Re: [DL] Rpg classes (WAY OT)

[Ivan Ironsword <nbouqu1@gl.umbc.edu>]

YOU MEAN THERE IS HOPE FOR ME!?!

Nick Bouquet
Political Science Major, UMBC


John Goff wrote:

> >
> > 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
>
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