out of all 50 states for salary. The real question to decide is whether I want a career that I like or one that pays very well. Programming money
So recently we have been talking about what classes we want to take next year and specifically AGAD or the 3D modeling course. I wanted to take AGAD, or advanced game design. I believe that AGAD will help me more right now than a year of 3d modeling. They both have important skills to learn, but if I want to pursue a career in game design that I need to continue to build my skills. I know that I'm good at 3D modeling, coding, but not drawing or animating. But to be a game designer you need to know how.
I looked for articles on how to be a game designer and found one on gamedesigning. According to the article there are six steps to follow. The first step is to get familiar with game design and the second is to get an education. Then you can follow steps three and four, which are build a portfolio and get through the hiring process. The hiring process is basically just interviews and screenings. The last two steps are applying for jobs and passing the interviews. But before you can follow those steps you have to make sure you know the different between game deveolpment and game design. Development refers to the programming and the animation, while design refers to the mechanics, storylines, and or concepts. The game designers and developers work hand in hand to make game. As a game designer you need to talk about bad design and know how to fix them, while also talking about good design and being able to figure out why they did what they did to the game. You have to know why that level was bad or why that plot was good. How to Become a Game Designer:
Works Cited “How to Become a Video Game Designer in 6 Steps | The Ultimate Guide.” The Ultimate Resource for Video Game Design, www.gamedesigning.org/become-a-game-designer/. |
AuthorI'm a student at Durham School of the Arts, and currently in the Game Art Design pathway. I like playing the Sims 4, playing with dogs, and riding horses. This blog will reflect my learning and discoveries. Archives
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