A representative from a highly-advertised entertainment media and digital arts college in South Florida posted a listing for a variety of high-level faculty positions, two days ago, on a group discussion board on LinkedIn.com. The two consistent details shared among the bottom line requirements for each available position were (1) the need for a minimum of 4 years in game development and (2) the need for an MS/MBA and a PhD.

One particular group member felt inspired enough, albeit through disappointment, to post a comment that entertainment media schools, such as the aforementioned, are out of touch with what types of people are truly qualified to compose and teach game development curriculum. He further remarked that this particular school was going to find it extremely hard, if not impossible, to find the candidates they sought. He went on to explain that you need real, hard core game developers, who have learned and taught their craft in the production trenches . . . rather than degree-laden academics who have, at most, a mild understanding of game development. He finished his comments by wishing the school good luck, while still remaining in disbelief that they will achieve their hiring goals.

This gentleman’s thoughts, albeit brief, are similar to my own on a very dear subject (upon which I have commented before), as it affects the capabilities and qualities of people with whom I might be asked to collaborate on game development projects in the future.

I felt that he made an accurate assessment of what is specifically necessary for the proper education of students in the various disciplines of game development (from management to design to art to programming to audio to QA to marketing).

Unfortunately, as anyone could see, the job listing was displayed as a standard "form letter,” quite possibly posted by an obedient human resources representative, objectively speaking.

I will be rather surprised if anyone-of-substance from the school even attempts to contact this irritated gentleman offline . . . either (1) in a juvenile attempt to refute his comments or (2) beg him to go silent and allow the school to knowingly continue their "search for that hybrid educator who does not exist."

The school may well be doing the very best it can in the face of uninformed accreditation requirements that are being forced upon them, and, if that is the case (as it is for so many other similar schools), then, imagine the severe frustration of the people responsible for their game development department. Further imagine how comments like the gentleman's, mine, and others do not help the school’s department heads (in stating the obvious) and just add to their feeling of powerlessness.

After all, the common theme among most of the school-based game development programs is a less-than-gentlemanly agreement, made in “partnerships” with accreditation committees, effectively stating: "If you want this 'silly' game development degree program added and treated with the same respect as the other established-and-traditional programs within our school, then, you will agree to adopt these stringent accreditation requirements without fail or question."

"Good luck in your search," in this case, should be about (1) successfully altering the accreditation rules (with full acknowledgment and commitment from the rules committee, following a willing exchange of facts and ideas) and (2) finding the right candidates, complete with true trench-level game development experience, first, and a white collar academia background, second.

This school is no different and no-less-deserving than any other school having to deal with unpleasant hiring rules (even if they are there "for the protection of our school and its students"), but students will not be receiving the best "protection" of their education if there are not constant-and-repeated requests for appropriate changes to the rules that establish that protection.

I can make these statements confidently, because at CalArts (the private art school from which I graduated years ago), the administration continues to struggle, to this day, with the appropriate balance between “letting creative freedom ring” (in honoring the commitment to their students) and making enough valid concessions to accreditation boards to gain access to more-and-always-necessary public and private funds (for school infrastructure, student loan opportunities, and the overall school endowment).

I am making a huge assumption that the specific administrators and faculty responsible for the day-to-day operations and teachings of this school’s game development program honestly do want to succeed and be known as a place that delivers the game development goods “without fail or question.”