Program Contact: Elena Bertozzi 203-582-7998
The Bachelor of Arts in Game Design and Development is a pre-professional program that prepares students for a variety of career options including online digital technology and its many applications, the highly competitive game design industry, or the pursuit of additional study at the graduate level. This is an applied, interdisciplinary major that focuses on the meaningful application of game technologies beyond commercial entertainment by addressing serious topics regarding the environment, health care and education including STEM and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) initiatives. Students acquire a solid foundation in critical thinking and writing, foundations of design, user behavior, systems thinking, as well as an understanding of the cultural impacts of games. They develop specialized technical skills and competence in game design including coding, content development, outcomes assessment and quality assurance. The major provides students with skills that are readily applied to the real world and the curriculum supports and enables experiential learning opportunities such as internships, study abroad and collaborations with external partners.
There are a total of 42 credits in the major. The major has 11 required courses. Students build a core skill set and learn to collaborate with others in Game Labs where cross-disciplinary teams build complete polished games. Students choose which areas they wish to specialize in by taking two classes from any one of the concentrations and one elective from any other concentration. Concentrations include: Programming, Technology, Design Process, Art, Game Studies, Business, Writing, and Audio. In the senior year, the program culminates in a capstone experience when students take the Senior Project and Seminar.
A grade of C- or better is required in all game design and development courses and prerequisites. Students with a GPA of less than 2.0 will be put on probation. After two semesters on probation, students will be advised to change majors.
BA in Game Design and Development Curriculum
It is recommended that students majoring in Game Design and Development pursue a minor, or double major, or take courses in a complementary discipline such as graphic interactive design or computer science.
All majors are required to participate in some form of experiential learning: study abroad, internship or academic/professional product collaboration.
Students majoring in Game Design and Development must meet the following requirements for graduation:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| University Curriculum 1 | 46 | |
| Modern Language Requirement | 3-6 | |
| Game Design & Development Core Requirements | 33 | |
| Introduction to Game Design | ||
| Introduction to Visual Design for Games | ||
| Creativity and Computation | ||
| Introduction to Game Development | ||
| Professionalism Practice for Game Design | ||
| Game Lab I: Team Projects | ||
| Game Lab II: Team Projects | ||
| Game Lab IV: Team Projects 2 | ||
or GDD 390 | Internship | |
| Game Lab V: Team Projects | ||
| Game Lab VI: Team Projects | ||
| Senior Project and Seminar I | ||
| Concentrations 3 | 9 | |
With the recommendation of the student's advisor and/or the program director, students select two courses from their primary concentration and one elective from any other concentration | ||
Technology | ||
| Game Design Tools and Processes | ||
| Game Lab III: Team | ||
| VR/AR Development for Games | ||
| Advanced Topics in Game Development | ||
Art | ||
| Drawing for Games and Animation | ||
| Game Art I | ||
| Game Art II | ||
| Game Art III | ||
Game Studies | ||
| History of Video Games | ||
| Critical Game Studies Seminar (PL 395) | ||
| Games, Learning & Society | ||
| Media and Society | ||
| Media Users and Audiences (WGS 345) | ||
Business | ||
| eSports Management | ||
| The Business of Games | ||
| Creating Digital Businesses | ||
| Creativity and Innovation Management | ||
Writing | ||
| Playwriting: The Ten-Minute Play | ||
| Creative Writing | ||
| Introduction to Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Introduction to Fiction Writing | ||
| Advanced Fiction-Writing Workshop | ||
| Advanced Creative Nonfiction | ||
| The Art of Audio Narrative (FTM 380 GDD 303) | ||
| Screenwriting | ||
| Interactive Storytelling and Narrative (EN 207) | ||
Audio | ||
| Game Audio Design | ||
| Digital Music Composition for Games | ||
| The Art of Audio Narrative (FTM 380 EN 303) | ||
Design Process | ||
| Special Topics in Game Design | ||
| Game Design Tools and Processes | ||
| Board Game Design | ||
| Acting and Directing for Game Design | ||
| Design Research and Methods | ||
Programming | ||
| Data Structures and Abstraction | ||
| Advanced Topics in Game Development | ||
| Object-Oriented Design and Programming | ||
| Introduction to Software Development | ||
| Free Electives | 11-14 | |
| Total Credits | 102-108 | |
- 1
All students must complete the University Curriculum requirements.
- 2
Participating in the QU in LA Program or study abroad can also fulfill this requirement.
- 3
Students wishing to take courses from the above list must complete any prerequisites required by individual departments/programs or schools.
Elective substitutions are permitted with prior approval of the program director.
Modern Language Requirement
All CAS students (both bachelor of science and bachelor of arts) must complete one modern language through the 102 level. Modern language courses may also count toward the UC Personal Inquiry II requirement. Students who have taken a language in high school should take the modern language placement test for that language. Students with placement scores at the 201 level or higher have demonstrated language competency and thus have passed out of the language requirement.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate the following competencies:
- Computational and Systems Thinking: Be fluent in at least one programming language and associated game engine to construct fully functional working games.
- Critical/Analytical Thinking and Communication: Play and analyze games using academic research methods, exhibit effective written and verbal communication skills and apply this analysis to the game design process.
- Design Process Thinking: Prototype, reflect critically on workflow and process, incorporate feedback, and iterate.
- Creative Thinking and Problem Solving: Generate inventive, novel and imaginative ideas for game design concepts and nimbly respond to design and implementation challenges.
- Multidisciplinary and Diverse Perspective Thinking: Understand the issues surrounding topics of representation and diversity in game development and be able to discuss them and design games that address them.
- Teamwork and Experiential Learning Expertise: Collaborate with teams of colleagues with different skill sets to produce work using established game development best practices with a clear definition of scope, responsibilities, progress and assessment of results.
Admission Requirements: College of Arts and Sciences
The requirements for admission into the undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences programs are the same as those for admission to Quinnipiac University.
Admission to the university is competitive, and applicants are expected to present a strong college prep program in high school. Prospective first-year students are strongly encouraged to file an application as early in the senior year as possible, and arrange to have first quarter grades sent from their high school counselor as soon as they are available.
For detailed admission requirements, including required documents, please visit the Admissions page of this catalog.