I hear from alot of sources that if you want to be a good game developer you should have some strong math skills. What I was wondering is what type of math are we talking about? Algebra? Calculus? Geometry? Probabilities? Statistics? etc..Do you need to know alittle bit of everything or just certain parts?

IMO you should at the very least have a firm understanding of geometry and trig.

More math won't hurt though.

Pretty much all of it.... geometry and trig for finding trajectories and angles (like flying objects), probabilities for randomness (probability of an outcome of a blow, win or success/fail), statistics (like character stats, stats about outcomes etc), algebra is pretty much everywhere from matrices to linear algebra to functions and logarithms....you really need a little bit of it all but you should really be good in the algrebra and probabilities since those are pretty much in all types of games.

Calculus, linear algebra ++

When focusing on math specifics, its really dependant on the area of programming you are focused in. Math skills in general are a valuable asset because it trains your mind to think logically. Logical thinking is the foundation to a good programmer.

I've gotten into trouble here before, because in general higher math is not required in programming, nor to program. HOWEVER...

Game programming is where math is simply a must. Physics is obvious. But 3D graphics alone will lead you to most of the maths. Matrix algebra is a biggie. To some extent you can pass some of the stuff off to the video card or graphics library, but you still need to understand the principals.

You more need to know a little about a lot, rather any one specific thing. You won't know what you need more of until you have a particular job to do, so you kinda need a broad base.

Vague answer ... it depends.

More precisely, it depends on what exactly you want to get done, and to what degree you want it to model the real world. In ultra realistic video games, math is key.

My background is mechanical engineering. On the college level, I have taken 3 courses of calculus, 1 of differential equations, 1 of linear algebra (matrix), and 1 of numerical methods (computer solvers for equations, etc).

Here is how things apply. You must must understand high school algebra to get anywhere in programming. If you have a relation, typically to handle it in a program it must be expressed explicitly, which means if it is in terms of x the x must be able to be removed to the left hand side. 1= 2 + x can become x = -1.

If you intend to do graphics. Geometry is needed. Want something to follow your mouse and have the speed related to how far away it is? You are looking for trig relations.

3D modeling. Can you do this without math? These days yes, short answer. Can you use pre-made collision detection schemes, yes. Can you write your own without some knowledge of calculus, maybe, but you will probably learn a bit while you go and it will take you a lot longer than it would take me.

Finally, differential equations. Lets say I wanted a rope to behave like a rope when I picked it up. Or I wanted a car to behave just like a car when I drive it. Or blah blah blah... I want physics. You can hack this together by modifying properties until it "looks right," but if you want it to be truly realistic, some knowledge of differential equations is necessary. This is the bulk of what I do... but I won't bore you with the details as it doesn't directly answer your question.