The Academy of Interactive Entertainment and the Canberra Institute of Technology have announced a new Bachelors degree program, offering a computer science-esque training experience in the context of video games:

The BGames&VW(Prog) is a 3 year degree focused on producing graduates for the simulation, virtual worlds and games industries. Students will get to experience AIE’s studio environment and work in teams with other programmers and artists, a unique feature of the degree. IT students enrolling at the AIE Canberra campus now have the option of enrolling in the Academy’s two year Advanced Diploma of Professional Game Development or the Degree in partnership with CIT.

More information is available on the official site, including a detailed breakdown of the course and the subjects that are on offer. The total cost of the degree over the three years works out at $54,048.24, based on the costs on the site.

Just what's needed - more unemployed gaming nerds?

I did one of those courses at Qantm, now over in busneiss C# .Net way more $$$ as evident by Khel the other day stating that moving from games to busneiss he is getting a massive rise, still awesome to learn and know however and don't regret the course at all..

There is heaps of games degree's these days.

Just what's needed - more unemployed gaming nerds?

This.

Also, my friend studied at the Games Academy in Berlin. I went there a few times, was very good.

Computer games are a growing market but with all the companies collapsing in Australia you just have to assume that the business environment to attract global publishers just doesn't exist in Australia at the moment. Maybe someone in here can correct me.

Well, this is just my take on it, but it seems to me its not really the fault of any of the companies in Australia, its more that most (all?) of the Australian games companies so far that have gone under have been relying on deals and licenses with US publishers. When the s*** hit the fan over in the US, publishers started tightening the purse strings, cancelling contracts, and not so readily giving out new ones, and the companies here that were relying on those contracts suddenly had no money coming in.

Just for an example, the company I worked at had a contract with Universal for a game, but when Universal did their "Oh s***, economic crisis" panic thing and re-evaluated which projects they should continue with, and which should get dropped, ours was one that got dropped. Then not long after that, the original IP we were working on couldn't get a publisher. Ubisoft, Atari, Capcom, Konami, they were all interested in it but one by one they pulled out because they couldn't afford to take the risk.

I'd like to hope that now that things are starting to look better overseas, maybe 6 months or so down the track things will start picking up here again too, as that overseas money starts coming back in.

But theres always the option to go indy, now would have to be one of the best times ever to be an indy developer with free next-gen engines available to use, so much free software you can use to make content, and platforms like Steam (or the Iphone) you can use to distribute your game on.

thanks Khei for the words and insight .

can you recommend or know of any campus or locale in perth western australia where i could do a reputable game concept and design degree etc ??

Or an online open uni type thing from home / campus type thing

many thanks

I think game developers need to look at how they can get together and create a product other than a massive expensive computer game that needs investors and licenses etc... In the same sort of way that a filmmaker can make tv ads, corporate videos, music videos... basically short things of a very commercial nature. Could there be more value in creating interactive business applications and training programs than star wars simulators?

Geez therm, like iPhone applications or Java games for mobile phones or something really radical like that?

can you recommend or know of any campus or locale in perth western australia where i could do a reputable game concept and design degree etc ??

Or an online open uni type thing from home / campus type thing

Not sure whats in WA, the two specialists schools that teach game stuff in Australia are Qantm ( http://www.qantm.com.au ) and AIE ( http://www.aie.edu.au/ ). From a brief look at their sites, it doesn't look like they have any campuses in WA, but check them out anyway, maybe they have plans in the works to open one or they might be able to offer online courses (I believe Qantm offers some kind of online courses).

Failing that, check out what the unis near you offer, a lot of universities now are offering some games related subjects, maybe not entire degrees, but subjects on game design/programming/etc that you could slot into an arts degree or an IT degree or something.

Just what's needed - more unemployed gaming nerds?

Made me lol.

Geez therm, like iPhone applications or Java games for mobile phones or something really radical like that?

If that is the case then what are you complaining about in post #4?

Sounds to me like I need to quit my job and study to be a game developer as there are plenty of radical apps that aren't making themselves.

last edited by thermite at 17:05:29 17/Dec/09