Game Design, BS

Major

On Campus, Day

Communications Media

In Short

The major in Game Design – the first of its kind in a public institution in the Northeast – seeks to make the methods and tools of game design and development accessible to everyone.

Dab Revo - A freestyle dancing game with rhythm game roots. Think you're too cool for this game? Well you're not... We like fun!

Legend of the Dungeon - An adventure game with 8 fully explorable dungeons and bosses.

Friender Bender - A local-multiplayer sabotage driving game. Up to 4 players take turns controlling 1 car, avoiding obstacles and navigating 2 increasingly crazy courses. If the player crashes while driving, they lose a life. If they lose all of their lives, they’re eliminated. The last player left driving is the winner!

Outerworld Image - Outerworld Image is a surreal, meditative photography game. Walk around a neon planet, taking photos at your leisure that can be saved and shared, while listening to some calming music and not thinking about the end of the world. Created by five students in a semester.

Laserface - Blow up the city and cause destruction with the LASER on your FACE. You're LASERFACE.

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Program Overview

We strive to produce strong game creators with robust skill sets, able to work independently or in productive teams to create powerful, thought-provoking games with solid gameplay mechanics, unified aesthetics, and engaging stories.

Students learn core concepts of game design, foundations of visual art, and fundamentals of game logic and programming. They learn to design games by creative brainstorming, problem-solving, iterating, and focusing on the player. They learn to develop artistic concepts into fully realized 2D and 3D art assets based on solid research and art foundations.

Students in Hammond playing video game at Visions 2024

Students build proficiencies with current software, platforms, hardware, programming languages, and anticipate learning new tools as needed. They are eager to explore the problems and possibilities inherent in new platforms including mobile, VR, augmented reality, or tools not yet imagined.

A game design student working with 3D modeling software

Students learn to consider games through historical, social, aesthetic, and theoretical lenses, and to develop a sense of civic and global responsibility through the study and practice of serious games. They transcend aesthetic, formal, mechanical, and convention limitations to design excellent games with personal vision.

Game design students working in a computer lab

Students develop skills in managing time, resources, and personalities by working towards a common goal with their production teams. They learn to manage, playtest, critique, troubleshoot, and release game projects that create memorable experiences for players. And they promote their achievements in order to expand opportunities for their games and themselves.

Hear from Game Design alum Kris Camp '24, CEO of IconARTS in this spotlight video.

Check out the Burg Blog for more on our game design program and the ideaLab.

Professor Jeffrey Warmouth and student Jules Stackhouse in the game design studio at the theater…

Communications Media Internships

Internships

Internships are a great opportunity to get valuable, real-world experiences before entering a competitive job market.

Three photos of a woman's face behind a sheer fabric

Visions

Visions is the juried honors showcase of the year's best original student work in the Communications Media Department. The entire campus and local community looks forward to this annual event, which consists of a gallery art exhibition, a film/video screening, and a presentation forum.

Study Abroad

Students also work beyond the traditional classroom. Opportunities include study abroad programs, professional capstone projects, and internships. In Spring 2016, eighteen game design students traveled to Japan to visit game studios and academic programs.

Student with VR goggles and controller in class

Virtual Reality Development

This course introduces students to virtual reality (VR) development, the principles and history of VR and VR systems, as well as how this rapidly advancing medium can be used in interactive and narrative entertainment, education and training, art and film creation, and other content areas.

Students playing checkers and try to reimage and redesign the game

Elements of Game Design

Students try to re-envision/re-utilize old standby tabletop games like checkers, chess, and cards. Using the elements of these games as a launch point, students are tasked with creating a new game.

Other Courses and Events

Game design students get the opportunity to showcase their games and discuss their development in a post mortem at the end of the spring semester as well as other events throughout the year.

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Degree and Four-Year Plan of Study

BS, Game Design - Program information from the University Catalog.
Four-Year Plan of Study - Required and elective courses for program completion.

Mission Statement

The mission of the BS in Game Design is to educate students in professional concepts of game design and development, informed by a liberal arts and sciences education. Our major strives to produce strong game creators with lifelong, robust skill sets and the ability to create meaningful, thought-provoking games and related media that shape a rapidly evolving field; one that is both a powerful medium for creative expression and a means to address complex problems in their communities and beyond.

Student Learning Outcomes

Game Design students will, through a combination of required courses and electives, be exposed to and attain competency in the following concepts, practices and skills:

Students will be able to create original games following game development best practices.
Students will be able to demonstrate competency with industry-standard software and tools.
Students will be able to effectively collaborate on iterative team-based projects.
Students will be able to apply principles of game systems and programming.
Students will be able to apply visual art foundations and best practices to the creation of game art.
Students will be able to analyze games, design, and play from a variety of perspectives.

Career Opportunities

Game and level designers
Producers
Data managers
Production assistants
Interactive designers
Game analysts
Writers
Game artists
Programmers
Game localization positions
Quality assurance testers

Tuition and Fees

Undergraduate Day Tuition and Fees