Video game courses a waste of time, say computer bosses

Game star: Lara Croft

Britain's multi-million-pound computer games industry has criticised universities for offering gaming degrees that fail to equip students for work.

Some of the country’s leading firms complain that many courses lack vital computing, maths or art and animation skills.

Their comments will reignite debate that too many universities are offering ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees with little job relevance.

The number of computer games degrees on offer in Britain has almost doubled over the past three years to more than 80.

But Skillset, the body that represents the ‘creative media’ industry, has only approved four courses as fully meeting employers’ needs.

Jamie MacDonald, the vice-president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios Europe, said: ‘I can’t remember the last time I employed someone from them.’

Meanwhile Britain, which gave the world Lara Croft, the heroine of Tomb Raider, is losing its hold on the global games market, worth an estimated £18billion a year. More than 200 British firms

are backing ‘Games Up?’ – a campaign to highlight threats to the UK industry, such as a shortage of suitable graduates.

David Braben of the Frontier Developments studio said he was ‘shocked and surprised’ at how little some graduates knew.

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills said it was down to the individual institutions to decide course content.