TRAIN2GAME OUTED BY INVESTIGATIVE READER
That odd game design training thing we got sent the other day is apparently a known offender. It has a “rep” that is in serious need of levelling up.
Here are a few recordings of a Train2Game presentation. They were made by a reader. They are not that visually impressive, it’s mainly an audio-based update unless you really like radiators.
“I had a sales rep from Train2Game actually come round to my house because I was interested in what they were offering. I also recorded most of it as I’d heard before the sales rep came that T2G was a scam”.
“I stuck my findings on youtube so people can decide for themselves if they think I witnessed a scam or sales pitch”.
“And I also made a cut for people that dont have much time and still want to see the funny bits” – Simon.
filed in GONZO FIELD REPORTS on Sep.28, 2009
September 28th, 2009 on 11:53 am
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by UK:RESISTANCE. UK:RESISTANCE said: TRAIN2GAME OUTED BY INVESTIGATIVE READER http://bit.ly/1D0llk […]
September 28th, 2009 on 12:02 pm
Gertcha. Train2Game innit.
September 28th, 2009 on 12:33 pm
So does this shit cost money then? As far as I can see from other youtube videos, they just give you a copy of Valve Hammer Editor an you get to make shite maps with it.
I can do that at home for free?
September 28th, 2009 on 12:42 pm
You need to upto £4960 over a 3 year period with no
financial help at all.
September 28th, 2009 on 12:50 pm
Sorry, You need to pay upto £4960 over a 3 year period.
September 28th, 2009 on 3:37 pm
That’s more than a degree with the Open University.
If you have time to spare and money to waste, work in my place and give me your money.
September 28th, 2009 on 4:10 pm
Lol “Train2Game has been around for a couple of years”. Actually, Train2Game started this year. When the salesman came to my house, he had only been with them for 2 weeks. He knew nothing about the course, nothing about the games industry, he seemed to know how to “sell things”, that was his limit. When I started talking game development with him (something I have been doing for over 23 years) he was completely lost.
When I kicked this course into touch, one of my main arguments was that they were so busy “trying to sell the course to people”, that they had forgotten what the course was for. Their “tutor team” was a computer based marking system, that sent out automated assignment reports. I never saw a single online lecture or presentation, which was something they promised during the “sales pitch”.
I spent more time arguing about the content of the course and the misinformation they presented in their lovely colourful “Dick and Jane” style course material than I did doing the assignments.
Pretty pre-printed booklets, DVD’s with faulty videos, zero interest from the course organisers… certainly not worth the £4960 you have to pay.
September 28th, 2009 on 6:22 pm
Nice tactic they have: make the candidate feel special, and that they are being let into a special club for the gifted. “We only let 50 people a year do this, we have to be certain that you will work in the games industry when this is over.” etc.
They don’t just do it for this course either, apparently. Here is somebody talking about an IT course the same company (under a different name) offers:
“I found some reviews of one of their other courses, an IT skills course, that pretty much all say they’re borderline con artists. According to them, Scheidegger send a rep round to give you a “test” and then tell you that you’re one of the few who passed the test. After that, you hand over a load of cash and they give you some out of date source material in return”
I thought this sort of thing only worked on gullible old grannies.
I also like the way the guy thinks that the games industry is a special body that can somehow pay them money, rather than an industry as you’d expect. I wonder when his next cheque from Mr. Peter Games Industry is coming.
October 6th, 2009 on 3:18 pm
Oh, the irony: http://yfrog.com/5tdoodlep
October 6th, 2009 on 4:54 pm
Mr. Peter Games Industry?
Has Peter “Captain of the Bullshit Tanker” Molyneux changed his name?
July 12th, 2010 on 11:23 am
My interest is through my son, who is a very experienced gamer.
I came upon the UK:Resistance Site today after Googling the name of a company whose email had arrived in my Spambox, ‘Train2Game’ with the heading “Realize your dream of designing games for a living”, which is a career that my son (30) has been looking into at college.
I was rather suspicious about them, and information from several of your members confirmed my missgivings.
Thanks for being here!
August 31st, 2010 on 9:01 am
HEY GUYS am new at this but i just logged on cuz i need to tell u lot about my experence with this company ..
i was hours away from a wedding and a day b4 i had to go on hoilday the day the sales man come round my place …
he come round and asked me silly questions about why i wanna join my life style and what games i like soo okay fair enough i answered them …but then we watched a video about other people who took the course and said how good it was..soo it all looked really good .. then he told me how much it was gonna cost over the next £ years , £5000 !! this open my eyes abit , then he said ill have to go all the way to bolton to take a exam that i might not even pass when i complete the course and beacuse i was in a rush to go to a famely wedding i was thinking soo i agreed with it all and shaked his hand .
then the guy asked for a £100 up front,i diddent ask why he wanted it i think its for his fee for comeing to my house…but when i said i diddent have this cuz all my money i have is for my holiday am going too in the morning, the look on his face was not nice he looked angry and pissed..it made me think after wen i was haveing a good time at this wedding that it was all a scan to be honest …if this was a course where u can go to college and someone teachs you how to be a games devoloper then i would of thought about it but this is a home course and how can u learn stuff like that from home, in my experince home cuorse are not good and u dont learn much cuz u get ditracted pritty easy …so this is my story when this guy come round on october 2009…
September 15th, 2010 on 7:43 pm
Hey I can confirm that this is NOT a scam. TIGA the games industry trade association back this course and Train2game. These courses tackle everything basically needed to start a career in the games industry. It’s all hands on so you build up the experience needed using tools like photoshop, 3dsmax, maya, C++, etc.
The cost is very reasonable and anything less than that investment must be a cause for concern. Any professional career warrants at least that investment for starters!
I am on the Designer course and can say it is better than what I expected. I doubt any of you leaving such negative comments are in the games industry or will ever make it into the industry!
September 15th, 2010 on 10:42 pm
Not actually in the industry yourself then, 808hot? Best of luck with that one.
Of course, having spent silly money on a course few people acknowledge as worthwhile, it’s only natural you’ll want to try and convince as many people as possible that you didn’t waste your money, eh?
Or maybe you get a discount by agreeing to evangelise about it wherever they find people saying things they don’t like?
Or maybe you’re just straight out paid by them to do that?
Anyway, like I said, best of luck with all that, do let us know when you have your first major besteseller published. or even if you manage to get into a testing role somewhere (preferably before you realise what a soul-destroying job it is and slash your wrists)
I’m curious though, when you sat the aforementioned test before signing up and were told you were one of the lucky few who passed the test, did you feel special?
I can only assume that’s the explanation for the meaningless description of the courses being better than what you expected. What on earth did you think you were signing up for?
November 13th, 2010 on 12:52 pm
You lot are a bunch of negative twats. My husband is on the Train2Game Course and is always chatting away to his tutors, using Student World etc. You fools are the type who judge books by covers. Do you have brains? Or I take it universites, TIGA are scammers to? My conclusion; you are jealous cunts who could not get out of a plastic bag if your life depended on it. UK Resistance? More like UK Uneducated -.-
November 13th, 2010 on 7:43 pm
Please pass on my best wishes to your husband for his future career, whether it’s as a high-profile video game developer or on the bins.
November 13th, 2010 on 2:09 pm
I give that rant 2/10. It’s angry, but it makes very little sense. Possibly not your wisest move to use lack of education as an insult.
November 13th, 2010 on 4:31 pm
Oh, the irony (Part 2, The Revenge)
November 13th, 2010 on 4:43 pm
Is a negative twat, a cock?
January 14th, 2011 on 8:05 am
Ok so 1 day i get a phone call saying that these people read my aplication, and that someone with come over to my house at 8PM to descuss weather this is good for me. now me knowing that i might of found the perfect course this seemed exit’ing, a sales person comes over the next day. he ask’s me a bunch of questions saying whats your past what do you do know, what im into, he knew alot about the course and what it involved but nothing about gaming what so ever. he shows me so fancy DVD, and i was even surpised to see suzen perry i think her name is, from the gadget show, so i honestly thought this is all legit, were finaly done sorting out paperwork, then when he was leaving he demanded £125 for his 45 minute serve’s he leaves, ill admit i was still even a bit anxious about it all, and i thought id look at some reviews, iv seen the ones on there website, and face it there never gonna put a bad one on there website, so i looked at some others and about 95% of them said there complete scammers. and thats were i am today, im now gonna cancel my course ASAP! thanks for the reviews i hope i got out of it in time :)
January 20th, 2011 on 1:32 am
lol I just read that womans post, little does she realize i have been on the course for just over a year, and have only found its all a scam, the salesman said i would be doing xbox 360 and PS3 games, on the games designer course, ACTUALLY LEARNING HOW, it turned out to be 2D games, not only that I got told the course cost 3G, not 4,900G. LIES!!
now im struggling to wriggle my way out of this scam as im past the cooldown period and locked into contract, im currently argueing with them, and sooner or later I believe they’ll try threatening me with court.
But it wasnt just that though, not even the T2G customer services would reply to my issue with these ” lies ” i was told.
T2G is actually fake. its a con.
I need help and advice, if anyone knows how to fight against these con artists, please add me on facebook or MSN, MasterofMachines@hotmail.co.uk.
Im extremely desperate for help, and fear for my own wellbeing. :'(.
February 7th, 2011 on 10:32 pm
What an idiot “I fear for my well being”?? Well you shouldn’t have signed up for a training course if you cant afford to pay for it, eh?
Just go to tiga.org like I did and they will tell you if train2game is a scam!!
Game on!!
February 16th, 2011 on 2:55 pm
Considering the above comment. Go to http://www.tiga.org/
Scroll down and see the massive train2game banner.
If they are not associated or scammers, why would the independent board representing the UK games industry let someone advertise on there site which is meant to be doing the industry harm?
Don’t be sheep people. Find out your own facts. Never trust anything you find of the Internet unless the source is reputable. Let the people have there conspiracy theories.
Even if the course was not up to standards. Ever think you are gaining something much more valuable? You are gaining a community that is interested and developing in the same field you want to, finding like minded people to work with is much more valuable than and diplomia.
:)
February 16th, 2011 on 3:02 pm
Very subtle reputation management campaign going on here, chaps. Like it. The fact that you keep mentioning TIGA as if your LIFE DEPENDS UPON IT gives away your origins.
Bunch of cunts. I get about two emails a month from people upset about how badly they’ve been treated by T2G and the finance arrangements. I used to forward them on to TIGA but TIGA obviously doesn’t give a shit as they never reply.
February 16th, 2011 on 5:54 pm
Anyone that has to use profanity to win an arguement instantly loses it.
Just because a minority are unhappy with a product/ service, doesnt render said product or service bad.
There is a very happy majority who study and enjoy the course.
I have contacted TIGA and the university of Portsmouth to verify what T2G claims are, and they are legit.
Like it or not, TIGA is the regulated appointed body for the games industry on this country, if they say T2G is legit, sorry, I’m inclined to believe them over a random Internet person.
People should never trust what is put up on the Internet. Not even this comment. Find put your own facts and make your own decisions.
February 16th, 2011 on 10:49 pm
Haven’t you got some shareware tech demos to be getting on with? I’ve heard you can earn circa £32k a year doing a job you love if you copy the files off the DVD onto your computer.
February 17th, 2011 on 12:18 am
I love the way whenever anyone asks me about this course I just tell them to google UK Resistance now.
“There is a very happy majority who study and enjoy the course.
I have contacted TIGA and the university of Portsmouth to verify what T2G claims are, and they are legit.”
How do you know there is happy majority doing the course?
If you need to ring up TIGA and Portsmouth uni for clarification as to what T2G’s claims are then this doesn’t exactly suggest you know lots of people doing the course.
February 17th, 2011 on 9:56 am
Because if there are 5000+ people on there forums whom are happy with T2G and from why I can see, a small amount of bitter people unhappy with it. That signifies a happy majority.
Like with all teaching, they give you the tools and mindset to go about bettering yourself, giving am understanding of processes. I believe people have to high expectations believing that someone else is going to do it all for you. Which is just laziness.
I phoned them to verify the claims made here, which turn out to be fraudulent. Following my logical mantra of making up your own mind and finding your own facts.
It is typical British behaviour to have something to moan about, I guess you have found your something.
Again, find your own facts out people. It will help you in the long run and trust only yourself :)
February 17th, 2011 on 11:51 am
They do indeed give you the tools. The same tools you can get off the internet for free and teach yourself how to use.
February 17th, 2011 on 1:50 pm
Pro Game Maker 7 is about £18. Visual Studio 2010 C++ Express is free from Microsoft (as is the c# and vb versions).
OK so for design students you’ll get 3D Studio Max 2010/Photoshop CS5 and they are expensive. What kind of licence do you get? Blender (3D software) is free and has a tremendous community.
Just for fun end of last year I registered with Microsofts XNA Community (Creators Club) for about £70 which gave me access to their game-creation community, tools (again free Visual Studio…), tutorials, examples etc plus software to debug and play and games I make on my XBox. All I needed to do was work through MSDN – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb200104.aspx.
It’s been 4 months since I set all this stuff up at home, I’ve spent about £150 on a couple of books plus the subscription (OK it’s yearly).
It’s basic opportunism by T2G preying on peoples desire to get into the industry by smoke-screening them from actual useful resources.
Has anyone seen any employers actively seeking those with TIGA accreditation? The argument of “it’s better if you have it” don’t wash, you’ll get employed on the strength of your skills and/or possible university background.
February 17th, 2011 on 2:40 pm
End of the day, I cannot nor will try to convince someone with such blind hatred. My message is to those that read these slanderous remarks as facts. They are merely subjective opinion. Do you own investigating, prove these people wrong and better your lives.
February 17th, 2011 on 4:23 pm
Slanderous remarks/=facts.
February 17th, 2011 on 5:01 pm
It’s not just “someone” with blind hatred, it’s “a group”.
Get it right.
February 17th, 2011 on 5:20 pm
Plus it’s far easier to get into the games industry if you go and get yourself a proper education. After all what use is a “Games Designer” qualification to any other industry if you can’t get a job in the games industry?
I’m afraid no matter how you look at it, the majority of people working in the games industry went to university and studied subjects as boring as “Computer Programming”, “Maths” and other such boooooring but oh so useful qualifications. What use is being able to make a sprite move if you have no real understanding of the physics behind it?
There’s even a debate about whether university games courses are really worth it, let alone some tinpot private training company.
I’ve seen posts on the T2G forum whereby a (supposed) 18 year old is seriously considering a qualification. I would say T2G have a responsibility to actually recommend that person go to university, sure they’ll pay more than £5000 but the worth will be so much more.
It’s not subjective, it’s just common sense.
February 17th, 2011 on 7:39 pm
I also don’t like the idea you can “teach” someone to be good at art, which seems wrong on some odd level.
February 17th, 2011 on 9:21 pm
My last comment on the matter, these are from developers at a reputable large games company (XBox and PS3 games):
Person 1:
“Don’t know about that particular course but I always say that if there is a choice between a ‘proper/serious” education and a games course, take the serious education. It can have much more value in the long run and generally the games industry is looking for people to bring in interesting skills.”
Person 2:
“Only looking at the programmer track, it makes some impressive claims.
…34 lessons to go from “Only very basic computing knowledge is needed” to “fully competent 3D Games programming.”
It’s taken me twelve years professionally, and I was already programming when I started working in games. While it’s not impossible to reduce that to 34 lessons, they would have to be jam packed with content. Even then, I would be surprised if a diploma that starts with a basic computing knowledge can take you to anything beyond “stumbling noob” – and it won’t take you to “fully competent”
I’m assuming the other courses they offer are at a similar level, but haven’t looked. It might be a good starting point if it’s cheap, and provide an insight into how to become a games professional, but it isn’t going to turn anybody into an awesome games developing robot sent from the future to destroy us.
They don’t provide syllabus info or a contact email address on their website… Thats never a good sign.”
Person 3:
“As far as train games go may I recommend this
http://www.realrailway.com/en/ino2/
I love that you can play in “passenger” mode”
Person 4:
“There was a big set-to about this a while back with a lot of industry professionals saying that it’s a big con-job and the guy who runs it getting upset about it all. This may have been on their own forums, it spilled onto the Chaos Engine and got a bit ugly as I recall.
I’d avoid it like the plague, personally.”
…….
June 1st, 2011 on 8:55 am
Hi i have an adviser coming round to my home in 1 hours time (10am 01/06/2011) i got my call from T2G only yesterday asked a few questions told me theres only a selected few blah blah blah
I am already aware it could all be a scam but was told on the phone this adviser is free so we will see what he has to say and let you all know very soon now
June 3rd, 2011 on 4:44 pm
I’ve just joined Train 2 game, and surprised that its labelled as a SCAM, seems SomeCantAniMate.
If you make it work for you, it will…
Enough said.
June 3rd, 2011 on 9:35 pm
So says someone in Train2Game’s employ…
Nice sales technique too, sounds very much like that used by other notorious rip-off merchants like pyramid scam/charity-muggers Arcedia, accusing people of having no drive or ambition when they don’t want to be ripped off or taken advantage of.
Well, it’s certainly working for the bosses, isn’t it? Less so for the poor sods they convince to sign up, I’d wager.
Any word on that free session with that advisor, cloud9? How’d that go?
June 3rd, 2011 on 11:00 pm
Riight symbols… so if you can animate then you don’t need Train2Game, and if you can’t, then they can’t teach you.
June 6th, 2011 on 11:18 am
heres my experiance
first of all tho i have to say i came to them via an advert i think i saw on facebook
i checked out there site its very professional and you can see what the studants are doing and saying in there forums it looks alright so far
i applied for more info and didnt hear anything from them for weeks tho it did mention that “due to high interest it might take them time to get back to me”
which i spose is fair enough i put my address so was expecting info in the post
weeks later i get a phone call from some fella saying hes from train 2 game i get excited he asked a few queastions about my interest in the course i cant remember what i said now but at the end he says he is sending someone round to talk about the course with me , im thinking hey great cant wait to see them
after i put phone down im thinking why didnt he just explain over the phone?(or at least now im thinking that) and something was telling me something wasnt right what if its scammers or somone trying to rob me (not unheard of)
anyway so this fella comes round he seems like a genuine kind of guy
alot of what people said on here is same for me .. he asked me about myself rather then tell me about the course untill later , he didnt know anything about the games industry but he did come out with some surprising responces like he did seem to care about what course worked best for me
anyway at the end he talked about the money and the 100 deposit .. i was sold by then and said sure ill give you 100 when i get paid on my payday which was about 2 and a half weeks time he said he wont be able to deal with me by then as he wont be in the area and ill have to go thru the process all over again then arranged to see me a few days later and to let him know if i have the money by then and he also surpsiing to me said something along the lines of hey just get close to ammount and ill give you the software he was telling me about
so i went about trying to get the money but coudnt find it in the end .. and was thinking of trying again next month after i goit paid but i thought hell ill check out the net for appinions
anyway i call this fella up not more then 2 hours ago from writing this and tell him that unfortunatly i cant get him that money and he said to me
“you need to contact train 2 game as im not working for them anymore”
so , what happened there, was train 2 game not paying him enogth? , did he have a guniune desire to help people and saw that company was a bit underhanded? or maby simply just found a job with a better wage? who knows i didnt ask
so now im thinking about doing open uni now anyway but thats my experiance and i hope it helps
June 6th, 2011 on 12:03 pm
update
just had someone call me who was offering the course again
and this new fella who claims to be the other fellas area manager, calls offers the course and says he can wait a month untill i get paid .. strange how they coudnt wait a month before hand also he said that the other fella was not feeling very well .. strange as he phoned me to say he quit his job and last but not least the first fella wasnt only going to be in the area for a while and id have to redo an interview thing with someone which i dont have to with the new fella also isnt it strange how the old fella has a area manager but wasnt working in this area next month , anyway thats my update make of it as you will
August 18th, 2011 on 4:42 pm
Right. Here,s my story.
I joined T2G about 2 years ago, quickly lost interest (like I always do) couldn’t afford the payments and had my debt passed onto another company.
When the sales guy came around he said that sometimes barclays bank sponser the course, (Has anyone else heard this) but most of the time you “borrow” the £49600 from the college.
I don’t even think I made my first payment.
I basicly signed up because my girlfriend wants me to better myself and this seemed like an easy option.
In the two years I have been on the course I haven’t even completed section 1. I find it very easy but just can’t be bothered most of the time.
I get the occansional “webmail” (T2G’s internal mail system) saying “I haven’t handed in a Tutor marked assignment in some time”.
Other than that I have no contact from the college at all.
I do not find the student world website very professional or helpfull in the slightest.
(It looks very 19 80s’and hasn’t been updated in 2 years)
Maybe i’m just a crap student but you’d think that after 2 years on section 1 my “Tutors” would have rang me.
When my assingments are marked (20 multiple choice questions) there is what seems to be an automated report listing what questions you got right and wrong, with comments like, well done, or that is incorrect please re-read the study material. But no actual feedback from a real person.
I went on student world yesterday and instantly got a pop up about Eurogamer Expo tickets, but still nothing from a real person to say “get you f**king ass in gear boy!!!!”
The only contact I have from train 2 game is the £10 a week they take from my bank account….
August 21st, 2011 on 12:51 am
I started a new job recently and the phone ring sounds exactly like the first notes off of Green Hill zone. Well, it has the same rhythm and the first note is right but it doesn’t change octaves.
It made me think of UK:R.
September 1st, 2011 on 1:51 am
I got a call from these people earlier today I am having a guy round this afternoon…
September 8th, 2011 on 7:24 pm
I fell for this stupid course and now have a debt of £5000 to pay off , Do not do this course unless you are Computer minded or a Brilliant Genius at this. I have not studied since day one as i do not understand anything. I am paying for something i will never have.
BE WARNED AND CAREFULL.
September 28th, 2011 on 1:41 pm
Hey folks,
This is my story so far…
**Apologies for the super long post**
My fiancé and I have just moved to Edinburgh and while looking for jobs on various websites my partner found an ad on Gumtree for Train2Game. This gave a brief outline of the courses available and he signed up for more information on games testing via their web form. This was approximately three weeks ago.
On Tuesday evening he received a phone call regarding the course. He answered a few questions and was informed that a representative of the course would call round to our flat for a consultation meeting to discuss what the course could provide him with in terms of materials, modules, learning outcomes and qualifications.
The representative arrived around eight o’clock last night (27/9/11). I sat in on the consultation partly out of curiosity, partly to listen to the language and techniques that were being implemented but mostly to ensure that this was a legitimate course. I have been studying various levels of diplomas and degrees the conventional way for the last eight years so I was pretty intrigued by the claims they made.
At first glance the rep looked professional and seemed to understand how the gaming industry operates (better than myself or my partner anyway).
The first question that was asked was “How did you hear about the course?” to which he stated that as we have just moved here, he was job searching and came across the post on gum tree. Originally he thought it was too good to be true but signed up anyhow and if it was legitimate he didn’t want to bypass an opportunity to gain skills in something he is very interested in.
The hook came in pretty quick with bold statements like “A junior games designer can make around £25K a year. Does that sound like something you would like to do?” Of course it is. Who wouldn’t want to be making £25K a year to begin with?
The questions then led on to previous education (going as far back as high school) where he stated his qualifications and explained how he would have preferred to take on particular subjects such as art and music, but was denied the chance. Therefore he lost interest in school which, resulted in less than impressive grades.
Another question that cropped up was “What do you do in your spare time (a part from play video games)?” My partner stated that he is a Bass Guitar player and played in bands before moving. He is enthusiastic about music and is very interested in composing music for games.
The rep pointed out that “he is a very creative person but took a completely wrong direction and has spent 10 years since school in dead end jobs that don’t provide any satisfaction”. I found this to be quite a bold statement, no matter how accurate, considering the rep had only met him 10 minutes prior to this and at this point the whole conversation felt like a poor careers lecture.
Then the topic changed to employment. I may have been overly cautious at this point but when my fiancé told the rep that he is just about to begin a full time position within a reputable trade & DIY supply store their eyes lit up.
The rep claimed that “with between 10 and 15 hours a week study time you can complete this course within 18 to 24 months… You will receive software for your PC (didn’t state what this was) and all lectures will be via the internet called Webinars (Ewww) which you can watch and take part in live via web cam or you can download them when it suits you… The more work you put in the quicker you will receive your qualification….” I am yet to understand what type of qualification this is. Apparently it is the equivalent of an HND, but how can one study an HND without first obtaining A-Levels or the equivalent? Is this even possible?
This is where the reeling began. The rep stated they had been to visit six different people that day, out of the six they were only putting two forward (because the others were clueless) and my partner was one of the two.
Remember originally he stated an interest in games testing? Well, apparently the ‘right’ approach for him is games designing. He may not have realised this but getting past the phone call was one hurdle and getting past the consultation is another.
‘That’s all very well and good’ I thought, but ‘how much would this course cost?’ Oh not much, just £4960 (£100 up front on enrolment which gets taken off the overall bill). Ah but don’t worry, you will get a loan to pay the fees outright (NOT from Student Loan Company or Student Awards Scotland or any other recognised student funding body) and then you only have to pay back £135 a month for three years.
Then the rep reiterated their point that my fiancé is a very creative person but lacking the proper environment to reach his full potential and this course would enable him to do so. His case would be put forward to the review board today (28/9/11), a decision would be made on the spot and he would receive a phone call afterwards informing him of the outcome.
If he was unsuccessful this time round he could apply again in three months time. If he was successful the enrolment process would begin on Friday (30/9/11) where he could pay the £100 up front and take out a loan for just under £5k.
I have researched into similar courses and ICS provide a combined games design and development course for £1999. In my opinion if he is to participate in an online course regarding video games this would be the better option but if any of you know of any better solutions please let me know.
September 28th, 2011 on 4:26 pm
@Angellouise_86 It’s a waste of money, they’re preying on people who really want to work in the game industry and are unsure as to how to do it.
Your husband needs to be sure he wants to work in the games industry, long hours and poor pay are commonplace in so many areas.
If he wants to “learn designing” or “learn developing” then the cheapest option would be signing up to something like Microsoft’s App Hub which allows development on the PC/Xbox 360. It costs around £70 and provides all the development tools and support needed.
As the development environment (IDE) is an IT industry standard (Visual Studio) then any skills learnt will be much more relevant in the wider world than anything these Games Training companies will provide. They only provide versions of software that can be bought for about £30 anyway.
http://create.msdn.com/en-US/
October 4th, 2011 on 6:33 pm
they came to my house last week to interview my son i sat in as i was intrested to what they could offer she seamed to pick up on his weekness and based most of the chat around that hes be unemployed now for two years does the odd day here and ther temping hes at a all time low and wants to improve himself . we were told just over 3000 for the course and 100 up front the whole thing seamed to be rushed thurday she came out let him know on firday he could join wanted to sign him up saterday he only get dole money he can afford this but they put in a good sales pitch he hooked she given him three weeks to come up with the money say she hold his place open for three weeks i wish he would listen to me and not do this as i think he be wasting his time and getting in to alot of dept that he don’t need .