Hi all,
This is my first time posting something in this forum, so please forgive me if I'm posting at a wrong place.
I'm originally from China, and living in Australia now. I always wanted to get into game industry and didn't have the courage to start due to many reasons. Specifically, my dream is to become a game character designer (I'm crazy about Chinese and Western fantasies, such as the Monkey King, the lord of the rings etc.).
Recently, Australian government just granted me permanent residency and as a benefit for emigrants and citizens the government provide us with education supports, yeah! So it just occurred to me that it is the right time to start pursuing my dream.
Anyway, I'm stuck on which Degree to choose, graphic design or Fine arts. Well, I know a GD degree is more related to the industry and after finishing the education I probably would have acquired some useful skills. However, as what I learnt from my research GD degrees in Australia don't include any drawing or painting subjects. This would be a major problem for me because I don't have any art background at all (Although I'm fond of drawing and painting since I was a child).
On the other hand, some friend who's working for the Riot Games suggest me start with an art degree and develop an outstanding artist mind during my study. He also mentioned learning software for game artists would be really easy if one person already is an mature artist. Therefore, my concern is whether it is like my friend said drawing and painting skill matter much more than others, or should I just start with a GD degree and learn drawing/painting skills at the same time.
Any replies would be appreciated, Thank you all