game design bachelor of science what hardware they know

Okay, so I’ve been digging into this whole “Game Design Bachelor of Science” thing, and specifically, what kind of hardware these students are supposed to be familiar with. It’s been a bit of a journey, let me tell you!

My Starting Point

I started out pretty clueless. I mean, I play games, I love games, but I never really thought about the stuff behind the games. I figured, “Hey, it’s all just computers, right?” Wrong.

Diving into Research

So, I started by, you know, Googling stuff. Lots of Googling. I looked at university program descriptions, course outlines, anything I could find that mentioned “hardware” and “game design.”

I felt very lost and found a bunch of forum threads and Reddit posts where people were asking the same questions. Some of it was helpful, some of it was…less so.

What I’ve Found

Here’s the gist of what I’ve pieced together:

• Computers (Duh!): It’s not just about having a gaming PC. It looks like these programs want students to understand the guts of a computer. We’re talking CPUs, GPUs, RAM, motherboards, storage – the whole shebang. Like, being able to build a PC from scratch, not just plug it in.
• Peripherals: This is where it got a little more interesting. It’s not just keyboard and mouse. We’re talking about game controllers (obviously), but also things like VR headsets, motion capture systems, maybe even specialized input devices.
• Audio Equipment: Sound is a HUGE part of games. It seems some programs touch on microphones, audio interfaces, mixing boards, that sort of thing. Not to become a sound engineer, but to understand how audio gets into the game.
• Consoles: I found out it is good to know the insides of how game consoles work! I mean the hardware, how a Playstation or Xbox ticks.

My “Aha!” Moment

The big takeaway for me was that it’s not just about using the hardware. It’s about understanding how it all works together, how it impacts game performance, and how to choose the right tools for the job. It’s like, a game designer doesn’t need to be a master mechanic, but they should probably know how an engine works, you know?

Still Learning…

I’m definitely still figuring things out. I’m thinking about maybe grabbing an old PC and taking it apart, just to get my hands dirty. Maybe even try building a simple game controller or something. It’s a whole new world, and it’s pretty exciting (and a little intimidating) to explore!

That is my experience, still learning!