MSc in Computer Science or Games Programming

[seekingKnowledge]

Hello everyone,

I would like to get everyone's sincere opinion about this issue that has been bugging my head. I have just recently completed my BSc in Computer Science ( & I am glad I took the degree & successfully performed well at it - just to mention a bit ), also I have for a long time been yearning to be a games programmer ( or at least a game developer / designer in the future ). To further shed light on how much I really want to go into this field, apart from being formally educated in most aspects of Computer science (BSc) & groomed in the Java language, I have also gained C++ knowledge, DirectX , JOGL , little bit of C/C# , XNA & OpenGL to mention a few (thus, I do not think am lacking too many things except for of course the experience in the gaming field and their intricacies).

Now that I have given a little bit of my background to help get your sincere responses, here is my problem. I recently decided to take my Master's Degree and to be specific I was going for Master's in Computer Games Technology. My initial knowledge of making such a decision is that from my past researches most Game Companies or at least the Good ones require a Degree (BSc) in some sort of field such as Computer Science , Maths , Physics , Software Engineering. which made it safe for me to choose a Master in Computer Games as I have always had the notion that a Master's Degree should be aimed specifically at what one really wants to do (after all that why its called MASTER) , now I know its not always a good idea to be confined to one & only one area of a field but since my BSc was achieved at a broader field (Computer Science & not Games Development), I feel I can opt out to any other field of Computer science if one day I get tired of Games Programming or just want to work in another field.

Now, from my recent research I got some mixed comments (-ve & +ve) about taking a Master's specifically in Games Programming & not just Computer Science, some say its not worth it as it streamlines your chances of getting employed, some say its fine as long as you have a BSc in Computer science or any of the fields I had previously mentioned.


I would be truly grateful if you all could contribute in your own ways to shed some of your opinions on this issue, as I do not want to make such a mistake if it could have been easily avoided. Your responses are highly anticipated.