I'm writing about several colleges offering video game design and development programs. As I was researching I discovered that many of these programs, and many of the very best and affordable programs, were through online programs because teaching online is a very versatile and easy method when it comes to virtual jobs such as game design and development, so I based my research on these online programs.
Let's look at Baker College. Baker College has an online game development program that is very cheap that offers a bachelor's degree. The tuition is $8,100 a year. It has a very high placement rate at 97%. The program teaches you to create and produce games that you can play on computers, consoles, the Internet, mobile phones, other devices, and even arcades. You can either work alone or with others to develop the visuals, story, and gameplay of the game. After that outline is done you or your team create the animation, audio, and programming. Next you test and debug the game before finally producing it. The program is updated regularly to whatever the industry needs, so you will learn whatever the game industry is looking for at the time. The program also provides a strong foundation in software engineering and program technologies. After that strong foundation has been lied down the student learns game modeling, to animation and programming, and then finally their senior project.
The next college is Daniel Webster College. Daniel Webster College has a bachelors program in Game Design and Development. The program teaches you the skills required to go into jobs like game designers, game developers, graphic designers, storyboard artists, concept artists, and animators. The tuition is $15,630 a year.
Next is the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. The tuition is $17,020 a year. They have programs in Game design and Game programming. Their game design program is something I'm very interested in because it involves the more creative and artistic side of making video games. You start with fundamentals like drawing, color, design, then move on to develop the skills you need in animation game design, scriptwriting, storyboarding, and character design. It also shows you video game programming, production, artistic concepts, and game play strategies that produced games that people enjoyed around the world. You'll learn to make games and your own game levels that you can make into a portfolio of your work. After graduating the program promises the opportunity to enter jobs like a 2D Conceptual Artist, a Storyboard Artist, a 3D Character Builder, 3D Object Modeler, Interactivity Designer, Background Artist, and Gameplay tester. "As a prerequisite for admission to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh — Online Division, students must be a high school graduate with a minimum, cumulative, final high school CGPA of 2.5 or higher, or hold a General Education Development (GED) Certificate, or associate's degree or higher. Students must exhibit competent drawing and design skills by submission of specified portfolio criteria. Drawing and design skills will be assessed using department standards and will determine placement in drawing courses." Based on that criteria the only main thing I need to work on is my actual artistic skill.
The next college is Southern New Hampshire University. They have a program called Game Design and Development for $960 per course. It gives a strong background in core IT concepts. Throughout the program you learn about game genres, platforms, interface design, game theory, game marketing, e-collaboration, and e-commerce. You also learn how virtual game environments create experiences through rule design, play mechanics, game balancing, social game interaction and the integration of visual, audio, tactile and textural elements. The university boasts several benefits such as Affordability, Convenience, Efficiency and Flexibility, Expert Instruction, Networking, a Simple Application Process, Student Support, and Transfer Friendly Enrollment. For Affordability it might actually be one of the cheapest I've seen for a Bachelors degree in this area but the number of courses I'd have to take is unclear and each one is 960$. The program is convenient because you can take the classes 24/7, being an online course. It's efficient and flexible because you can complete the entire program at your own pace. It claims to have expert instruction from instructors with relevant, real-world experience. The networking is interesting because it says that you can "Tap into our nationwide network of alumni for internship and career opportunities." Which is very interesting. The application seems pretty simple, it's just an online application and there's no fee. It says that there is student support with "Count on the ongoing support of dedicated academic and career advisors specialized in your area of study." It's also transfer friendly with the ability to transfer up to 90 credits if I was coming from a different school. The program would also allow me to go into an IT oriented job, and jobs in that area are predicted to grow 22% by 2022.
Next up is The Academy of Art, offering a Game Development program. The School of Game Development provides you with an array of skills required for the gaming industry. Whether pursuing a career as a game designer, game programmer, 3D modeler, concept artist, or UI/UX designer, you get hands-on experience creating a professional-quality art and game design or programming portfolio, and you can also collaborate with other students to produce fun and memorable video games. It costs $835 per unit, 3 units per class.
The website for The Academy of Art also provides useful information on all of the jobs you could go into after this program, or indeed all the other programs I've listed. The first is Game Designing. Game Designing involves balancing gameplay elements, creating in-game economies, improving systems, contributing features, participate in testing, as well as creating immersive worlds that evoke emotion in the player. Job duties include: creating design-centric level layout, creating game scripting, and assisting teams to polish various gameplay aspects. Skills needed for the job include: excellent oral and written skills, understanding of gameplay balancing, and a collaborative and positive attitude.
The next job is a UI/UX designer, or a user interface/ user experience designer. For this job you dictate exactly how the player interacts with the game itself, using knowledge of game features, design, motion graphics, and user paths. Duties include: producing sketches, flow charts, mind maps, and prototypes, working with production teams to smoothly hand-off deliverables, and optimizing interfaces for efficient deliver alt of information. Skills include: excellent oral and written skills, understanding of user methodologies and use bases, strong design and and human-computer-interactivity sensitivity.
The next job is a Character Concept Artist. In this job you create and design characters for interactive games, imagining the visual look of characters using contextual details. Duties include: creating original character designs, evolving designs from concept to production, and communicating ideas and thought visually. Skills include: Strong Knowledge of Anatomy, excellent oral and written skills, and the ability to present and critique objectively.
Next is a 3D character modeler. As a 3D character modeler you build compels character models, organic meshes, and work with a team to rig, light, and texture your characters. Duties include: Modeling and texturing the game, readying assets, building and iterating organic meshes, and working with other teams to maintain a consistent story and vision. Skills include: Low and high polygon modeling skills, strong problem solving skills, and excellent oral and written skills.
In conclusion there are many online colleges and programs offered. There are many benefits and opportunities in online colleges and taking the online route is a god way to get a jumpstart on learning and also lets you be flexible and have a job on the side. The field of game deign and development is also obviously growing and the medium of online classes obviously works very well with teaching the skills needed for this industry. I think that this selection of colleges is wide enough to apply for more information for each of them and decide which one is right for me.
- By Ashton
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