Now that I’m in my second year of school and have a better idea of how everything works, I figured it would be a good idea to write up a more detailed description of HAL’s curriculum. I’ll explain the basics first and then get into a more detailed description after the cut.

The Basics

The first thing you should understand about HAL’s approach to teaching is that it is focused on ensuring that all students are able to get a job. It might not necessarily be in their desired field (especially in regards to video games; only about 40% of students in the game programming course and 30% in the planning course go on to get employment in the gaming industry), but almost everyone does get a job in the IT industry.

What this means in practical terms is that the curriculum focuses not only on teaching you how to program/design/whatever but also on helping you pass various certification exams that will make you attractive to potential companies. The last year of both the two-year and four-year programs is less about actual study and more about securing employment. Third year students also do a 3 month internship at a company (obviously limited to those in the four-year program only).

In terms of the curriculum for the video game tracks, the two-year program offers programming and game design (ie. graphic design) focuses. The four-year program has programming, game design, and game development focuses. The four-year program’s music course also offers a game music focus. For the four-year students, most of the first year programs cover the same material although that begins to change in the second half of the first year. After that, the exact curriculum varies depending on your focus and what year you’re in.

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Note: This information is based on the Japanese gaming industry.

I’m sure most people who play games have contemplated at one point or another what it would be like to be one of the people making the game instead of just playing it. But for those serious about breaking into the industry, it’s a long step between “I want to make games!” and actually doing so. Before anything else, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with what kinds of jobs are available.

Here is a simple breakdown of the basic jobs you can get at a gaming company:

The most widely-known jobs are the programming and graphic design ones, but what about a “game designer”? There isn’t actually a “game designer” position; the term usually refers to the job of a game planner, but can also cover that of a director or producer.

Programmer, graphic designer, and sound engineer are all entry level jobs. Planning is on the cusp; it’s possible to get a planning job without any prior work experience in the industry, but it’s less likely. Director and producer jobs are usually earned through promotion.

For those interested in producing and directing, planning seems like the obvious track for promotion, but the reality is that programmers and graphic designers are just as likely to be promoted to those jobs. For example, the basic promotion track for a programmer looks something like this:

Ultimately, for those serious about getting into the industry it’s a good idea to do as much research as possible into the industry and to then work towards getting the job that seems to fit you the best.

Most of the e-mails I get mention concerns about the age gap between them and their would-be classmates. As with most things, though, I think the age issue has both advantages and disadvantages associated with it.

Sure, it’s kinda strange being an older student. I am about 6 to 7 years older than most of my classmates and when you’re in your twenties that gap is kind of significant. I am still young enough (and, uh, immature enough) to fit in, but there are a lot of times when I feel like there is a gulf between where I am and where everyone else is.

In terms of advantages, I’d say that a big one is that I’m already used to managing my workload. I have had 5 years of university to teach me how to handle my assignments — how to break down larger assignments so that I’m not panicking at the last minute with nothing done, when it’s okay to procrastinate and when it’s not, and what areas I can skimp on if I let my procrastination get the better of me. Having that skill makes things a whole lot easier, let me tell you.

There’s also factors such as having several years of experience dealing with things such as paying bills, which many of my classmates are only now learning how to do. The teachers often talk about how we’re going to become full-fledged members of society soon, but in reality I’ve been there (except for the having a job part) for years now.

Overall, I’d say that my age is more advantageous than not. The 6+ years of experience I have on my classmates helps to make up for the difficulty I have due to my Japanese not being perfect. If nothing else, my experience makes for a great icebreaker; I’ve made more than a few friends by doing things like sharing tips on getting assignments done.

AKA. Andrea gets mail and responds to it!

So, thanks to my article on Game Career Guide and the shout out from JC Barnett of Japanmanship I’ve been getting a few e-mails a week. (I hope y’all have added my RSS feed, ’cause there’s not going to be much of interest here until April!) One of the things that has come up more than once is financial questions: how much is tuition, can you do a part-time job while studying, and is there financial aid.

So, what follows is what I’ve gleaned from the website’s FAQ with some of the information from Evan’s interview on Kotaku. (more…)