To summarize my experience at VFS I thought I should first write about how I got there. Everyone’s experience at any school will be vastly shaped by how their lives lead up to it. I can admit that I coasted through high school (which many of you can probably relate). I did well enough to get myself into UBC or SFU but I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I decided to go to Kwantlen (which was cheaper and closer to home) and take general studies until I really figured out what I wanted to do. I went to school part time and worked full time to save up money. But because I didn’t have that passion or drive in what I was doing, my marks slipped to worse than I had ever done in high school. This was depressing, because I felt like I was spinning my wheels with no end in sight.
Then I heard about VFS and the game design program. What? A school that teaches you how to become a video game developer, and it looks like it is an actual reputable institution? Is this for real?
I saw an opportunity to turn my hobby into a career, and I had finally found the motivation to push myself as hard as I could.
Getting There
I did a lot of research on both VFS and other schools, and took a long hard look at what I wanted to do. I took another full year, continuing my part time at Kwantlen and working to save up money. Because VFS was so expensive I wanted to make sure that it was really what I wanted to do. I’m glad I did this, because that extra year helped me prepare mentally and allowed myself to fully commit to the program. I didn’t want to half jump in all wishy washy. I saw an opportunity to turn my hobby into a career, and I had finally found the motivation to push myself as hard as I could.
The People – Staff and Students
I’m sure all of us remember that one teacher you had in elementary school that was just 10x better than all the others. Or that english prof in high school that went the extra mile and actually made you care in poetry and proper literary prose. It took me a long time to fully realize that not all teachers are great. When you’re a child you just assume that all your teachers through school are great thinkers and wizards and everything they say is profound with wisdom. Unfortunately, like in many other jobs you’ve encountered through life, not all of the staff are made equal. That being said the staff at VFS, every single one, is that exuberant fun loving insightful elementary school teacher you remember so dearly. I found this to be true in all the teachers I met in all the other departments as well.
The fact that the video game industry itself is so devoted to the pursuit of “fun” rubs off on the staff. Being able to get the opportunity to teach young minds about something that everyone is so passionate about just builds on itself. From day one, I found that every teacher there was enjoying the opportunity to teach as much as I was enjoying the prospect of one day developing games for a living.
As for the other students. Every class is going to have it’s own identity. Every class will have it’s own individuals, but from class to class, department to department everyone at VFS is there because that’s exactly what they want to do. Sure there will be some long nights and the odd project you just want to get over and done with, but never did I stop and look around the room and see long faces or people that looked like they didn’t want to be there. The class that I was with for one very long, very eventful year, GD08, was an amazing group. We became a family, and I can’t say enough about how much I loved my time with them.
The Program
VFS has a multitude of programs, so I can’t speak for all of them, I can speak to what my experience was in signing up for the Game Design program. I signed up not because I simply enjoy playing video games, but because I enjoyed picking them apart. When my friends and I got together on those long nights to play Starcraft/Age of Empires or Counterstrike back in the day, I was the guy that stayed up a couple extra hours to create a new map for us. Which we would then thoroughly tear through the next day. If you’re debating whether to enter into the game design program ask yourself what it is about games that really interests you.
The program is designed as sort of a “Crash Course” in everything that is game development. 2D art, 3D modeling, scripting code, writing stories, animating, sound design, there are tons of facets that are put together to create a video game. Depending on what areas interests you the most, you can make that your focus while you’re taking the course. I went into the program with the goal of being a feature and/or level designer. But there are many other areas to game development that have potential career paths. For some people they may have a heavy art background, and they focus more on their art and 3D modeling projects. For others that are more technically savvy, there is a high demand for coders/scripters that can dissect how game works rather than ones that can just crank out the ones and zeros.
The last 1/3 (roughly) of the course is spent on your final project. Which is creating your very own video game start to finish. By this time most groups have already formed and people have figured out where they’re interests/skill sets lie and you’ll have broken down the responsibilities within your team. While there is always cross over; the general positions include but are not limited to a project manager, a level designer, a scripter, 2d artist and modeler/animator, while at the same time everyone in the group contributes to the overall design of the project.
For those of whom that are interested in modeling characters for video games, while the game design course does cover that, it is not the focus and you would likely be better off taking the 3d modeling program and just focusing your efforts towards a game modeling position, as opposed to the movie industry. The same could be said for sound designers. The game design course gives you a really great overview of the inner workings and how sfx is incorporated into games, but you’d likely be better off taking the sound design program.
The biggest focus of the course is design, which is a difficult subject to pin down because design truly encompasses all of those areas.
The biggest focus of the course is design, which is a difficult subject to pin down because design truly encompasses all of those areas. In order to become a good game designer you need to learn about all the different areas of development and how they are integrated with each other. Being a designer isn’t just about having some cool idea, it’s about explaining that idea to a variety of different people, and how all of their work will be incorporated into the game. The ability to see the big picture and all the little parts at the same time and break that down into more manageable chunks is key. Strong writing abilities are important to develop. If you can’t explain your brilliant idea, no one will think it’s brilliant.
The Process
This is where I have to stop and give everyone a bit of a warning. VFS is intense. To say that the one year program at VFS will take a lot out of you is an understatement. It will strain friendships and relationships. I don’t know of anyone that kept a job while still going to school and succeeded at both (although I’m sure there’s someone out there that pulled it off). I quit my job about 6 weeks into school, and I had no idea how much busier I was about to become. The secret I found to being as successful as possible was to make the mental commitment, that VFS is what you are going to be doing for the rest of the year.
Yes you will have plenty of time to goof off on the weekends and have fun with your friends. But if you’re going to go to VFS it needs to become you’re number #1 priority, especially in the last few critical months of the program when you’re completely focused on your final project. Working till 4am, sleeping at your desk and getting up at 9am for class is not to be unexpected. And if you can’t make that commitment, then maybe the VFS system won’t be best for you. Once you’ve come to that realization, relish it, enjoy every minute of it, soak in as much as you can as often as you can. The wealth of knowledge and experience you’ll get from one year at VFS is immense. The reason VFS is accredited with such high recommendations is that the hands on knowledge you learn can be directly applied to your job. There’s no, okay, lets learn 3 years of theory then when you get a job we’ll start all over again and teach you how to work. This is how it’s done, this is how it’s done in the industry, and this is how it’s done right.
VFS can definitely provide a quick path to success, but it can also leave you in a very big hole if you’re unable to find that success.
Risk vs Reward
I thought I would mention a little bit about the cost to going to VFS. The first thing that many people notice is the price tag on a VFS program. Going to an expensive program does not guarantee you getting a great job. Like I’ve reiterated throughout this review your dedication and hard work is what will get you that job. VFS is expensive, but it’s not as expensive as you might think. If you work out the average cost of all the courses you would take at SFU over 3-4 years + tuition fee’s text book costs, supplies etc. Depending on the program there really isn’t that big of a difference. Also taking into account, the cost of living for 3-4 years vs one, and if you get a job right out of VFS you’ll be making money for 2 years while someone else would still be at school you can quite easily come out on top. This does not mean that the VFS system will perfectly fit your needs. VFS can definitely provide a quick path to success, but it can also leave you in a very big hole if you’re unable to find that success.
Final Words
VFS is a big commitment, do your research, do some soul searching, take some time to really make sure that you know what you want to do. Everyone’s going to have their own journey at VFS, the key is to dive in head first and learn as much as you can. You’ll have the time of your life and come out of it with a much richer experience.
Anyone who is entertaining the idea of attending the VFS Game Design program, please take the time to contact some other graduates to get their insight on the program as well.
Grayson Scantlebury
http://student.vfs.com/~gd08grayson/
Designer for Propaganda Games, Disney
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Jonathan
Thanks for that! I am thinking of applying there and I wanted to know a good life story there. Thanks.