This millennium is not your parents’ gaming landscape. Gone are the simple days of Pong and Snake. Welcome, instead, to a world of blockchain and artificial intelligence with endless possibilities. It’s already a multi-billion-dollar industry in the U.S. alone that is projected to grow by more than one hundred billion dollars by 2025. It’s an exciting time to be interested in gaming. If you’re a gaming fiend who’s dead-set on entering this highly competitive market, you should check out these 10 schools:
1. USC
The University of Southern California’s USC Games Program tops our list as #1.USC is known for its renowned film program. Games is a crossover between the School of Cinematic Arts and the School of Engineering. The school also offers an endowment fund for Black and Indigenous students.
2. Carnegie Mellon
Carnegie Mellon’s School of Integrative Design, Arts, and Technology offers a minor in Game Design that focuses on programming, interface design and user testing, visual and audio asset creation, and more. Requirements include coursework in Computing and Portal courses, such as Multimedia Processing for the Arts, 3D Animation Pipeline, and Intelligent Environments.
3. NYU
The NYU Game Center is housed within Tisch and offers an undergraduate degree focused on game creation. The school also offers a minor. Naturally, the application for the program requires some creative thinking. Students are expected to submit a portfolio of work and a creative project, including a game they’ve made, a film, a piece of music they’ve composed or another type of creative piece.
4. MIT
MIT does not have a Gaming major, but the MIT Game Lab facilitates students’ exploration into the field through interdisciplinary study. They recommend students take courses in Comparative Media Studies, Engineering, Psychology and Cognitive Science, and Business. The Game Lab also offers undergraduate research and learning opportunities.
5. RIT
Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Interactive Games and Media offers Bachelors degrees in New Media Interactive Development and Game Design and Development. Courses include several levels of Media and App Development. Students can also utilize the MAGIC Spell Studios, which feature sound stages, post-production capabilities, and working media labs.
6. University of Utah
University of Utah’s Entertainment Arts & Engineering Program offers both a Bachelor of Science in Games and a minor in Games. Major requirements include Ethics in Games and electives in Game Design, Technical Arts, and other disciplines.
7. Rensselaer Polytech
Rensselaer’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences is home to the Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences Program which offers a major for undergrads. This is a career-focused program that focuses on preparing students for jobs in game design, development, interactive simulation and visualization, and animation.
8. Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech offers a Bachelor’s in Computational Media, Games. Requirements and major offerings include Media Device Architectures, Computer Animation, Artificial Intelligence, and Game Design as a Cultural Practice, among many others. The Ivan Allan College of Liberal Arts also offers a B.S. in Computational Media that is geared towards gaming.
9. Cornell
Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences is home to a minor in Game Design within the Department of Computer Science. Requirements and offerings include Intro. to Computer Game Architecture/Design and Foundations of Artificial Intelligence, among others. The minor also incorporates performance and art courses.
10. Michigan State
MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences offers a B.A. in Games and Interactive Media. There is a wide array of course requirements and offerings that include Media Sketching and Graphics, Games and Society, Bringing Media to Market, Game Writing, Concept Design for Games, Film, and TV, and many more,
Gaming is a rapidly growing field that will only grow in popularity at college campuses across the country. Whether you’re interested in pursuing a career in the business-side of gaming or you’d like to be a game developer, it’s a good idea to research what each school offers and apply to the ones that spark your curiosity and interest most.
Need help deciding on a major? Reach out to us. We’re experts at helping students get specific about their goals so they can match with a top university.