… in the early "Space Invader" days of game development, one developer could mentor a handful of workers. Now, games can cost $10 million to develop and require 200 workers, making the industry hungrier for specialized skills. ~ CNN
In response to these changing times for industry, high schools and universities are beginning to offer advanced courses in programming games. A traditional programming curriculum would focus on computer logic, algorithms, optimizations and architectural underpinnings. These new courses integrate graphic design, animation, psychological player response and even digitized music.
While real computer scientists will always be useful in certain areas of IT, perhaps the VoTech approach may improve the caliber of American programmers. Many students are disappointed at courses that cease programming with the pointer and printing text to the screen before delving into the theory of compilers, algorithms and efficiency. What about the mouse? How does Windows do graphics? How did they write that MP3 player? How did programmers make the leap from pointers to Doom 3 or Half Life 2? Despite a probable decline in the science aspect of computer science, the VoTech approach will likely keep American programmers engaged and interested in the field long enough to stimulate ingenuity, creativity and competitiveness.
This article was edited after publication by the author on 18 Nov 2011.
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