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UK Universities are Failing, Says Eidos Founder
Eidos founder Ian Livingstone has criticised UK universities for not aiding students in game design.
Speaking at an industry event in Manchester, the creative director at Eidos claimed that university courses are failing to equip the next generation of game designers with essential skills. “Universities are not producing enough of the type of people we need,” he said. “The industry needs mathematicians, physicists and artists.”
Livingstone’s comments are in direct contrast to what Richard Wilson, CEO of UK game industry association Tiga, explained to Edge last week. Speaking on UK game industry’s struggle against recession, Wilson stated that “we must have one of the most qualified sectors of the British economy, and that’s going to stand us in very good stead when we’re competing for international orders with publishers overseas.”
Livingstone, however, sees otherwise: “There are something like 81 courses in the UK dedicated to computer games, but universities get paid for putting bums on seats and they’re turning out students who know all about the history of games, but they can’t make them.”
Speaking at the Future Pro.Manchester event, Livingstone also called on the UK Government to revise its support framework for the games sector. “The industry doesn’t get any support event though it contributes £40bn a year to GDP,” he said. “It’s bigger than the film and TV industry put together, which get lots of support, but it operates in a background of regulatory pressure and an unsupportive press.”
The UK game production industry recently slipped into third place in global rankings, with many speculating China, and even Korea could push it to fifth.
Source: Crain’s Manchester Business.
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Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
Thanks for this information, its really usefull because im looking to join a uni in 2010 im still in college studying games development. What unis would you recommend most? or are recommended, I have seen a few good courses in UCA- Rochester, Bournemouth Edge recommended, hertfordshire, south bank and a few others.
That all depends what career you're embarking on really. To guarantee a job in the games industry - study Physics or Maths. Developers are crying out for people with proper quals in those subjects, and if you study at any of the well-known Universities: Oxbridge, St Andrews, Durham UCL etc then all the better.
If you want to do Graphics Design then I wish you luck but there's a lot of competition... :)
I did a degree in Multimedia Studies, its was a cop out at the time as i was more interested in just going to uni, and I hoped that a job in the computer gaming industry would just follow. The lack of interest from the computer gaming industry in university undergrads/leavers also has to change if things are to improve.
More apprenticeships are necessary to educate students about the skillsets required to obtain work in this industry. As it happens, I left to work in London for a management company, and got my contacts in the game industry at an E3 conference 4 years ago. I did a Masters in Applied Physics and used my contacts to get a job before my postgrad studies had finished.
Since then I've worked in New York, Edinburgh, Lincoln and Vancouver(should be a hint) and our company has gone from strength to strength. But no matter how much whinging Eidos do, without a bit of give and take from the gaming industry also, the relevant skills will not be taught by the Universities as they do not have enough insight past the iron curtain.
Well maybe Universities aren't cut out to create the new wave of game makers. They don't fair much better for architecture. If you manage to get a job after uni in Architecture, you're starting at the bottom with little in the way of useful skills.
But if you've a shortage of game creators on the horizon, one might ask why you abandoned PC gaming. That's where the talent takes its first steps. Also, many console gamers will probably never consider programming or art asset creation unless they have a PC in their home and play games on it. This is the problem with videogames.The industry has grown almost too quickly. All the possible avenues for new and young blood just never had the chance to catch up.
What’s the point in offering a qualification that is no use in the real world. The trouble with universities are that they're very good at giving you the theory, but on the practical side, is where they fall down. They just haven't got the resources in most cases.
Modern Apprenticeships or internships would encourage those with aspirations of joining the games industry, to develop the sort of skills that are required. I understand that it's impossible to teach young people everything at college or university, certainly in respect to all the different type of middleware and development technique that are used. But surely that make it even more important that universities work hand in hand with the industry to ensure some sort of common ground is achieved, it's both parties responsibilty and in their interests to do so.
Computer and Video Games courses are relatively new to most universities so maybe a little tweaking of the curriculum is required, the government could even step in and lend a hand. Whatever is decided, in the short term it would be sad to see companies like Eidos and Rockstar moving their office elsewhere, where graduate training is more developed.
Why doesn't the games industry train the people themselves, like most other industries train their workforce themselves? Besides, if people do not want to become mathematicians and physicists, nobody will put a gun to their head and force them to study that. And even if people became mathematicians and physicists they would have far better job offers than the games industry, where you never know when a publisher goes out of business, or if you are going to be part of the next project, or how many hours you have to drudge during crunch time.
I studied a degree in graphic design but wasn't prepared for the commercial world. It was only a lucky break and hard work that allowed me to pick up industry knowledge and become proficient in my industry. No degree can prepare you for real world experience. I guess the games industry has less entry level jobs so graduates have a harder time finding jobs that will give them the vital experience they need. The old classic double edge sword, you can't get experience without a job, and you cant get a job without experience...