When you decide that you want to be a game designer, you need to learn the skills needed in order to do the job. This means going to a school with the required curriculum. There are a surprising amount of colleges and universities now serving this field. These are three of the best.
The ITT Technical institute has 85 locations in 30 states across the US, and offers a bachelor's degree in Digital Entertainment and Game Design. The program offers a strong foundation in game technology, game design, animation, level design and general education. The program falls under the School of Drafting and Design. There is very likely a campus close enough to attend, and the college is accredited by Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.
DeVry University has various campuses across the US, Canada and online. DeVry offers a Game and Simulation Programming Bachelor's Degree teaching software development, programming, software engineering and project coordination. The program is applications oriented and provides a foundation in math and physics for games, programming, game design, modifications, massively multiplayer online role playing game programming, two and three dimensional graphics design, simulation and game engine design. There is also a good grounding in general education to provide the well grounded team members the industry desires. DeVry works on a trimester system and many degrees can be achieved in three years of work. DeVry is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
Westwood College is located at Anaheim, CA, Denver, CO and Chicago, IL. They offer a bachelor's degree in Game Art and Design, which focuses on design, computer and problem solving skills, focusing on applied knowledge and hands on teaching. In addition to practical exercises, Westwood also provides grounding in theory. They also offer a Game Software Development degree, teaching software fundamentals, game software development and an emphasis on game development and interactive entertainment.
One of the main outcomes of a good college program is exposure to more than just the core material. A well rounded person will be able to know of concepts and information in other fields that impact the major area of study, but which were not included. Additionally, a good program will include both theory and practice, so the student can tell how things should be, and what actually takes place in the field.
With the electronic component to the industry, just about everyone concerned should have a good grounding in computer programming to understand ways to most effectively work within the limits of the computer while maximizing the capabilities of their own disciplines. Most work on computer games is obviously computer related, but there is a need to understand the artistic components, such as music and the visual arts too.
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