Students in the Development and Programming Track of the interactive media: game design and development major gain a strong foundation in programming languages, data structures, and artificial intelligence, enabling them to create responsive and immersive gameplay experiences. By focusing on both game mechanics and advanced coding techniques, this track equips students to design and implement sophisticated systems, setting them up for impactful roles in game development and interactive media.
The Bachelor of Arts in Interactive Media: Game Design and Development is a groundbreaking, nationally ranked program that will prepare you for a career in the $160 billion interactive media and gaming industry.
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.
Choose a specialization within the major that allows you to work to your unique strengths and explore your interests. Major tracks include: 2D Art, 3D Art, Audio, Development and programming, Production and Management, Time-based Media, UI/UX, Writing, or Design Your Own.
Accelerated Master’s — An advanced degree within reach
The accelerated Master’s in Interactive Media major provides an opportunity to earn a pathway to a master’s degree — with one year of additional study. Consider the following options for this major:
“A destination for game designers.”
U.S. News and World Report
Career Communities are industry-focused groups designed to support your professional exploration and narrow down your career interests within specific fields. You’ll connect to opportunities, professionals, and information that will support your career development. The following communities may be of interest:
Arts, Media, Design, and Communications
Business, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship
The Clark Experience
The Clark Experience brings together the exceptional education you’ll receive in the classroom and so much more. Through focus and flexibility, it ensures you’ll leave Clark with the creativity, confidence, and resilience to succeed and lead a life of meaning and consequence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do with a major in interactive media: game design and development?
The video game industry represents over $160 billion in worldwide sales, and is expected to grow, surpassing previous projections. This rapid growth has created a high demand for interactive media experts working on websites, games, cell phone applications, and more. Modern video games have transitioned beyond entertainment into a wide array of other intersecting industries and organizations, including health care, education, nonprofits, and government.
What skills will I learn as an interactive media major?
3D Art
- Create 3D models of the gam’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.
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 crate, test, and refactor game source code.
- Master standard algorithms and efficiency recipes at the heart of game programs.
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.
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.
Production
- Work as a communication hub for all aspects of development team activity.
- Clearly communicate project goals, timelinesand critical information.
- Solve team problems, ensure productivity, and define deliverables.
- Request and examine data analytics and manage based on data.
Be a force for change.
Come study at a small research university with a strong liberal arts core.