Game Art & Design Vs. Game Programming?

Question

Video Games have always been something I am really into and I have been planning on going to college for some time to learn more and hope to be able to build my own MMO (with the help of my elected team of course). I have already started to write out my storyline, characters, classes, all the information pertaining to the MMO. I drew up a few minor drawings in my sketch pad to show what I wish for the playable characters to look like and some monsters. My MMO would not be a drastic major graphics MMO but more cartoon based such as: Ether Saga, Flyff, or RO2. To which brings me to my decision.

Game Art & Design or Game Programming

When I was younger I used to work on private servers for MMOs and found it fun to script up my own NPC dialogs and form my own custom sets of armor with my chosen stats. Whcih made me lean in the direction of programming.

But then I started having this idea for making a MMO and I really got into it with the design and such, I even drew up some minor sketches of the characters. Then I started to lean towards design.

Now here are my downfalls:
- I am not the best artist in the world, my drawings are limited to cartoon based drawing I am unable to recreate a real life object as a drawing, for instance like looking at a shoe and drawing it out. But when it comes to my cartoonish drawings they look amazing. I am semi ok at shading with pencil but when I photoshop shade I can do a lot better.
-I understand there is a lot of math knowledge required for programming, I am excellent at math. I know a little about C++ and I know most of the terms and codes, but I do not know where to begin to start writing a program. I can think, "Hey lets make a program that does simple responses to the word hello. You type in hello it says hi you say how are you it says fine. Ok I understand start with:

#input <cstdio>
#input <cstdlib>
#input <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main();

And from there is where I get stuck... what to do next.

This is what pushes me toward wanting to become a Game Art & Design mjor then forming a team and getting a business plan together and forming my MMO and produce it for others to play off of a website that we would create.

I guess what I am asking really is would I still be a good Game Art & Design person if I have somewhat restricted skills in drawing that are limited to drawing a more cartoon type of character?

Additional Details

Well yes I understand there are other formats for the programming such as DirextX OpenGL and such. But I mean looking to as my goal is a cartoon based MMO my artistic limitations should not interfere in such a way to where I cannot do it. I was planning on taking additional home study courses online for C++ and DirectX coding. Not to mention I wont be the ONLY Design Artist on the team, you always have more than one.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

While a lot of people says you need to be good in math to be good in computers, I personally have not found it to be the case. I am fine in math up to algebra. Calculus on the other hand, I have a hard time getting my mind around it. However, I am great on computers, database, web development, programming... you name it, I've done it.

Personally, it sounds like you need to take an art class or two, and see how you like it that way.

And take a programming class or two.

Get exposed to those fields and see how you like them. Don't decide now.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

It was the most helpful for my situation.

Answer 2

If you were taking programming, you'd learn how to begin the writing of a progam, I wouldn't take design if you weren't artistic, I'd stick with the programming, you'll need lots more languages than just C++, and excelence at maths certainly helps.

Answer 3

TELL A STORY.
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Leave the drawing & programming to others.
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May be your talent is writing the story.

Source(s):

Game Programming
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http://www.cppgameprogramming.com/cgi/na…
http://www.toymaker.info/Games/html/begi…