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Major in Interactive Media: Game Design & Development (B.A.)

Undergraduates with VR headset

Turn your passion for gaming into an exciting career.

You may have started gaming for the fun of it — to compete in ways that you can’t in the real world, to make new friends, and to explore crazy, new, virtual worlds. But video games are not just for entertainment. The same technology and design process that goes into making games is found in simulations used for education and training, and the apps people use for crypto currency, global translation, drone-assisted rescue missions, and self-driving vehicles.

The Bachelor of Arts in Interactive Media: Game Design and Development — with tracks in 3D Art, 2D Art, Audio, Programming, Production, Writing, UI/UX, or Design Your Own — is a groundbreaking, nationally ranked interactive media and game design program that will allow you to pursue your passion for games while preparing you for a career in the $160 billion interactive media and gaming industry.

Catalog requirements for:

Major
Minor

Why Interactive Media/Game Design & Development at Clark?

  • Our game design program is currently ranked as the No. 3 school for game design in the world by The Princeton Review. U.S. News and World Report has called our program “a destination for game designers.” We are accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
  • The rich curriculum and the strengths of a Clark education, which is interwoven around humanism and social justice, provide fertile ground for you and your peers to build games that make the world a better place.
  • You will benefit from studio experiences and industry/education partnerships that drive entrepreneurship, academic collaboration, and economic improvement across the digital and video game industries.
  • As part of our 4+1 program, you may choose to continue your studies for a fifth year, obtaining an MFA in addition to your B.A.
  • Our team of stellar faculty and successful graduates are connected to industry leaders and employers, creating pipelines for landing internships and careers.
  • You will gain access to state-of-the art labs and industry-standard software.

GAME TRACKS AND COURSE OFFERINGS

Our Curriculum

Study Interactive Media,
With a Foundation in Liberal Arts

Our curriculum includes 32 total units of study over four years. It begins with courses in the liberal arts during your first year and continuing all four years. Game courses start in your sophomore year and continue until graduation. If you choose, you can pursue internships or study abroad during the last two years.

More About Our Curriculum

View All Courses

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Interactive Media Major

Choose Your Track

Students may choose from eight tracks: 3D Art, 2D Art, Audio, Programming, Production, Writing, UI/UX, or Design Your Own.

A Sampling of Tracks:

student sitting at computer doing gaming
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

3D Art

  • Create 3D models of the game’s characters and avatars.
  • Animate 3D models and bring them to life.
  • Create the 3D landscapes and building architectures of game worlds.
  • Build virtual 3D props, costumes, and interactable game objects.
student sitting at computer doing gaming
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

3D Art

  • Create 3D models of the game’s characters and avatars.
  • Animate 3D models and bring them to life.
  • Create the 3D landscapes and building architectures of game worlds.
  • Build virtual 3D props, costumes, and interactable game objects.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

3D Art

  • Create 3D models of the game’s characters and avatars.
  • Animate 3D models and bring them to life.
  • Create the 3D landscapes and building architectures of game worlds.
  • Build virtual 3D props, costumes, and interactable game objects.
female with 3d gaming glasses
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

Programming

  • Code in a variety of languages used in the interactive media industry.
  • Implement, integrate, and optimize game assets and routines in engine.
  • Use IDEs to create, test, and refactor game source code.
  • Master standard algorithms and efficiency recipes at the heart of game programs.
female with 3d gaming glasses
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

Programming

  • Code in a variety of languages used in the interactive media industry.
  • Implement, integrate, and optimize game assets and routines in engine.
  • Use IDEs to create, test, and refactor game source code.
  • Master standard algorithms and efficiency recipes at the heart of game programs.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

Programming

  • Code in a variety of languages used in the interactive media industry.
  • Implement, integrate, and optimize game assets and routines in engine.
  • Use IDEs to create, test, and refactor game source code.
  • Master standard algorithms and efficiency recipes at the heart of game programs.
student in front of game art screen
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

Level Architect (Design Your Own)

  • Establish the foundational logic and mechanical plan for how a game operates.
  • Provide a conceptual framework for the mechanics of game play.
  • Aid in world, environment, narrative, and character development.
  • Create and balance all areas that affect game play throughout the levels.
student in front of game art screen
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

Level Architect (Design Your Own)

  • Establish the foundational logic and mechanical plan for how a game operates.
  • Provide a conceptual framework for the mechanics of game play.
  • Aid in world, environment, narrative, and character development.
  • Create and balance all areas that affect game play throughout the levels.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

Level Architect (Design Your Own)

  • Establish the foundational logic and mechanical plan for how a game operates.
  • Provide a conceptual framework for the mechanics of game play.
  • Aid in world, environment, narrative, and character development.
  • Create and balance all areas that affect game play throughout the levels.
Young woman gaming with VR set
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

UI/UX

  • Design menus, heads-up-displays, and overlays for game interfaces.
  • Develop engaging user interfaces for a wide variety of interactive media
  • Integrate game interfaces and diegetic elements in engine.
  • Design and implement effective, accessible user experiences.
Young woman gaming with VR set
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

UI/UX

  • Design menus, heads-up-displays, and overlays for game interfaces.
  • Develop engaging user interfaces for a wide variety of interactive media
  • Integrate game interfaces and diegetic elements in engine.
  • Design and implement effective, accessible user experiences.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

UI/UX

  • Design menus, heads-up-displays, and overlays for game interfaces.
  • Develop engaging user interfaces for a wide variety of interactive media
  • Integrate game interfaces and diegetic elements in engine.
  • Design and implement effective, accessible user experiences.
Students in production lab
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

Production

  • Work as a communication hub for all aspects of development team activity.
  • Clearly communicate project goals, timelines and critical information.
  • Solve team problems, ensure productivity, and define deliverables.
  • Request and examine data analytics and manage based on data.
Students in production lab
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

Production

  • Work as a communication hub for all aspects of development team activity.
  • Clearly communicate project goals, timelines and critical information.
  • Solve team problems, ensure productivity, and define deliverables.
  • Request and examine data analytics and manage based on data.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN ...

Production

  • Work as a communication hub for all aspects of development team activity.
  • Clearly communicate project goals, timelines and critical information.
  • Solve team problems, ensure productivity, and define deliverables.
  • Request and examine data analytics and manage based on data.

Interactive Media

A Sampling of Courses

GAME 265

Artificial Intelligence for Video Games

Students will develop logic grids for intelligent agents, discuss how learning and communication are integral elements of artificial intelligence, and engage in philosophical discussions about AI.

GAME 095

Digital 3D Modeling

Students will learn the step-by-step process of 3D graphics including modeling with NURBs, polygons, and subdivisions using sophisticated 3D software such as Maya.

GAME 030

Examining Play

How do video games affect the brain and how do players respond to different forms of interaction? Explore how games affect mood and what kind of skills you learn in-game that you can bring into the real world.

GAME 195

Game Programming II

Study game programming using a third-party 3D game engine to provide a uniform interface for audio, 3D visuals, and device input. Students will use open-source tools/libraries to produce platform-independent code.

GAME 175

Writing for Fantasy and RPGs

Explore a broad palette of fantasy and its sub-genres, lore-appropriate game-text, character development within fantasy, narrative storytelling, cinematic scripts, dialogue, and much more.

View More Courses
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Careers and Internships

For students in interactive media, internship and career opportunities are ever-expanding. Strong consumer demand for video games and other interactive media in most sectors creates robust career opportunities not only in what is traditionally referred to as game design, but also in the related areas of data translation and user experience.

Where Alumni Work

Learn More about the Becker School of Design & Technology

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