Concentration Descriptions

 

Game Systems & Level Design

Game design and development encompass a lot of disciplines, but "game designer" is also a specific role in the production process. System Designers establish the foundational logic and mechanical plan for how a game operates and build the mechanics that bring the game world into existence. Level Designers create the step-by-step experience and determine parameters of play on each area in the game world. This concentration prepares students for roles that involve designing these mechanics and parameters. While less code-intensive than the Game Programming concentration, students will be expected to learn high-level programming languages. Students will be able to pursue careers outside of the industry in adjacent fields with experiential design components, such as entertainment, the arts, and tech.

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Course Examples: Experimental Game Design & Development / Concepts in Gaming / Games & Their History: Systems Design

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Game Design & Entrepreneurship

This concentration is for students who wish to generalize their studies or start their own indie studio. In addition to the core courses in game design, students will take at least one basic course in each of the concentrations to provide competency in programming, art, sound, and narrative. Students will also take courses in business, marketing, finance, and management. This concentration gives students the necessary skills to create and sell their own games, and the ability to pursue careers outside of the industry in media, business, or marketing. 

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Course Examples: Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset / Law & the Internet / Survey of Accounting

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Game Environment Art

An environment artist is a specialized artist that focuses on the construction of world assets. An environment artist may build anything from structures to terrain, or even environmental props. This concentration will prepare students for AAA, indie, or a career in other industries that use these tools such as film, theater, architecture, engineering, and the automotive industry. 

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Course Examples: 3D Virtual Environments / 3D Graphics for Design, Film and AR / Introduction to Scene Design

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Game Character Art

Students will study an interdisciplinary approach to character art with classes in modelling, storyboarding, and narrative. This concentration will prepare students for AAA, indie, or a career in other industries that use these tools such as film, theater, advertising, and communications.

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Course Examples: Character Design / The Illusion of Life / Figure Drawing

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Game Animation

This concentration will focus on 2D and 3D animation. Students can expect classes in modeling, drawing, physics, and movement. They will be prepared for AAA, indie, or a career in other industries that use these tools such as film, theater, advertising, and tech.

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Course Examples: Advanced Drawing for Animation / Stage Combat / Intro to Physics of Natural Disasters

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Game Music & Sound Design

This concentration prepares students for both composer and sound designer roles in AAA, indie, or other industries such as film, theater, or live events. Students take courses in traditional music theory, composition, and performance, as well as music technology and audio engineering. 

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Course Examples: Scoring for Media / Music and Techno-Culture / Recording Technology & Studio Production

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Game Narrative

This concentration consists of courses in creative writing, story-boarding, world-building, and technical writing. Students will be prepared for AAA, indie, or a career in film, theater, media, communications, or library science. 

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Course Examples: Imaginary Worlds / Storytelling & Contemporary Culture / Programming Narratives

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Game Programming

This concentration is for students who wish to primarily work with code. In addition, students can expect coursework in calculus, physics, and information sciences. Students can further specialize in VR/AR or mobile app development. This concentration will prepare students for AAA, indie, or a career in software engineering, systems administration, IT, or other tech paths. 

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Course Examples: Basics of Game Engines / Artificial Intelligence / iOS Development 

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Game Studies

This concentration is for students who intend on pursuing graduate school or entering academia. In addition to the core courses in game design, students will conduct research on the aesthetic, cultural, and communicative aspects of games, and their players. Students will explore the interdisciplinary nature of games through many different lenses, including history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and modern culture. As games grow and change they become a more important academic field, and as such many universities are hiring game studies faculty. Students will also be in a position to pursue a multitude of career options that require strong writing or analysis skills, as well as law school. 

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Course Examples: Games, Play, & Philosophy / Beyond Games / History & Philosophy of Recreation

 

Game Production

This concentration focuses on the production cycle of games. In addition to the core courses in game design, students learn project management, technical writing, and budgeting. In addition, they take at least one basic course to provide literacy in programming, art, sound, and narrative to better communicate with the teams that they will serve and gain an understanding of the production timeline. Students will also be in a position to pursue a career in tech or nonprofit sector as a project manager or program manager, and will earn PMP certification. 

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Course Examples: Technical Documentation / Managing the Triple Constraint: Scope, Time, and Cost / Production Practices

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Game Technical Art

A Technical Artist works closely with artists and programmers to help with the asset and pipeline optimizations. They implement technical art features, develop tools and workflows, and perform debugging on tools and processes.  If you consider yourself skilled in both art and programming, this is a great path for you as they are in high demand! 

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Course Examples: Lighting Design / Algorithms and Data Structures / History of Animation and VFX Technique

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Game UX/UI

UX designers ensure the players get clear and effective feedback from the game. UI designers are concerned with the user interface; the point at which the game and the players interact. They create the look and feel of things like the heads-up display (HUD) showing the score, lives, and levels. UX designers tend to focus more on the information a player needs for the game to flow well. UI designers tend to focus on how that information is communicated. Students will pursue coursework in graphic design, computer science, psychology, and neuroscience; allowing them to pursue a multitude of career options in tech, art, product development, research, media, and communications.

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Course Examples: Human Centered Design / Typographic Design / Neurochemistry of Learning and Motivation

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Media Law (Pre-Law)

This concentration is for students who intend on pursing law school. Students will take standard pre-law courses, accompanied by ones that focus on legal issues that affect the games industry, such as player contracts, advertising, copyright and IP, work-for-hire, internet law, incorporation, privacy compliance, and more. Students will receive assistance applying to law school.
 

Course Examples: Digital Copyright / Law & the Entertainment Business / Online Gaming, Contests, & Sweepstakes 

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Social Media & Community Management

This concentration is for students looking to go into social media management or community management. Students will take courses in graphic design skills for content creation, as well as marketing, statistics, and writing. Students will be in a position to take positions both inside and outside the games industry in social media or community management, as well as public relations, influencer management, paid media, and branding.

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Course Examples: Copywriting for Creatives / Sociology of Online Communities / Creating Value through Marketing

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Esports Business Management

This concentration focuses on entrepreneurship, finance, business development, sales, and management. Students will take standard courses in these subjects, as well as courses that focus on ecommerce, league management, and team management. Students will be able to pursue a career in any of these areas, inside and outside the games industry, or be prepared to start their own venture.

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Course Examples: Facilities Planning in Sports / New Media and Business / E-Business 

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Esports Marketing & Events

This concentration prepares students for events and marketing positions in the games industry. Students will take courses in advertising, hospitality, and tourism. Students will gain skills in the pre-production and live events phase for a wide variety of events, such as conferences, panels, workshops, tournaments, broadcasts, and conventions. Students will also be well positioned to pursue careers in accounts management, operations, or program management.

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Course Examples: Internet Marketing: Strategic SEO & SEM / Event Planning / Crisis & Emergency Risk Communication

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Technical Event Production

This concentration is for students who are interested in broadcasting, video production, lighting, or sound. Twitch enthusiasts, this is for you! Students will learn live and post-production skills for esports events, and will be able to try their hand at every position before focusing on a sub-concentration. Students will also be prepared for careers in news, film, entertainment, theater, amusement parks, and more.

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Course Examples: Commercial Broadcast Design / Streaming Media / Video Studio Operations

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Graphic Design & Branding

This concentration focuses on graphic design for esports brands. Students will (mostly) pursue BFAs. and learn 2D art, animation, typography, and photography, as well as basic video editing and web design. Students will learn to design packaging, box art, apparel, social media graphics, pitch decks, communications such as letterheads and training manuals, and print media. In addition to design courses, students will learn marketing and advertising skills. Students will be able to pursue a graphic design career in any field, as well as marketing.
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Course Examples: Identity Design / Vector Art Editing / Campaign Development

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Esports Education & Coaching
This concentration has two sub-concentrations, one intended for K-12 educators who wish to use games in their pedagogy or run high school esports teams, and another for those wishing to coach and manage teams at the collegiate level. Students will take courses in teaching, coaching, team management, and education administration. Students in the K-12 sub-concentration will pursue state teaching certification in a chosen discipline and be prepared to enter masters degree programs, while students in the collegiate sub-concentration will be able to pursue careers in higher ed athletics departments, student activities offices. Both will also be prepared to manage programs for nonprofits and community groups.

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Course Examples: Coaching Youth & Team Sports / Creative Arts & Play-Based Learning / Program Planning in Recreation 

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Esports Medicine (Pre-Med)

This concentration is for students who intend on going to medical school. Esports medicine is the subfield of sports medicine focused on the treatment and prevention of esports related injuries, as well as a commitment to protecting and enhancing the health, safety and welfare of all esports athletes. Students will take standard pre-med courses, while also taking course related to psychology, sociology, and anthropology of games and gamers. Students will be exposed to professionals that work with esports athletes, such as Cleveland Clinic Esports Medicine Program or NYIT's Center for Esports Medicine. 

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Course Examples: Psychology of Sports Participation / Narrative Medicine / Digital Media & Health

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