Re: [DL] Rpg classes (WAY OT)

["John Goff" <JohnGoff@deadlands.com>]

>
> Ps. Do any of the guys at pinnicle have degrees in anything?  Can you get
a
> degree in RPGs?
>

Let's see...John Hopler and I both have Bachelor's in History, Shane (I
believe) has a Political Science Bachelor's and is partway through a
Master's in History. (See a trend? <g>)

As to what classes, I'd recommend: history (regardless of what type of game
you intend to produce, as it gives an very broad overview of how and why
cultures evolve and what triggers major events); literature and a
smattering--just a smattering--of creative writing (literature exposes you
to the good stuff, creative writing may show you the basics, but mostly it
just exposes you to bad prose/poetry written by your classmates <g>);
journalism (gives you the "basics" on what's important to tell your
readers); and math, particularly statistics (you can't make a good game
system without at least a minimal understanding of statistical procedures).
Throw in a smattering of science, religious philosophy, and nearly
everything else and you're on your way. :-)

    You wouldn't believe the skill sets/backgrounds some of the
writers/editors in the RPG field have, BTW.

    Nothing you study can hurt you--but for God's sake man, don't get a
degree with the intent of using it for RPG design! Get a useful one and take
your electives around what interests you. A well-rounded education will do
you much more good than one intended to assist in game design. (Personally,
I'd say get into computers, either programming, systems admin, or
engineering. I don't have the discipline for it, and envy the paychecks of
those who do. <g>)

    Finally, there was a guy who got a degree in game design back in the
late 80's, but I can't for the life of me recall his name. He went to a
univeristy/college that allowed students to structure/design their own
degrees. I know this only because he released a game back in the early 90's
and that was a selling point. He's either so famous I'll be embarassed if I
guess and get it wrong or such an unknown that I'll guess and just plain get
it wrong.

    Point of the above is that a degree in RPG design is probably
unimportant. ;-)

    That's my waste of bandwidth for today. If you've got any further
questions, please feel free to email me privately.

John Goff