Trends in the game industry 1/3 - Is a degree in Video Games worth it?

Is it worth doing a degree in game design? Thats one question that comes up when talking about any art or media degrees, is it worth it, could you learn yourself at home if you had the software, can you really learn artistic skill? Well this article really goes into their thought on the matter.. http://m.ign.com/articles/2013/04/02/is-it-worth-doing-a-degree-in-video-games

With degrees in digital arts becoming more popular, with many Universities opening new courses to meet the demand, many people are starting to question if these graduates will find jobs in such a relatively tiny industry. This is why so many game makers are turning to creating their own indie games, at the risk of it being unsuccessful.

Which is why many people are now questioning is a degree worth it? If regardless of the piece of paper you come out with from University you become in the same situation with someone with the same skill without the degree who has learnt themselves, should you just learn what YOU want to learn and not jump through hoops.

Personally I have never agreed that degrees are the only way into getting a good job. Yes if you want to be a brain surgeon or dentist (I won't be letting any unqualified doctor come near me), but maybe not if you want to do something creative. University definitely helps give you the kick to learn with better hands on experience, but not every degree is good. More than anything you need to stand out from the crowd portfolio wise, which is why a degree is good as it teaches you things that self-learning may miss, but sometimes the creativity is drained from you having to fit the given brief. This often gives the self-learner an edge, as often they are still new to learning meaning they have the ability to make mistakes which let them find out different solutions to do something. Sometimes though, self-learners have a lack of motivation as there are no deadlines to complete work, which can be difficult to adapt to when working in the real world.

Overall I don't think it really makes a different if you have a degree or not, if you have talent and an impressive portfolio then that should get you noticed.