What is the best college/university for video game programming?

Can you offer me some colleges/universities for video game design and programming?

• I am planning to pursue a career in video games and I am having trouble figuring out in which university to go too. I understand that video game design and video game programming are sort of different fields and I would like to be able to learn both but if such an option is not possible then you should probably know that I am more interested in the programming aspect of it. Also when recommending any colleges/universities please also tell me what types of standardized tests (TOEFL, SAT, IELTS, any APs, etc.) do these colleges require for an international (not from an English-speaking country) student. Also be aware that I am planning to go to university in roughly two years from now so do not worry if you are posting your response a lot later than the question’s post date. Thank you!

• Answer:

  You are right, those are different areas of study. Most community colleges now offer video game programming/design courses. The community college that I attend offers a full AAS in Game Development. It is becoming a major industry. You shouldn't have much problem finding classes. Community colleges don't require any existing knowledge to gain entry. If you are deficient, say in math, they will require that you take development math classes. If this happens, don't blow off the math. Learn that stuff well!! Programming, even video game program, is math intensive. Especially if you get in to AI (Artificial Intelligence) programming, which pays the most. AI programming is mostly working with algorithms. My advice is to hit up your local community college and get started. Start taking general programming courses. Learn C and C++. You wont find many games programmed in Java due to memory requirements in Java. As a game developer you will be working with C++ and the Unreal Development Kit mostly in my estimation (which can be downloaded for free). I wish you luck and success.