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Philosophy
Crossing the boundaries of traditional game programs, the Game Design and Development program combines the programming, art, and design aspects of creating video games for major platforms, consoles, mobile devices, and simulations. Gaming has been integrated into how we learn, socialize, interact, and gather information. Architecture, Medical Imaging, Military/Law Enforcement, and Education have integrated and adopted game mechanics as well as benefited from technology developed from the game industry. In order to address industry demand, this program of study has been crafted to provide a holistic approach through the discussion and exploration of: Gamification, Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Realities, Educational and Business applications of game mechanics and design, and entertainment arenas. Combining the skills of interactive design, video production, graphic design, 3D modeling, and programming, this interdisciplinary degree program prepares the student for the exciting world of game design and development.
Purpose
The Game Design and Development program is for the student wishing to design and develop two-dimensional and three-dimensional games and simulations for training, educational, and animation applications deployed to personal computers, game consoles, and training modules. The primary focus of this program is on design elements supported by game programming using available game engine platforms. Students will have an understanding of the workflow involved in designing and developing a game or training simulation environment, game mechanic techniques, and be able to communicate to designers and programmers in the industry, with a base level of understanding.
The program prepares students with the “Game Design & Development Skill Set” required for entry into the fast growing industry of game technology. It is designed to balance the programming and design skills needed to understand the industry pipeline of product creation. The “Gaming Skill Set” reflects a well-rounded individual capable of managing a project from inception to completion. The student will be prepared with an understanding of video and audio techniques as well as designing interfaces and user experiences. Additionally, students will learn to create environments that reflect real world scenarios or create new worlds to explore; program complex levels with physics, logic and purpose; and measure users’ progress through those scenarios. Classroom projects will provide users the tools to improve reaction time, improve hand-eye coordination, think strategically, process cause and effect, and increase ability to process multiple stimuli. Students will gain an understanding of every aspect of the gaming industry from concept development to character and environment creation to programming user interfaces and the “guts” of a game. Finally, students will be exposed to marketing their products and project management.
Students enrolled in the Game Design and Development Program are also eligible to earn the 3D for Digital Media Certificate. The certificate courses are embedded within the Game Design and Development program. If students desire, they can substitute these courses with another College of Technology Certificate set of courses, or the Accelerated Masters option with permission from the program chair, appropriate GPA requirements, and available course program requirements.
Program Competencies
Students completing the Game Design and Development B.S. program will be able to:
Experiential Learning
The Office of Experiential Learning takes a 360â—¦ approach to experiential learning. Whether you come to ºÚÁÏÉç with a vast amount of professional experience and are awarded Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), or you participate in a Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunity (Internships or Cooperative Education) embedded in your curriculum for credit, we provide a pathway to completing your degree.
Cooperative Education Option
The Cooperative Education option is an alternative to GMD 401 - Game Development I and GMD 405 - Game Development II. Each co-op assignment is one semester long and normally the two co-op assignments span two consecutive semesters with the same employer. In order to be eligible, students must first have completed GMD 300 - Advanced Game Engines and have at least 60 credits, plus a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students must contact the Office of Work-Integrated Learning and their Program Chair one semester before they would like to begin a co-op assignment. For additional information on cooperative education, please visit: /coel/work-integrated-learning.aspx
Enhance your Degree with a Certificate
The College of Technology's digital media department, which is focused on giving students hands-on training and real-world skills across a multimedia platform, consists of six individual Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees: Animation and 3D, Game Design and Development, Graphic Design, Video and Film Production, and Web Design.
Each of these degree programs has been designed with three identifiable parts: Uniform First Year, Program Core, and 15 credits to be used towards a CoT Certificate. All students will begin their academic career with a uniform first year before they begin to focus on their selected degree core. After completion of the uniform first year, students will begin to enroll in their program core courses. Finally, students in each program will use 15 career-centered course credits towards earning a College of Technology Certificate as illustrated in the table below.
Uniform First Year
Animation & 3D Program Core Courses
Game Design & Development Program Core Courses
Graphic Design Program Core Courses
Video & Film Production Program Core Courses
Web Design Program Core Courses
College of Technology Certificate Courses (options vary by program)
Accelerated Graduate Certificate Option
Students in the Game Design and Development B.S. degree program may choose an accelerated option with:
Students selecting this option can complete both their undergraduate degree and the graduate certificate by completing 120 credits (105 undergraduate credits and 15 graduate credits). The five graduate courses (15 credits) needed for the graduate certificate would count as five courses (15 credits) towards undergraduate electives in your degree.
Students who complete the Management Information Systems or Technology Project Management Graduate Certificates also receive the benefit of completing five graduate level courses that count towards a Master’s degree in Information Systems Technologies (MS-IST). Students selecting this option are not required to pursue the MS-IST degree.
Admission requirements include:
Note: Students will not be eligible to register for graduate level courses until they have successfully completed at least 60 credits towards their bachelor’s degree and have an approved AOI form. Students must receive their B.S. degree in order to receive the graduate certificate.
Minimum Grade Policy: Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their graduate courses in order to earn the certificate.
Intro to Technology
Visual Communication
Fundamentals of Economics
English Composition I
English Composition II
Public Speaking
Creative Writing
Contemporary Global Issues
Visual Approaches to Literature: The Graphic Novel
Introductory Survey of Mathematics
Introduction to Critical Thinking
Introduction to Psychology
Concepts in Physics
Fundamentals of Motion Graphics
Introduction to 3D
Basic Photoshop
Concept Development
Intro to Game Engines
Video and Audio for Game Design
Intro to Game Programming
Advanced Game Engines: Using Unity3D
Finite Mathematics
Story Design Methods
Aesthetics of Film
Drawing for Animation
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2D Animation I
OR
3D Animation I
Advanced Motion Graphics
3D Modeling Techniques
3D Texture, Rendering and Lighting Techniques
Character Creation and Texturing
Character Rigging
Introduction to 3D Digital Sculpting
2D Animation II
3D Animation II
Vector Drawing
Advanced Photoshop
Game Art: Shaders/Engine Tech
Environment Creation for Games
Computer Architecture
Microsoft .NET I
Microsoft .NET II
Database Foundations
Intro to Artificial Intelligence
Advanced Game Programming
Game Player Data and Systems
Project Integration
AI in Games
Operating System and Computer Systems Security
Introduction to Programming with Python
Soundtracks for Film, Video and Games
Creating Sound Effects and Dialog for Film, Video and Games
Networks and Telecommunications
Web and Data Security
Data Integrity and Disaster Recovery
Ethical Hacking
Advanced Network Management
Network Forensics
Cybersecurity and IoT
CoT Elective
Game Development I
Game Development II
Game Design & Development Senior Project
Game Design and Development Internship
A completion degree is a personalized version of a bachelor's degree created exclusively for students who have completed an associate degree at an accredited institution. Completion degrees are available for most ºÚÁÏÉç Bachelor of Science degrees. A student who expects to transfer a completed associate degree should communicate with a ºÚÁÏÉç academic advisor before registering for courses. A transcript with documentation of the conferred degree must be received by ºÚÁÏÉç to confirm eligibility.
Note that a minimum of 120 combined credits are needed to satisfy the Completion Degree requirements, including both transfer credits and credits earned at ºÚÁÏÉç.
The following courses or their equivalents are prerequisites for a completion degree in Game Design and Development - Game Art Production Concentration:
ANI 100 Drawing for Animation
ANI 200 2D Animation I - or - ANI 300 3D Animation I
DSN 235 Vector Drawing
GMD 220 Game Art: Intro to Shaders and Engine Tech
VFP 313 Aesthetics of Film
Cyberlaw
Electronic Discovery
Foundations in Cyber Investigations
Psychology of a Cyber Attacker
Breaking Down Cloud Security
Introduction Computer Forensics
Mobile Device Security and Forensics
Advanced Mobile and IoT Forensics
Computer Incident Response Course
Malware Analysis Techniques
Experiential Learning in Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Internship
The following courses or their equivalents are prerequisites for a completion degree in Game Design and Development - Interactive Programming Concentration:
DSN 210 Basic Photoshop
GMD 100 Intro to Game Engines
GMD 105 Video and Audio for Game Design
GMD 110 Intro to JavaScript for Unity 3D
MAT 320 Finite Mathematics
VFP 222 Story Design Methods
The following courses or their equivalents are prerequisites for a completion degree in Game Design and Development - No Concentration:
ANI 201 Fundamentals of Motion Graphics
ENG 122 English Composition II
GMD 100 Introduction to Game Engines-
GMD 210 Advanced JavaScript for Unity 3D
MAT 200 Pre-Calculus or MAT320 Finite Math
MAT 205 Introductory Survey of Mathematics
This information applies to students who enter this degree program during the 2024-2025 Academic Year. If you entered this degree program before the Fall 2023 semester, please refer to the academic catalog for the year you began your degree program.
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