Game Design Major

Video game design is the process of designing the gameplay, storyline, game progression, environment, and characters while determining how all of these parts fit together seamlessly into a cohesive game experience. Game designers create the vision of a game, and work with other game specialists, such as artists and programmers, to bring that vision to life. Many game designers have a focus area such as level design or narrative design, and work with other game designers to bring their visions together to create a successful game.

• Systems Design – Establish the foundational logic and mechanical plan for how a game operates and build the mechanics that bring the game world into existence.
• Technical Design – Build, script and prototype game ideas and mechanics by having a solid foundation in coding. Most technical designers will minor in Game Programming.
• Level Design – Create the step-by-step experience and determine parameters of play in each area in the game world. Create levels and maps that guide the player’s experience.
• Narrative Design – Define how the overall story is experienced by the player, through traditional narrative, dialogue, characters, and environment.
• Content Design – Build quests, experiences and interactions that leverage the game’s desired game play. You are building the game’s world!
• Generalist – Use your Game Design electives to get a solid mix of level design, narrative design, system design, programming and art.
• Indie Developer – Do you want to work at a small studio? Or maybe create your own indie studio? Use your game design electives on a mix of programming, art and business classes.

With the Game Design major at college, you’ll get involved in Game Design classes starting in your first semester so you can begin your Game Design education starting on day one. Students will spend most of their time in class and at home actually working on projects and doing the work. Students won’t have to sit through hours of lectures before starting the work; instead they learn by completing projects and working on real games and software.

Unlike other universities, the majority of your classes across all four years here are focused on game design and the different focuses students can go after. This way, you spend less time learning inessential classes, and more time focused on learning to design the next blockbuster game. The Game Studio and prominence of other gaming programs and esports club and varsity teams means you’ll learn in a gaming-oriented community, preparing you for your career.

By the time you graduate you will…

• Learn to recognize the underlying principles guiding the relevant visual, audio, interactive, and narrative aesthetics of a particular genre of work, design movement, or designer.
• Develop and implement successful strategies for organization of the design and delivery of the product using industry standards.
• Form a professional degree of technical proficiency using computer hardware and software appropriate to the game development industry.
• Develop and present a unique and professional portfolio that showcases your abilities.