Game Design and Development Overview

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Game Design and Development
• Minor in Computer Game Design and Development

 

Computer Game Design and Development is an exciting and interdiciplinary field that combines technical programming and software development with artistic fields such as animation, audio and real-time user interaction. This program covers breadth of the field and lets students customize their studies to "dive deep" in a area of their choice.

The computer gaming industry has matured and grown significantly from its nascent days of Pong in 1972 and home-grown startups such as Origin Systems and Sierra Online in the 1980s. Sales figures for the U.S. video game industry (including hardware and software) rose to $18.8 billion dollars in 2007, a 40% increase from $13.5 billion in 2006. The video game industry will reach a global total of $70 billion in revenue by 2015, claims market analysis firm DFC.

But development in the field of gaming is not limited to traditional console and PC domains. Rapidly evolving fields of computer gaming, including casual, serious/educational, online, and mobile games, offer new opportunities for growth. Models of game design and development are applicable to online social sites centered around collaboration and communication. Emergent social and free-to-play markets often dwarf their console and PC counterparts; for example, the Asian-user online social world "Habbo Hotel" boasts 90 million registered users.

Finally, the military and industry are increasingly turning to simulation to help them meet their training needs, and the skills needed to develop high quality simulations are essentially identical to those necessary to develop high quality computer games. The military is also using gaming to assist in its recruitment efforts and to increase the general public's awareness of its operations.

As a gaming professional, you can work in many fields including:  

• Occupation
  What You Will Do
  Median Pay (as of 2018)
• Video Game Designer
  Design core features of video games. Specify innovative game and role-play mechanics, story lines and character biographies. Create and maintain design documentation.
  $82,340

Did you know?

The undergraduate program in Computer Game Design and Development at KSU is the only four-year bachelors degree offered at a public university in the state of Georgia. Read more about gaming in Georgia!