[TillE]

Every game programmer needs a strong math background. Every good game designer cribs extensively from history and literature. Having a sense of art is important even if you aren't an artist.

There's very little in school that isn't directly applicable. Like, not even just "it's good to be a well-rounded human", but you can literally directly apply almost everything you learn to your craft.

[hgs3]

Sadly, I'm in agreement with the GP. I started programming freshmen year of high school on my own because my school did not offer courses. I also wrote my own fiction book and self-published it sophomore year. Whenever I showed my homemade video games and physical book to my teachers I received a "good job" and that's it. I did not receive any help, special instruction, or extra credit. Most of the courses, outside of literature and math, were not applicable whatsoever. My takeaway is that our compulsory education system is not optimized for the self-directed student.

[pixl97]

There is a lot of room for debate on this... self direction is fine, as long as it's not coupled with arrogance. If you think you know everything the world tends to teach you lessons you'd rather not have.

[bagful]

World history isn’t applicable to game development? No help at all from biology, physics, chemistry? Don’t even bother with psychology?

[mewpmewp2]

> Every game programmer needs a strong math background.

I disagree even though math was my favourite subject in the school. I think I truly only enjoyed math and physics. They were the only subjects I felt like I could actually problem solve and not have to memorise facts I can't relate to or do not know what to do with. But really the maths taught at school also seemed like not really related to creativity, but more like memorise this formula => rote practice with this formula, on and on from there. While if it was about game dev, or programming, it would've been more about learning to problem solve in a bit more creative ways.

> Every good game designer cribs extensively from history and literature.

This highly depends on the game, the designer and multitude of different factors. I despised history when I was in school, but now that I've got older I've grown natural interest towards it which has allowed me to learn it with magnitudes higher effectiveness compared to when I was a child. Without my own life, and trying my own things, I didn't have interest in history, because I hadn't lived, so I didn't have anything to relate it to. I was clueless about people's motivations in history. It was just a compilation of random facts that I was forced to learn. Understanding people, their motivations, goals is the most important part of history, and without understanding those aspects, I just don't understand how I could be interested in history enough to not think of it as random facts.

[_gabe_]

> I disagree even though math was my favourite subject in the school. I think I truly only enjoyed math and physics. They were the only subjects I felt like I could actually problem solve and not have to memorise facts I can't relate to or do not know what to do with.

Why do you disagree though? Math is helpful in game design for: pathfinding, vector math, several graphics effects, physics, smoothing animations, setting up in game currencies, setting up probabilistic gameplay elements, random number generation, terrain generation, calculating enemy field of views, calculating trajectories, creating player controllers, and many other logic pieces in games.

If you want to be a good game designer, it would behoove you to have a strong math background.

[mewpmewp2]

I disagree with the part where "You need a strong math background". And also usual school doesn't give you that "strong math background".

What you need is motivation, passion and creativity to achieve a certain goal. It's not a prerequisite to have a strong math background to be able to create a game.

All of these things can be Googled - and even easier nowadays ChatGPT can help you out with learning those things without this type of background required.

Especially as a kid.

I wish I had something like Roblox as a kid. What I used to do was I drew on papers like a story game where different decisions led you to different next set of papers, because I didn't have a computer and/or no one taught me actual coding.

[_gabe_]

I see. It’s not a prerequisite, I 100% agree. But by building a game you will most likely, maybe even unintentionally, develop a strong math background :D

The grandparent comment was talking about how all the different subjects in school can help give you very useful prerequisite knowledge that enables you to become a strong game developer. You made it sounds as if the math isn’t necessary, but I think we both agree knowing math will aid you tremendously in game development. You don’t need to know it to start developing games, but somebody that already has that knowledge will be leagues ahead of you in a lot of topics.

Heck, even the simplest data structure in almost every game engine a Transform (aka transformation matrix) is a loaded mathematical term. The guy that understands linear algebra and how you can combine a series of matrices to apply different kinds of transformations to a geometric object will “get it” way quicker than somebody who has no math knowledge. Then, when they want to do fancier stuff, like transform something relative to something else (like a custom 3rd person camera that hovers above and behind the main character), they don’t have to waste time trying to understand how linear algebra and using matrix multiplication can achieve that effect.

[Wowfunhappy]

> But really the maths taught at school also seemed like not really related to creativity, but more like memorise this formula => rote practice with this formula, on and on from there. While if it was about game dev, or programming, it would've been more about learning to problem solve in a bit more creative ways.

When did you go to school? I think we do a lot better nowadays. As much as people dislike e.g. Common Core, this complaint—a focus on rote algorithms instead of the concepts behind them—was a major reason for the changes.

[mewpmewp2]

It's probably a geographical thing as well, but I'm between age of 30-40, and not from US, I don't want to share the exact details of course.

It is unclear to me whether it is better nowadays, but times are changing quickly, it is hard to even predict future, or future jobs presently, so I think I honestly would be more stressed now if I hadn't set my life, career up, as I was able to do when I was younger.

I just remember school strictly as torture, and my real life beginning when I was able to do actual work and career, that developed my confidence because I was able to achieve real world success at something I naturally enjoy doing.

No point in dwelling on the past, but since we are having this topic, I still would like to question about all the wasted years in the youth.

I think when I started out, it probably was much easier to get coding jobs without any experience, compared to now, so if I was in present time, it would have been much more difficult for me, because ultimately due to all the difficulties I had a very non standard route of getting where I am.

[ecnahc515]

Sure; but no kid is going to believe you; or even if they do; they won't care. It needs to be something they can put into action immediately and see results.