Bachelors in Game Designing in USA

You’re a gamer. An artist. Or perhaps music is your thing. The worlds of digital and immersive technologies—where viewers or players are at the center of the action—fascinate you. So, if want to turn your creativity, talent for technology, and love of video games into an exciting career, look no further than our BFA in Game Design & Immersive Technologies. 

Using computers and sophisticated software such as Maya, Nuke, ZBrush, Unreal Engine, and more, you’ll create art and sounds for video games, film, and immersive experiences. See firsthand how digital painting and sculpting, 3D modeling and animation, and visual effects (VFX) can help you create realistic-looking characters and virtual environments that people will love. 

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The B.A. in Game Design trains interested students to integrate game arts with related advanced technology software platforms in which videogames are conceptualized, designed and created.

The team at the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) is composed of scholars and professors of practice who work with students on theory and practical industry knowledge. Our students have access to a unique group of professionals with diverse backgrounds and strengths to give them a more well-rounded education and view of the creative industry.

Students have access to professionals who are well-regarded in the industry, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and documentary filmmaker, and a professor of practice who has created cutting-edge visual effects for some of Hollywood’s biggest feature films, including "Avatar" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Students who are interested in deeper training in game programming or whose career interests might include work in the wider data sciences, might consider the B.S. in Game Development program at CMII.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree program in Game Art addresses an area of specialization with 2-D and 3-D graphics for real-time systems such as games and simulations.

In the Game Art Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program, you’ll express your creativity and prepare for a productive career. Our students enter the Game Art degree program with experience in traditional art or design. Prior experience in game art is not necessary, as you’ll learn those skills and techniques during your studies. This degree program develops fine artists with a strong core foundation who use contemporary technology. You’ll be prepared to become an effective, creative partner—whether co-founding your own indie development studio or working on a large AAA title.

As the global community becomes increasingly interdependent, we are faced with new political, cultural, economic, social, and environmental realities, along with many new challenges. In response to these challenges, graduates must enhance their knowledge and skills across national and disciplinary boundaries.

With a Bachelor of Arts in Global Development and Sustainability from St. John’s University, you learn to develop systemic solutions that promote global solidarity and to effectively strategize in response to rapid global change. The program provides you with a broad framework for understanding global and sustainable development, and deepens your knowledge of our global community. You have the option to select either the Science or Social Science program track to fit your individual interests and career goals.

The Game Design Sequence in the Creative Technologies (CTK) program at Illinois State lets you forge your own paths in the industry.

You can choose to focus on one of the many fields, including:

Design and development

Animation and modeling

Sound design and music

As a game design student, you'll be able to experiment with different fields, discover your passion, and do what you want to do.

We'll also teach you about future directions and experimental technologies for gaming and imagine further innovations for the industry.

Some people see games from the inside out – from the mechanics and levels, to the experiences that make people want to play for hours on end. If you've ever dreamed of becoming a game designer, and are as passionate about the craft as you are about the end creation – you're not alone.

The Game Design bachelor of science program, designed to enhance your ability to work in a game studio environment, is comprised of high-level game design and production courses that will take you deep into the game development pipeline. You’ll cover key industry concepts influencing both systems and level designs that will prepare you to prototype and evaluate your game projects.

The 120-credit Computer Game Design program enables students to focus on the artistic components of computer game design while providing them with the technical skills prerequisite to the field.

Launched fall 2021, CCA’s BFA in Game Arts prepares today’s students to create tomorrow’s games. From video games to extended reality and from tabletop games to digital, students can explore the full possibility of what games can be.

This fine-arts focused program is designed for students who want to push games into the future and develop an artistic practice that will constantly evolve through creativity and curiosity. Game Arts students learn more than just how to be a game industry professional, they learn how to be artistic leaders shaping the future of games and play.

The program offers a unique blend of both the hard and soft skills that employers prize. Students benefit from a wide range of University resources including the cutting-edge technology of the Draper & Maynard Makerspace, which features state-of-the-industry equipment in a facility comparable to those among leading technical and research institutions. The University’s robotics lab, video production suites, art galleries, computer labs, and other assets combine to offer multiple pathways to explore, experiment, and master essential concepts.

In our Computer Gaming concentration program, you will learn how to do this and more by studying the technology, science and art involved in the creation of computer games.

Your coursework will include types of intelligence, goal-based systems, heuristic search and games, hill climbing algorithms, constraint propagation, first order logic and inference, knowledge representation, expert systems and learning systems.

The program features access to four state-of-the-art labs: Computer Networks Lab, Computer and Network Security Lab, Computer System Lab and Microcomputers I and II Labs.

Students in this concentration receive a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

The program in Computer Science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Drexel's Game Design & Production undergraduate major, nationally ranked as a top program by multiple organizations including the Princeton Review (#8 in 2022), provides students with a strong, broad-based foundation in digital design and content creation skills in a team project environment. Students try on a wide variety of roles in game development—from idea to reality in art and code—discovering the skill areas that they want to pursue, focusing their minors, elective courses, and team experiences as they progress through the program.

The major supports careers in any industry that wants to speak the language of real-time interactive games. Beyond the obvious entertainment sector of PC, mixed-reality, mobile, or console games, graduates from the program are able to move into any industry in any geographic area in support of simulation, training, marketing, communications, and education. 

The focus on project-based teamwork prepares students for cross-disciplinary work in any scale company. This includes large-budget AAA blockbuster game development with teams of hundreds in complex leadership hierarchies and focused, skilled technicians and artists, as well as small- and medium-size companies that require employees to wear multiple hats throughout development or independent studios that challenge individuals to juggle multiple responsibilities. Drexel Dragons can be specialists with a strong foundation that allows them to adapt, to be flexible bridge-builders and liaisons across art and technical teams, and rugged entrepreneurs wearing all the hats.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Animation Game Design provides the key concepts, creative tools and principles of diverse skills in fundamental and advanced technical knowledge of modeling, animation and game design.

The degree program prepares students for careers by developing technical competency, creative/independent problem solving and conceptual understanding necessary for the challenges of a career in the creative industries. Upon graduation, students have created a professional-quality portfolio to enter the field of content creators and are prepared for jobs in technical illustration, two- and three-dimension modeling, game design, animation, artistic production, and exhibition. Students are guided in selecting courses that support a given concentration. They can take courses in various aspects of art, design, and film/video.

The Animation Game Design major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Animation concentration involves bringing motion to still objects or displaying a sequence of still images to create the illusion of motion or life. Animation involves more than just character motion; it includes motion graphics, video editing, special effects, cameras and video output. Students learn how to animate characters, elements of environments and graphics. Two- and three-dimension models are animated as necessary, via a combination of manual animation, procedural tools and physical simulation.
• The Game Design concentration provides the environment and content creation in two- and three-dimension models. The focus is on the design part of game environments to be used on platforms such as personal computers, smart phones and game consoles.  Students learn the importance of two- and three-dimension model creation for specific games used for simulation, training, entertainment and measuring educational outcomes.

The Lamar University Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Game Development will provide you with an understanding of the development and application of interactive digital media technologies. Coursework in the computer game development program examines human and computer interaction while hands-on labs reinforce learned principles. In addition to studying applications and software relevant to the 21st century, you'll gain critical thinking, real-world application and practical project experience to prepare you for your future career.

Have you ever dreamed of designing your own 3D games or a 3D prototype of a new product? Game animation and simulation is the perfect major for you! Students in game animation and simulation design are taught 3D animation techniques as well as production and management of game environments. They are also trained for a broad variety of scenarios which require prototyping 3D designs for manufacturers of medical equipment, transportation and the military.

Game design requires attention to detail, creativity, passion, and imagination. It's the place where the right and left brain meet. A place to create and build something incredible. 

Split between The Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences, this interdisciplinary program is for ambitious students who want to work in the highly competitive gaming industry, or similar fields. 

This demanding program requires you to tap into your computer science and digital design skills. Our approach is project-based. You'll build your communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. All the while gaining hands-on experience with digital games, mobile apps, websites, simulations, and more. Learn about specific tools and processes used within the game creating world. Discover programming languages, 3D modeling, and 2D graphics. Integrate game mechanics, narrative, aesthetics, and technology to craft interesting and effective player experiences.

Our program is cost-effective and one of the few in our region, so you're guaranteed an education that prepares you for your post-college career. The skills you develop while earning your Computer Game Design degree will leave you prepared for many careers, not just game design.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design program is a project-focused, multi-disciplinary degree program, with a focus on game system design, level design, and game assembly. The Game Design program curriculum employs an industry-applicable approach that includes art asset creation and integration, defining narrative, storytelling, and collaborative development practices between artists and programmers. During their time at LTU, game art students take several Integrated Game Studios, which act as a platform for professional practice, bringing together the University's disciplines in order to produce and release games within the curriculum itself. Throughout the program, students are challenged to develop critical thinking skills as they visually communicate concepts, analyze industry trends, and apply design principles and patterns to their work that is encouraged to be focused on their individual talents and interests in the multi-faceted field.

ODU’s Game Design, Development, and Criticism degree is an interdisciplinary major that allows students to specialize in game programming or game design while also learning game scholarship. Our program features a fundamentally entrepreneurial and multi perspectival approach to game studies and gaming, one that is designed to not only teach students the core principles of game development, design, and scholarship, but also to help them understand how to adapt these principles in response to changes in technology, the market, or culture. In doing so, this degree aims to prepare students for careers in both the mainstream and independent gaming industry, in the growing academic field of game studies, or in any number of other related fields.

Students completing this program will be able to work effectively in a broad range of fields associated with Digital Media, bringing a Christian perspective to bear on the digital world they will be helping to create. Digital Media is a broadly defined field and the program is designed to familiarize students with that breadth. All students will take a core of courses, which introduce digital interactive design, digital video, introductory computer programming, and digital sound design. The concentrations give the program depth in one specific area, and the free electives give students the option of exploring digital media in still greater depth, or combining their studies with another discipline. Each concentration is housed in its own department: Art and Design, Communication, Computer and Information Science, or Theatre and Dance. At the same time, all aspects of the program will focus on interactivity whether in video, animation, gaming, web design or other software applications.

The Bachelor of Science in Game Design and Development is a comprehensive program focusing on the design and development of modern video games. Courses in the Bachelor of Science in Game Design and Development program provide a focus on video game design and development, imaginary storytelling, and production needs of the modern gaming industry, Graduates of the Game Design program will have hands-on skills to pursue a career creating content for everything from home computers and mobile devices, to emerging platforms like cloud gaming. Studies include game software development as well as production processes used by top studios to design and produce best-selling games. The capstone project for this program is the design and development of a real-world video game application.