Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Game Design, B.A.


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The B.A. in Game Design trains students interested to integrate game arts with related advanced technology software platforms in which videogames are conceptualized, designed, and created. The program is for students aspiring to gain the background and technical skill necessary for a career in gaming or related areas in interactive media, and closely connects students with the region’s game design companies and to the regional industrial ecosystem for games creation (including games for entertainment, serious games, animation, and work relating to the emerging esports sector). The major, while mainly preparing students for careers in the videogame companies and start-up enterprises, may also be understood as connecting students to career pathways in application development, film special effects, web design, animation, and other design arts.

Students desiring deeper training in game programming, whose career interests might also include work in the wider data sciences, might also consider the B.S. major in Game Development.

Coursework in this major introduces students to the logic of game conceptualization, rendering, story boarding, leveling, and more, while also preparing them to work in design platforms (e.g., Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine). Key goals of the major include: (a) the development of an industry-ready and career preparatory project portfolio; (b) CMII-supported senior year internship opportunities; and (c) senior year involvement in a collaborative design team that takes a full year’s time to create a launch-ready game. CMII is partnered with the Georgia Film Academy, and collaborates with GFA on related certifications in esports management.

Degree Requirements


In addition to the Program Degree Requirements, students must fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences Degree Requirements (see section 3030) and the University Degree Requirements (see 1400 University Degree Requirements and Graduation ).

Consistent with the aspiration that design students should have a broad grounding in the arts and humanities, the B.A. requires an Area H minor. The student selects the minor; CMII recommends that minor coursework plausibly connect to skills needed in the games industry. A student might, for example, choose to minor in Computer Science or Film or Graphic Design - all of which could complement the core training of the major.

University Grade-Point Average and Grade Requirements

Georgia State University undergraduate students must achieve an overall institutional grade-point average of 2.0 and a major GPA of 2.0 in Areas G and H to receive a bachelor’s degree from the university. Grades of C- can be used to satisfy graduation requirements. However, some courses have prerequisites that require a grade of C or higher. (See section 1460 for additional information.)

Areas A-E of the Core Curriculum


Area A2: Quantitative Skills


Recommended Course:

Area F: Courses Appropriate to the Major (18 Hours)


Area G: Major Courses (39 Hours)


CTW Requirement


Game Design Fundamentals


All courses are required.

Capstone Experiences


All courses are required.

Area H: Minor and Additional Courses


A minor is required. Majors in the CMII Game Design BA program must select a minor consisting of at least 15 hours of courses in a discipline within CMII other than game design (e.g., Entertainment Media Management) or in another academic department/ school/institute that offers a baccalaureate degree. Students interested in bolstering their career readiness to work in the game design industry should consider a minor in Film, Graphic Design, Computer Science, or another related computational, arts or business discipline. At least nine semester hours of minor courses must be at the 3000 level or above, unless otherwise specified by the minor-granting department/school/institute. A grade of C- or higher is required in all minor courses.

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