Bachelor of Science in Game Design & Production
What is Game Design & Production?
Game Design & Production encompasses the skills needed to take a digital game project through all stages of production: from a pie-in-the-sky idea to a playable reality on the screen. Game development requires multiple disciplines of design, storytelling, visual art, animation, programming, project management, and marketing to create a work with professional polish, ready to compete in the digital marketplace.
Drexel’s undergraduate Game Design & Production program combines a strong comprehension of digital design, art, and coding skills needed by the next generation of digital storytellers as they create new works that entertain and reflect upon the human experience.
Today’s game industry careers extend beyond the booming field of consumer entertainment. Game-like interactive digital environments are used in industries throughout the world for education, training, real-time visualization, medical simulations, scientific research, physical therapy, and more. Fully immersive games now use new methods of interaction, such as multi-touch displays, projected environments, motion sensors with gesture recognition, and haptic devices.
Drexel University’s Bachelor of Science in Game Design & Production program is designed to evolve with the dynamic gaming industry, introducing students to the latest technologies, innovations, and trends. Students pursue a foundation of design and technology skills, take core courses in all aspects of digital media, complete one or more six-month co-op cycles working in industry, and participate in project-based teamwork to prepare for the demands of a cutting-edge career in the game industry.
Why Study Game Design & Production at Drexel?
Drexel University is recognized by The Princeton Review for having one of the top undergraduate game design programs in the country.
The Bachelor of Science in Game Design & Production program is housed in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, where students collaborate in cross-disciplinary projects with members of the Computer Science, Music Industry, Animation, Virtual Production, Architecture, Fashion Design, and other programs.
Game Design & Production program students spend their senior year in a multidisciplinary team developing their senior capstone project, often working with a student team from the College of Computing and Informatics. The end result is a fully functional project complete with marketing and other promotional materials. The academic year culminates with the Digital Media Senior Showcase & Expo where the student teams present and exhibit their capstone works to friends, family, and industry professionals.
Students in Drexel’s game design major benefit from small class sizes and mentorship from leading faculty members with extensive game industry and research academia experience. We also feature virtual courses taught by a diverse range of industry experts from across the nation, exposing students to a wide variety of active professionals. Visit the faculty directory to learn more about the Game Design program’s distinguished instructors.
Kudo Tsunoda, Microsoft Hololens team leader and former Creative Director of Kinect, said, “Drexel has one of the best Game Design and Digital Media programs I have seen. The work they do is innovative and top quality. Drexel interns and graduates I’ve worked with are well prepared to deliver results in a team environment.”
What Skills Will You Learn in a Game Design & Production Undergraduate Program?
Experiential learning is the cornerstone of Game Design & Production at Drexel University. Students start building game assets and games in their first term as freshmen and continue to hone their proficiencies in digital media tools while exercising their creativity and problem-solving skills through team-based projects over the course of their education.
Undergraduate students also complete a six-month co-op—a full-time work experience in the field—during which they apply their game design studies to real challenges and industry projects. They also have the option of a five-year plan to participate in three co-op experiences over their second, third, and fourth years of study.
Through foundational and hands-on coursework, Game Design & Production program students will learn such skills as:
- Scriptwriting and Storytelling
- Computer Graphics and 3-D design
- Skills in developing Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and other forms of Immersive Media
Students also develop critical competencies in project management, agile software development, pitch presentation, and multidisciplinary teamwork, which serve them well in their careers as game creators.
To learn more about the skills taught throughout the Game Design & Production program, visit the course catalog.
Facilities for Game Design & Production Majors
The Game Design & Production program is based in the URBN Center, the hub for creativity and inter-program collaboration in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. The URBN Center features an open floorplan, shared making spaces, and cutting-edge studios and labs.
Students can experiment with the latest technology in the Animation Capture & Effects Lab (ACE-Lab). This 1200-sq-ft digital media studio is outfitted with:
- 25x17ft green screen cyclorama
- Vicon Vantage motion capture system
- Stereo-360 “VR Video” capture systems
- Room-scale VR tracking systems
Students in the Game Design & Production program can create and innovate in the Immersive Research Lab (IRL), stocked with equipment for virtual reality, augmented reality, and other immersive media projects. They also have access to advanced graphics workstations, a theme-park quality motion simulation platform, and more.
Research faculty also operate their own labs, with funded research often staffed by undergraduate and graduate students, such as Dr. Diefenbach’s RePlay Lab, Dr. Gass’ Glitch Lab, and others.
Drexel University offers multiple opportunities to support the entrepreneurial-minded student, from Drexel’s on-campus indie game incubator, the Entrepreneurial Game Studio, to the Close School of Entrepreneurship and the Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship.
To schedule a tour of the ACE-Lab and other Digital Media facilities, contact Westphal Admissions at 215.895.1738 or send an email to westphaladm@drexel.edu.
Paths of Study
Students have the option to complete their BS in GDAP in 4 or 5 years. The plan of study involes the exact same 12 terms of study, but the 4-year plan offers one co-op experience in the 3rd year, while the 5-year plan offers three co-op experiences, one each in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years of study. The 5-year plan enables a student to build work experience in stages, each co-op making them more competitive for the next work opportunity.
Students find co-op opportunities year-round in many industries that utilize game development skills. All plans of study have the junior-year co-op in the summer to enable the more experienced students to compete for industry opportunities that are often offered only in the summer cycle.
For more info on the possible plans of study, visit the course catalog.
Career Opportunities with a Game Design & Production Degree
Students who complete their Bachelor of Science in Game Design & Production degree from Drexel University pursue job opportunities such as:
- Motion Capture Technician
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