Pellau Magazine

Ah, summer — the time when the oppressive heat makes you think about applying for college, making a career change, or daydreaming about what it would be like to be the guy who created“Space Invaders.”

Back in the day, if a person wanted to make video games, they might study computer science or just rely on their own creative and programming skills, and maybe a little inspiration from the 1983 classic film “War Games”
.  But that was back in the day. We’re in the 21st century now, and that pipe dream of getting a college degree in game design can now be your reality.
Here are five game design programs you may want to consider before uttering those powerful words: “Mom, I want to make video games for a living!”
University of Southern California
 (http://www.usc.edu/
)
Popular for its football team and film school, the University of Southern California (USC) is the premier school for game design, according to The Princeton Review
, which honored USC with the number one spot on their list of top video game design schools. The game design program is a part of the USC Cinematic Arts Interactive Media Division
. If Designing Online Multiplayer Game Environments, Anatomy of a Game, or Interface Design for Games sound like interesting classes to you, USC is worth checking out. But do note, a diploma from USC traditionally comes with a hefty price tag.
The Art Institute of Vancouver
 (http://www.artinstitutes.edu/vancouver/
)
Are you more of a coder or do you want to be the guy that models the characters? Or how about a little bit of each? The Art Institute of Vancouver offers programs in game and art design, game programming, and visual and game programming as part of their media arts department
. In addition to a solid environment for fostering a gaming culture, the Art Institute of Vancouver also has culinary and fashion departments. Be nice to your fellow students and you could score free food and clothing if you play your cards right. Super bonus–it’s in Canada.
Rochester Institute of Technology
 (http://www.rit.edu/
)
Want to go to a school that screams technology? Check out the Rochester Institute of Technology. They offer a BS and MS in game design and development
. The curriculum is highly technical and if your hobbies include spending Friday nights programming your TI-89, this could be your kind of party. But make no mistake–RIT is not just a technical school. They are a top art school and their business school isn’t too shabby either. And if you can tear away from programming for a few hours, you could check out some of the amenities, including the ESPN Sports Zone in the student union as well as a student-run nightclub, because I bet you’re a really good dancer.
Full Sail University
 (http://www.fullsail.edu/
)
We’ve all said it–if only I had more time, I could be the next Rob Pardo
. Well, if you believe the only thing holding you back is a formal education and you simply don’t have time to sit in gamedesign_2
a classroom, Full Sail University may have something for you. This school offers anonline degree in game design
 that could theoretically have you finished with school quicker than a traditional college. Full Sail University emphasizes a collaborative environment and promises to guide you with industry professionals facilitating classes, without ever leaving the comfort of your bat cave. Please note that you will be required to do real work so if you’re thinking that you can play Warcraft all day while you’re sailing through the program, think again. No pun intended.
Shawnee State University
 (http://www.shawnee.edu/
)
For those of you that have a sophisticated vocabulary and would like to explore a program with a sophisticated title, consider the Game and Simulation Development Arts program at Shawnee State University (SSU)
. This school emphasizes small classes and a personalized environment. It’s a steal for Ohio residents and it’s even a pretty good deal for out-of-state students, with the 2012 published tuition coming in at a little over $10k a year. (Not that ten grand is cheap, but it beats others on the list here that are around $50k.) And if your parents threaten to disown you unless you major in something “useful” like biomedicine, SSU does let you minor in gaming so you can have a small slice of the good times the game design majorsare enjoying.
All of the programs listed here appeared on The Princeton Review’s list of Top Game Design Programs
. But before you start filling out applications and ordering transcripts, you’ve got to answer that one burning question: is it worth it?
Smashworx
 creative director Nikita Mikros also teaches game design at the School of Visual Arts
. Mikros says, “Some people need the type of structure that a university provides, others learn faster and more on their own. What is more important to ask is what skills a person needs to become a great game designer.” And what skills might those be? You’ll just have to wait for my next post to find out!
Mabelle Reynoso created a video game as her thesis project in grad school. She loves interface design, Mr. Miyagi, and sandwiches. You can read more of her work at ialmostfailed.com
 (http://ialmostfailed.com
).

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