/digipen/ - DigiPenitentiary

Was going to go to a very expensive out of state college but it turned out I couldn't afford to go, so I scrambled and picked DP. Being in the BFA hasn't been a TOTAL disaster (way better education than I'd be getting in, say a Fine Arts degree where you don't learn 3D skills and more of a safety net) but it could be improved on many levels.

>>370
Around 1999 there was an EGM article with a chick who did sound design for a game studio. She talked about how awesome it was and there was even a footer describing the salaries of industry workers.

Then in 2005 and I was a loser out of high school. I went out to dinner at a sherries one night with a friend and his girlfriend. They invited a couple out with us and one worked at Nintendo while the other attended Digipen next door. I was like "holy shit that sounds amazing! Why can't that be me?!"

I got married, finished my GED at her request and the big question came…What do you want to do with your life? I said…MAKE VIDJA GAMES! she asked where and I remember that kid going to Digipen…so I went!

As a Freshman I had the Stockholm thing going, but things took a turn for the sour Sophomore year and I pondered continuing. After I got my first and only F from GAT250 I came to the conclusion that no matter how hard I tried, there was no way I could finish Digipen, the place was rigged.

Now I attend Bellevue University in Nebraska finishing a Graphics Design degree that I'm very happy with. It definitely showed me that Digipen had some serious issues going on with it. If you attend another college after Digipen you'll know what I'm talking about.

I'm in the game design degree, and having attended two colleges before hand, trust me, DigiPen isn't as bad as just everything you hear here.
People are saying a lot of awful shit about DigiPen here, most of which is true, and some of which is just from angry shitty students who came online to bitch anonymously. DigiPen has flaws but what's helpful about DigiPen isn't exactly explained here.

For me, the most important thing I learned was just being able to program gameplay. I've gotten the most mileage out of that. After that, working with teams is some amazing learning experience. Most of the teachers here have years and years of experience IN the industry. Some of them are better than others. (As much as I like Morrison, when he told us the story of his career it sounded like no one really wanted to hire him so he taught here instead. I don't blame him though because he has a kid.) There's also the benefit of people seeing DigiPen and assuming some sort of baseline quality, and that a lot of companies come here to snag interns and graduates.

Before this, I went to a shit community college and an Art Institute (what I've heard was the best one) and those were both trash in comparison. At this point in my college career (junior) I don't feel like I'm getting as much as I want out of my education, but I already gained a lot. At this point, I think it would be better if me and my team stopped paying for DigiPen and used our funds to make some amazing portfolio pieces together. That would definitely be a better use of our time and money (and we would make our fucking games in 1/4th the time), but DigiPen still helps put us in the eyes of employers until we graduate. College is a weird cultural thing, but the education I got here in my first twoish years have been valuable.

It's not like Digipen has standards on who to accept as long as your GPA is above 2.5 then you have good odds. Good odds as in 2:3 getting accepted.

>It seems like a scam on the level of Phoenix University, and an insane grind as well.
It's not a scam though. It's a waste of time to go digipen for any degree that isn't computer science/engineering though. That does not include game design in computer science. If you do go to digipen beyond those two degrees (soon to be 3 with the normal computer science degree) then enjoy your odds of a career. Not only that, but your degree is in a VERY limited field. Digipen is a trade school plain and simple. To go for game design is silly and if you 'just' graduate that doesn't mean you'll get a job as a designer. They want someone who does rapid prototyping and that isn't socially retarded, which the vocal crowd of GD is. Anyhow, computer science/engineering is valid for all types of software/hardware so it's a vast career choice. Fine arts isn't limited, but why spend 25k a year to go here? Can't say much about the sound degree since it's new.

The major pro that this place has over anywhere else? You work in teams for 4 years. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a huge fucking pro that looks good on your resume as a college graduate.

>what convinced you guys to attend?
After a couple years of community college I decided computer science is what I wanted to pursue. Why this shithole opposed to everywhere else? RTIS hire rates are/were in the 90%. Being here for the third year I can see why. Is it a grind? I suppose, but I'll bend over and for those good odds.

>Where did you hear about DigiPen,
2007 when I was in highschool I saw an article about Portal's success story. It was in the back of my mind and I decided to go 5 years later

>and what told you it was good?
Read the reason why I came to attend.

In all honesty, if I can go back in time and tell me about Digipen, I wouldn't come here. There's no fun.

Honestly, its an amazing education if:

1: You ENJOY making video games.
2: You are willing to work 10am -12pm in an effort to get good at what you enjoy to do.

After 2 years of this I was ready for the professional world, and the following years were time for me to get even better.

If your not, this school is a waste. If you are, then yes the school is on par with MIT and other huge unis.

Please take this site with a grain of salt. Everyone on here seems to be the sort of freshman dropout that banes the school.

>>2002
>Everyone on here seems to be the sort of freshman dropout that banes the school.
And everyone who stays in DigiPen has this exact attitude, and it's the fucking worst.

If you dropped out, it's clearly because you suck, and not because of perhaps disagreement with the school or any other reason. It must be because of your inferiority.

If you don't drop out, then you start avoiding criticism of the school, even from other students, because you must maintain a positive attitude towards continuing your enrollment. If someone brings up a shitty thing about the school, you either ignore it, brush it off, or actively say "hey man, why you gotta bring me down like that?"

>the school is on par with MIT and other huge unis.
Give me a fucking break. MIT doesn't invent their own degree programs in a half-assed way, allow students to enroll in said degree programs all the while promising to improve them going forwards, then forget about them and move onto starting more degree programs.

>the design program is the latest and greatest thing and we're going to put our full effort into it
>no wait j/k we got wrapped up in rewriting our game design terminology system for the fifth or sixth time, but hey, you know what sounds cool, some sound engineering and design programs
>ok we spent all this money on super nice equipment for the sound students and speaking of sound I think I hear a sound like a million angry designers frustrated with their degree program hmm must've been my imagination
>y'know RTIS is cool and the one program we've had forever that Just Works but hey you know what, if we add more CS degree programs that have nothing to do with video games at this video game school, that'll get us more money because those are in higher demand
>wait woah what at the BFA town hall meeting apparently 60% of the BFAs want to kill themselves because we haven't even thought about the BFA program in years
>didn't we have two game design programs lol idk

Comparing this clusterfuck to MIT is a hysterical joke.

>>2002
Oh hai, Rachel.

>>2005

Lol ur anger made me all fuzzy.

Anyways, I have friends and relatives at MIT, and education is not always made by the school its, made by your willingness to learn and work hard.

And yes you are right to say that the majority assumption is that drop outs are inferior sounds blanketed, but have met the freshman or any dropouts, doesn't sound like it. And yes I have some friends who did drop out, BUT but they are still doing well and they are the minority, but the majority of them did not have the motivation to make good use of the environment digipen provides

Also I'm talking RTIS.
I will whole heartedly agree that Bfa is fucked and the design degrees are meh.

>>2014
MIT is a university, bro. It's not a place with one degree program that is good and the rest that are "meh". It might have stronger degree programs than others but I'm pretty fucking sure that if you asked someone, you wouldn't hear them say "yeah well the degree program I'm in is amazing, but the rest of the school is basically on fire."

Sooo sick of hearing RTIS students go "idk what you guys are talking about DigiPen is A-OK, yeah I guess now that I notice it you other degree programs are struggling but *shrug* RTIS is totes cool."

>>2014
> The school is amazing if you're willing to work!
> Only lazy dropouts could possibly dislike Digipen!
> Oh yeah 2 of the degrees are entirely shit, but that's beside the point

Cool beans

>>370

Wanted to make video games but had to legitimize it to family by showing you need to go to school for it.

Dropped out and got the job I want at the company I want.

The school is garbage. Yes there are some things about it that are good, but the bad is really bad.

>>2043
Why is your post ID the same as >>2035 then? :S

>>2044
Probably because we are posting from the same IP, duh.

>>2045

Because we are l33t haxxorz thx to dP

I read about it when I was like 8 in Nintendo Power and it was my dream to come to this place.
Boom dream fulfilled I'm leaving.

>>2059
Dude me too, I even attended ProjectFUN in high school in 2007 and was pumped to attend, now that I have, man f this place the dream is dead I'm out