So you want to be a writer. It doesn't really matter what media you want to write in, the general advice is that you need to read. A lot. For every story you write or character you create, read 10 books. Fiction, non-fiction, it's all story telling and if you want to create stories, situations, locations, and characters for a game, you're telling stories.

Same with artwork. You want to git gud you draw. Fill sketchbooks. Copy art you like (copying art is good practice, distributing your copies as originals is not).

All this you can do without more than a basic grade-school education. Of course, a formal education forces you to do all this plus broadens what you're exposed to and expands your mind in unexpected directions, but in essence it's all about exposure and practice.

Notice none of this requires any kind of programming. Focus on one aspect and become a master, not on all aspects and master none.

@undefined Just doing a drive by to tell you - with the internet the way it is now, just go for it. Even back when I was learning from the net in the early & mid 2000's, I could find lots of awesome stuff online to get going. Now you have YouTube, and even easier and more poweful, and free, game engines to work with.

With 2 big gotchas to look out for, my advice;

1. I will say that in University, I did a programming course that gave me an appreciation for structuring my code to be neat, slim, and re-usable wherever possible - you can get an appreciation for that yourself if you pay attention to whatever you learn from online and try to complete many small projects without getting bogged down in a mess of code. You will end up in that situation anyway, and it's like Thomas Edison found 1000 ways to not make a lightbulb; fail and find ways it's not working to finally work out how to do it better.

2. Also final year project and actual work experience has shown me how you need to cut corners to get a finished project. Working alone with no schedule or deadline means never ever getting anything done, because you get stuck in an endless trawl of “being an artiste” and trying to perfect every little thing, there's no critical path, and the game never gets finished. You should be able to learn that yourself just by looking up other people's stories on how long it took to make their game, and being realistic about how long it should take you to finish yours, and being introspective about where you need to improve and cut corners when you inevitably go over schedule. Even if you think you want to do it as a hobby and not make money from it - still, this applies, because your game will never be finished if you don't work on that.

But yeah, just start looking stuff up. You'll get there. I recommend Godot to start with, it's a delight to work with, and very good at 2D and 3D. Unity and UE4 when you need to get serious; Unity for the multi platform support and 2D graphics (both HD and pixel art) and UE4 for the best 3D graphics and online multiplayer support.

chromescythe said:
Kinda both, lol. I'm trying to learn what it takes to make games so I can best express the stories I wish to share, but I want to eventually consider making a career of it

Formal education is a necessity to get hired at a game company in most countries. But if your passion is stories, games are not the only medium. The best game writers also write stories for graphic novels, web series, etc. Those writers mostly have had a formal education.

chromescythe said:

I understand that they often do, but I get cramped with schools and expected work, and unless I'm trying to prove my knowledge when I'm confident enough for it, I don't want to have to test and be graded. Plus I don't want to be in debt, or have to pay for something I can find online, or rent a book from the library to learn. Plus, once I have an idea of what to learn (programming, math, physics, A.I., graphical engineering, etc.), I can study them on my own, at my own pace, so I can experiment when I'm ready. I also understand now that time constraints are still practical when it comes to projects, but I need the skills to carry my part to do one first. My ultimatum is to put my best stories out there in a format I want them to be experienced in, with the best possible engagement, regardless of success. At least my story will be around when I'm gone (if I succeed).

Your options are going to depend on what position you're applying for, and where the business is located apart from the company's hiring policies. Different countries put more value on education regardless of experience so you'll need to do some research first.

In regards to programming:

Getting in the door is the hardest part and you can do it in a number of ways:

1. Get your Computer Science Degree (bachelor's degree) and build a personal portfolio so you have something to show code wise.
2. Learn as you go and acquire the skills needed, but you'll have to put them to the test and actually freelance and/or do real work over a period of time in order to build working experience and a portfolio. You'll still want a personal portfolio regardless of having a list of projects you've worked on, just keep in mind about NDAs, and IP rights when showing any of your work. (Rule of thumb, never put anything in a portfolio that you don't have written consent as your portfolio should consist of code). Also credit yourself on projects for as long as they don't breach any agreements.

Option 1 is the usual approach for people fresh in the industry. (You'll also benefit from networking just by going to school)

Option 2 works more for people that are self taught and have been programming for several years with actual freelance/project work under their belt. In my area you can substitute experience for education in several positions, but either way you'll have to really know your stuff otherwise you'll flop during the interview stage. However, don't expect to spend a year learning C++ for example, then apply for jobs… You should aim to prove your knowledge in some way. This isn't easy and will require a lot of self-discipline.

An added note, in North America there are self taught programmers employed with no degree, so never get discouraged if you're in Canada or the United States. I cannot speak on anywhere else in the world.

Just remember, you're going to be hired for the value you can bring to the organization and you need to prove yourself regardless. The main problem is getting past the ‘screening process’, and having no degree might cause your resume to get binned more so than not. You might be able to get in the door faster by targeting smaller studios, and start-ups. I would also suggest going for lower pay - entry level work if that means you can get your foot in the door (short term sacrifice in pay for a long term gain by getting experience). If you can network with people in the industry who are local, this can open doors for you when you're ready to make the jump. Once you're ready to apply make sure you apply regardless of the educational requirements. The worst they can say is no, and every interview is experience and will help you in each one that follows assuming you openly analyze what went wrong and what went right.

My final note here is that I would still suggest option 1 because you're not already coming from a background in programming and with option 2 you're still going to have to clock in years to acquire equivalent knowledge while building a portfolio to prove your skills and hopefully getting a few gigs along the way. Either way, having a degree is always better than not having one, but if you go with option 2 you better be prepared to work extremely hard.

Best wishes.

chromescythe said:
but I get cramped with schools and expected work

Then you'll have a difficult time working in a high-pressure game company environment. The pressure of college is nothing compared to the pressure of professional expectations.