Since I was a kid, I’ve always had a passion for drawing; I would draw my own little comics and portraits of characters that belonged in my own little imaginative world. As I grew older, another little passion came in and that was video games. The first games I ever played were Final Fantasy 5 and Street Fighter 2: Turbo. The feel in playing those games for the first time was phenomenal and magical as if it opened a whole new world in me to be entertained.
When I graduated from high school, I always knew I wanted to do something art related. I despised studying and being stressed from a useless and un-entertaining class that really didn’t give me anything in the future. I was already a decent artist when it came to painting and drawing. In terms of computer technology I didn’t know much, other than Photoshop and how to use the internet.
He said this because the industry hires graduates from the Art Institute of Vancouver.
At first I wasn’t sure about going to The Art Institute of Vancouver because my mother wanted me to attend college and get a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree. During that time I thought it was a good idea to go to Emily Carr, but after asking a friend who was taking pretty much the same course I would take, he advised me to go to AI. He said this because the industry hires graduates from the Art Institute of Vancouver. So it took a while for me to think about it, but eventually I decided to go with there.
The Program
In the Game Art and Design program, I learned a lot of things such as color theory, life drawing (if you love to draw this class will be a big help for you), storyboarding, story telling and a little scripting. Students don’t get to choose their own classes, which was a bit of a relief for me because I hate choices. There were a few of them I didn’t like because they were irrelevant on what I wanted to do in my career. It was helpful to understand the basics on some of those classes. However, it’s one of the reasons people dropped out of the course. Some students found some courses difficult and hard to understand thus making the program un-enjoyable, which in time made them drop out.
When I first set foot in AI, I was surprised at how the class sizes were small. It was pretty nice to be in a class of 15 students rather than 50. When I signed up for the program I had a difficult time trying to understand all these new computer programs I was learning, but with help from friends and a few teachers I got the hang of it and felt comfortable using them. In the end I learned a lot of great programs like Maya, Photoshop, Unreal Tournament Editor, Flash and Zbrush. But knowing that some studios use other programs it would have helped to know 3d Studio Max, Mudbox and Good Brush.
The School
I would say the school was alright for a first hand experience. The library was pretty useful and students have free access to it. There is a bookshop where you can purchase art supplies and books and a pretty good cafeteria with decent food. A few sections of the school are open for 24 hours so you have the school for yourself, unless it’s around the end of the quarter and some students use the labs for their demo reels. There are some pretty interesting and enjoyable classes, and the events were fun when I had the time to attend.
Nonetheless, the teachers at AI are industry professionals who are either still working in the industry or have worked in the industry in the past.
The Instructors
Students may face a few instructors that may lack the knowledge or commitment when they are teaching a class. Some teachers may lecture for a whole 4 hours or others just are new to the program they are teaching and have little knowledge when working on the program. I’m not saying all of the instructors are like that; it’s just a really small portion. Nonetheless, the teachers at AI are industry professionals who are either still working in the industry or have worked in the industry in the past. They teach you what is relevant and prepare you in what you’ll face when you work in a game studio. The instructors at AI care about your work and they know how much money you’re spending. They want you to know what they know so that YOU can be successful when you set your foot in the industry.
The Course
This course is fairly hard work and involves dedication, patience and passion. It was a surprise and a little annoying to find students who didn’t pay attention during class, skipped classes or flat out didn’t care and didn’t do the homework. Missing a class in this program is pretty serious, a lot of helpful and useful information are in these classes and if you miss them it’s up to you to figure out what you missed. This course isn’t a game; if you are not eager to learn or be dedicated to this industry don’t spend $25,000!
I learned a lot from the program and I’m grateful to AI, but it isn’t for everyone. The money I spent was kind of worth it, though I would have wanted a bit more out of the program. If you care about your career and what you are doing then you well do well in this program.
The Verdict
AI is an alright place to go; you get to learn a lot of useful things. It’s definitely not for everyone. You get out what you put in for this program. If you’re dedicated and open to learning new things that will get you to work for a game studio then this place is for you. Not only that but when an instructor tells you to network and befriend someone who works in a studio, they mean it.
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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