Game Design School & Being Professional in Anything

Game Design School & Being Professional in Anything

Hello world of bloggers. 

Who I am, my name is Clay Hayes, CEO/founder of  BloodShot Games LLC. Studio currently working RedNeck Assassin and other unnamed titles.  www.RedNeckAssassin.com - facebook.com/RNassassin twitter:@RNassassin 

RedNeck Assassin has been a long iterative process since the ideas of its inception 2years ago. The original thought just to be a simple 2d shooting gallery game, has morphed into a 3d-third-person-tactical-sniper-stealth on mobile platform. I will post more on its evolution in the weeks that continue.  But i’d like to about Game Design School and What it take to be a professional.

My credentials for the game industry are NONE!! This (RedNeck Assassin) will be the first game ever for me. But I haven’t gotten into Game Development having  starry eyes wanting to be a RockStar Developer that would make millions off “my golden TOTALLY original ideas.”  

I didnt join gaming school expecting late-night Halo tournaments to be done as homework. 

I didnt think doodling in margins is practice for when someone will pay me money, because my doodles are as good as Double Fines!!

I didn’t day dream on how I could write a better Mass Effect 3 ending.  

I don’t think i’m gonna be the boss because I have all the good ideas. 

And I most certainly (as much one can only dream) didn’t get my hopes up that my student game will have the success of Octodad and/or Portal.

So I entered Gaming school. I was supposed to get a Bachelors Degree in Video Game Design, but the program literally got SHUT DOWN before i was able to enter!!  I was going to school at the time, and literally had to settle for an AA degree.  I literally got laid off from SCHOOL!!! Now the world had already handed me my ass severally (several times) so this getting screwed over part is “the story of life” cliche.  I’ve been divorced, lost a child, and failed at three businesses.  And I can see the game development ecosystem with a Private Art schools over saturating the workforce market (put a help wanted add on Craigslist, and see how many people are looking for work IT’S ALOT), the AAA collapsing under it own overhead (AA is doomed, i.e.Studio 38), and the indie developer gold rush drying up (to many hipsters wearing ironic fedoras and now million dollar productions call themselves indie).  I do however see Game Development still as a legitimate disciplined craft that one could make a living at for me, my new (not ex) wife, and New baby, with formal schooling optional.     So long story short, I still am pursuing Game Development as my life’s career path.  And am using my business/management experience to complete and sell my game.  I’ve tried to dive all in with as much realistic expectations as possible.  I’m doing 2d&3d art, animation, UI, programming, PR, &Publishing all by myself now (and my network of peers i’m creating) learning as a good, paying mecernaries for weekend of work here and there. I’ve gotten some things right, and learned a whole lot of lessons(gotten a lot wrong).  There’s a saying, “you’ll learn more in your first week of work than four years of school.”  Well i’m now in month 6 of my game that had time for Sep release date. So I think I’m well ahead of where I’d be in “school” learning.  RedNeck Assassin is now over budget, out of time, and under pressure.  I feel the fanfare, WELCOME TO GAME DEVELOPMENT!!! :) RedNeck Assassin release date set for Jan 20th 2014.   Having already failed at other businessnes  in other industries I’m well aware that the business world is a bitch and half to try to survive/get noticed in.  Realistically its a hard big world out there and the game industry is no different. You are not special, and the world doesn’t care.  Now already haveing failed in other industries lets me have a different perspective on how to look at things.  One thing I noticed, marketing promotes just how easy everything is!!!! Theres the old saying, “you get richer selling mining equipment than to do the mining yourself.”  And the technologic tools have advanced so much and are available so easily truly it’s just take a quick Google search, “How to become a game developer.” Game making tools are becoming as much apart of human creative tools as a paint brush, a musical instrument, or video camera.  Meaning if you want to grab a paint brush and paint, then your a painter.  Play music then your a musician.  Point camera something, your a camera man!!! Get Unity, UDK, GameMaker, your a game developer!!!  Now all it takes is practice to become a good one, that is the catch.  To many people think it’s just “too easy” and there’s no work involed.   Any seasoned developer has done years of discipline, and rolls their eyes at “kids” that say they are going make something great overnight.  Some schools are doing a good job in instilling a work ethic in students, but too many FOR Profit private school are overcharging underEducating/preparing those for their chosen future.  In all fairness, I do believe in buyer beware philosophy, and attending “scam” school is more the students fault than the schools, is my personal opinion.  Everyone that I’ve meet that is successful has been because of their personal character not because of their schooling. Meaning if your going to succeed, your going to succeed with or without school. Game design schools have fallen into the Art School/ Film School category.  Simply enrolling in school and loading up your computer with “the software the pros use” does not make destained for the professional world!!!   Working hard everyday, slamming into metaphorical wall after metaphorical wall, wanting your work to be perfect and failing epicly, stressing your brain and emotions so much your body hurts, and then hit the restart button and do it all over again and again and again!!!  That is what makes you a professional, in any industry!!   "I do not fear the man that has done 1000 kicks one time, but i fear the man that has done One kick 1000 times!" —-Bruce Lee——