Which College is better for game design: Art Center or Otis?

I am a junior who has been looking into what colleges I should be preparing for, and these two are both in my area and well known. Both look great, but I am having trouble figuring out which one I should ultimately pursue: Art Center or Otis.

I am planning on going into gaming design or something of the sort, and I need help. Any advice or suggestions?Which College is better for game design: Art Center or Otis?
First it's important to understand exactly what "game design" means. There is no art in game design. There is no programming. Game design is done almost exclusively with writing and math. The designer's job is to come up with the ideas for every tiny detail of the game, and communicate those ideas to the rest of the game development team (programmers, artists, testers, etc). The designer decides what NPC the player encounters where, and what the NPC will say; what weapon the player can get at what point in the game and how much damage it does; what attacks a boss mob has and how much damage they do, etc.



If you're thinking character design or level design for games rather than true game design, any art school that teaches 3D/computer art and animation can prepare you for a career as a game artist.



For game design, do not waste your time with any school that claims to have a major in game design. I've been in the game industry for many years, and I've yet to meet or hear of ANYONE with a degree in game design (or "interactive media design", etc) who has gone on to work as a professional game designer. Not a single one. That tells me that these programs are complete bunk. (The only exceptions to this are the Master's program at Carnegie Mellon, and maybe USC's program. Avoid everything else like the plague.)



If you are interested in becoming a game designer someday, you need to get a Bachelor's degree and a wide liberal arts education. You can go to any good four year college and major in anything you want -- there is no best school or best major for a game designer. Along with the courses for your major, take math up through Calculus 1, and at least two courses in Statistics, two courses in writing, one Computer Science course, and one art course. Math and writing are the main tools of a designer, and the CS and art courses will help you work with your programmer and artist colleagues later on. Fill up the rest of your course requirement with a wide variety of liberal arts topics: history, literature, mythology, sociology, psychology, etc, are all useful in game design.



If at all possible, go to school near city with a lot of game studios, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, etc. Most game companies will not pay for relocation for an entry level job, and some won't even interview you if you don't live in the area, so it'll be a lot easier to find a job after college if you already live near several studios. If you're already in the LA area, then going to college nearby is a good option, since LA is a hotbed of game development.



Btw, as far as salary, there's a salary survey from 2006 of the various areas of game development, here: http://gamecareerguide.com/features/266/鈥?/a> Design is on page 4, which lists entry-level as about $43,000 per year, and average (including Lead Designers and Creative Directors) at about $63,000. Not the big bucks you might expect, because so many people want to be game designers, but it's a livable wage.Which College is better for game design: Art Center or Otis?
art center is all around superior, but otis is actually a better school for game design. google search otis vs art center college and you will find out that otis is ranked higher. btw, game designers make a lot more money than most people may expect!Which College is better for game design: Art Center or Otis?
art center is all around superior.