What subject's are best for Game Designing or Engineering?

I agree with Mark's advice. It's not just making games, it gets down to what kind of games are you going to make? Do you have to work on a AAA console title -- then you need to outshine all other applicants for a few scarce often unadvertised jobs? Would you be happy doing indie iPhone or Android games?

I wrote a book on what it takes to do indie game development, to help people like you. Search for my last name in iBooks or the Kindle Book Store. If the nominal price is an issue, send me a note, and I'll see if I can send you a copy.

Best wishes,

--Ed Magnin

This is a great question, but it has several answers.

First, the best subjects for game design differ from the best subjects for engineering. Second, depending on the types of games on which you want to work, the answers may differ.

If you want to be a software engineer in game development, I recommend courses in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics. If you want to write game engines, you need to go deep into Computer Science. If you want to write code specific to individual games (like the player controls for a platformer or the targeting algorithms for a shooter), you don't need to go as deeply into Computer Science, but you may want to dig deeper into Mathematics and Physics. Those disciplines will teach you how to solve real-world problems using equations and logic, which is the primary job of gameplay programmers. My background is mostly Physics and Math -- I am a self-taught programmer. I admit, though, that I wish I had a more formal Computer Science background.

If you want to be a game designer, you should know that many designers specialize in particular fields. For instance, narrative designers write a lot of dialog, so they need strong backgrounds in creative writing and literature. Others design levels. Here, it helps to have a background in digital art and fine art, as well as some knowledge of programming. A strong understanding of 3D math doesn't hurt, either. Other designers create game mechanics and game systems. Here, a strong mathematics background goes a long way (especially statistics), as does some knowledge of computer programming. There is also a growing demand for designers to create and manage economies, and they benefit from strong math and economics backgrounds.

In the end, though, all of these positions have one thing in common: be willing to learn new skills. No matter what technology you study in school, it will be outdated by the time you get a job. That's why skills like Physics, Mathematics, and Fine Arts are so important: they don't change, and they help you master whatever new skills you will need as game development evolves.

Good luck!