LM110 - Bachelor of Science in Multimedia and Computer Games Development

Potential-Monke

Just wondering has anyone done this course, or doing this this course, and is it worth it. I'm a mad gamer, in a job which i can't see myself staying in. I have the entry requirements, but i want to know is the course worth going from a decently paid full time job back to poverty (even though i might get a mature students grant).

Any help would be extermely appreciated.

Cheers!

Heliosvector

hey there. Im doing that course next year! You wont get much of the answer your looking for here. As you may have seen it has been asked before with only me repliying. (good thing there is not a spelling module lol!):D:cool:

You will get better info on www.gamedevelopers.ie Theres a guy i know whos user name is seanusb i think and he is in his third year. What i hear is its very similar to the computer systems course (also called computer science in ITs) I mean the first 2-3 years are almost the same. In total there is only 13 modules in difference. With this course you are also sufficient to be a computer programmer/engineer or so i have been told.;)

Also with the MASSIVE demand for these sort of graduates, supposedly its not a thing that if grads get jobs afterwards, they just get them no questions asked. Also by the figures told to me, the amount of jobs available will not be filled in this sector within 4 yrs (duration of course) Employers have a choice from the graduate bundle, but the leftovers are swooped up right after.... or so im told BY MANY!!:p

I have heard some employers have been a bit picky with what lvl of degree you have for a job, but sine the game one in question is 1.1 honours, its no biggy!:D

Lets not forget UL rules!! it reminds me of those amazing universities that you see in hollywood movies, yet all modern architecture. :rolleyes:

rmacm

Heliosvector wrote: »

You wont get much of the answer your looking for here. As you may have seen it has been asked before with only me repliying. (good thing there is not a spelling module lol!):D:cool:

You did get a reply one that directed you to the gamedevelopers.ie site if I remember correctly. I'll be visiting UL again within the next few months I'm sure I could convince a few lecturers in the CSIS department that a spelling module would be a good thing....especially for you.

Heliosvector wrote: »

What i hear is its very similar to the computer systems course (also called computer science in ITs) I mean the first 2-3 years are almost the same. In total there is only 13 modules in difference. With this course you are also sufficient to be a computer programmer/engineer or so i have been told.;)

The course would give you a good grounding to be a programmer alright. Computer Science in IT's rofl.....The Computer Science course in UCC is called just that and thats not an IT stop making silly comments.

Heliosvector wrote: »

I have heard some employers have been a bit picky with what lvl of degree you have for a job, but sine the game one in question is 1.1 honours, its no biggy!:D

Indeed they can most places are looking for people with a 2:1 or above......it's a handy way for HR people to pear down the number of CV's they get. And believe me getting a 1.1 in Computer Systems isn't the easiest thing in the world to do. BTW I hope you went to the open days in UL and visited the CSIS department and asked lots of questions before you made the decision about what you want to do.

Cheers
Rory

Heliosvector

1: its right there was a reply in that last thread. You know who made the post before telling him to go to gamedevelopers.ie? Thats right it was me!!! Thing is, no one else wrote anything.

2: I dont see it being that silly of a statement as in my full post i mentioned repeatedly that i was unsure of my info and did try to direct him to a more reliable sourse.

3: yes i have done, i even made my way up to carlow and did the same there! (its not that great there)

If you think i do souch a bad time in my posts then why dont you try and help this guy out in his question instead of attacking me

rmacm

Heliosvector wrote: »

1: its right there was a reply in that last thread. You know who made the post before telling him to go to gamedevelopers.ie? Thats right it was me!!! Thing is, no one else wrote anything.

My bad I was looking at another thread where there was a number of replies....you were indeed the only one that replied to the thread you're referring to.

Heliosvector wrote: »

2: I dont see it being that silly of a statement as in my full post i mentioned repeatedly that i was unsure of my info and did try to direct him to a more reliable sourse.

My point about you making a silly statement was how you seemed to be differentiating between IT's and Universities and what they call their courses (Computer Systems vs. Computer Science) when in reality they're them same thing just using a different name.

Heliosvector wrote: »

3: yes i have done, i even made my way up to carlow and did the same there! (its not that great there)

I agree Carlow is a terrible place.....parents there probably still sacrifice their first born children to whatever gods they worship in that strange place. And it's a good sign that you've gone and asked questions I'd expect this of anyone going to college it's a pretty big decision to make and having as much info as possible makes it easier.

Heliosvector wrote: »

If you think i do souch a bad time in my posts then why dont you try and help this guy out in his question instead of attacking me

Some of your posts have annoyed me tbh but I was either drunk or hungover when I read them and replied (I'm not the happiest person in the world when I'm hung over). I didn't mean for my last post to come across as an attack even though I did make some sarky comments

Cheers
Rory

PeakOutput

Heliosvector wrote: »

I have heard some employers have been a bit picky with what lvl of degree you have for a job, but sine the game one in question is 1.1 honours, its no biggy!:D

just to clarify this as you make it sound like its a done deal to get a first

it is generally very difficult to get a first class honours with the average(open to correction here) being a 2.2 with a 2.1 being above average and a 1.1 being excellent

also ul do things slightly different with their qca system but the ideas the same

Polar Ice

Heliosvector wrote: »

I have heard some employers have been a bit picky with what lvl of degree you have for a job, but sine the game one in question is 1.1 honours, its no biggy!:D

I don't believe you understand what exactly a 1.1 is. Doing the course in question doesn't get you a 1.1 honours degree

The degree you're talking about is a level 8 honours degree (for the CAO choices), however the level that employers look at is your performance in the course. In UL a QCA system is used. It works as follows:

A1 = 4.0
A2 = 3.6
B1 = 3.2
B2 = 3.0
B3 = 2.8
C1 = 2.6
C2 = 2.4
C3 = 2.0
D1 = 1.6
D2 = 1.2

1.1 degree is >= 3.6
2.1 degree is >= 3.0
2.2 degree is >= 2.6
3.1 degree >=2.0

As some people have already said an Honours 2.2 is about average.

rmacm

Polar Ice wrote: »

1.1 degree is >= 3.6

Is it not >=3.4 for a 1.1? Unless it has changed since last year I'm pretty sure it's 3.4 and above for a 1st.

Cheers
Rory

Peteee

Heliosvector wrote: »

I have heard some employers have been a bit picky with what lvl of degree you have for a job, but sine the game one in question is 1.1 honours, its no biggy!:D

Just to reiterate, it is extremely hard to get a 1.1.

In our Comp Sys class, 1 person got a 1.1. (As far as I can remember)

70 people or so started in 1st year. 30 people graduated in september (Presumably a few more will graduate in December/January)

And liking Computer Games is all well and good, it's more important to love computers and everything to do with them.

PeakOutput

i think its 3.4 aswell for a first or whatever qca is equivalant to averaging 70% is a first as far as i know

Heliosvector

Sorry rmacm i noticed some of my posts might be annoying. But i like to check every detail (I even asked about the pool!) I dont mean to be. where have you seen my "annoyance" elsewhere to be exact?

Oh and that thing about computer systems and computer science, i did know they were the same thing. Thats why i put computer science in brackets because it seems to be the more widely used name for this type of course in IT's. Who knows, maybe the thread maker did not know this.

oh and thanks all for the point system info. Ill let you too argue over it in peace. Looking forward to the results!

rmacm

Heliosvector wrote: »

where have you seen my "annoyance" elsewhere to be exact?

Where to start :P

Nah just the one about the busses not running at weekends was kind've silly and there was one other one I think about transferring courses where the answer could've been found with a quick google. Anyway as I said I was either drunk or hungover when I read/replied to those posts and when I'm in either of those states I'm an evil person

Cheers
Rory

Otacon

Peteee wrote: »

Presumably a few more will graduate in December/January

Presumably? Nice Pete, real nice...

BTW I can attest to the above! A real pain in the ar*e!

I wish I could go back and do the games course...

kaimera

Just to reiterate, it is extremely hard to get a 1.1.

In our Comp Sys class, 1 person got a 1.1. (As far as I can remember)

3 people iirc.

And it's not that hard tbqh, a little bit of work.

Peteee

kaimera wrote: »

3 people iirc.

I stand corrected once more kind sir.

And it's not that hard tbqh, a little bit of work.

Ahhh the creep of nostalgia rears its head after all of 5 months

kaimera

xD.

Heh. Doesn't make it less true tho

The Don

I suppose I better post about this too, seeing as I'm the only one of ye left that hasn't posted.

I would also have taken this course if it was around when I started (started the last time that is).

kaimera

Module Outline

A good bit of change from the CS course from what I can see after Sem1 & 2.

Some overlap again in the rest but I'm not sure if it's an overlap with the CS class ahead of it or not.

I might have tried it if it was available when I was there but CS was grand at the end of the day In an industry I didn't think about until late in the course.

Doodee

couple of pointers to people.

No.1 The problem with Games Development courses (as outlined by the companies within the industry!!!) is that you are not guaranteed a job in the sector, and by having a 'Games Development' degree alone will severely mess up your chances of getting other decent jobs in similar sectors. (This was all stated at last months London Games Career Fair).
So make sure that you atleast study something that will benefit you should you not be one of the lucky ones.

No. 2 although there is somewhat of an outcry for people in the games sector, the majority of people that are hired by the big hitters tend to be quite talented at what they do. You also have to be willing to move abroad for a large portion of the jobs!

No.3 Be willing to work in roles that are not glamourus such as QA and Localisation. Fact is unless your a Programmer, audiophile or Visual artists then the other position require experience.

This was all stuff that the Big hitters have said to people looking to get a career in the industry. The fact is that alot of the colleges are trying to dictate the terms required when infact this is not the case at all!!!

Potential-Monke

Thanks everyone for the info. I'm gathering the fact that if you're not 100% committed to getting the highest possible scores, and are not a gaming nut that this line of work would possibly not suit you then? Cushty!

Heliosvector

hey i dont know if everyone still reads this but after becoming a bit more wiser i would have to dissagree against all the bad carma this course gets as a games course. Even though what some say is thrue AKA it may screw your chances at other jobs, but this course i find is actually well rounded. It has the fundamental+ advanced computer programing and skills, along with digital and more creative modules mixed in.

With this nice little blen i would feel that this course may indeed may not actually as spear headed as others say. I think this course would give you more options at post grad level over the comp sci course.

If the post creator is as enthousiastic about pc media as much as i am then they may choose to specialise afterwards through a masters or PHD. after all, i see irelands media industry still in its baby stages, yet very competitive. By the time out 4yrs are up, higher qualifications may be needed to get the dream job with the desired pay.