Earn a Master of Arts Degree in Video Game Design (What?!) in the UK |
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When people play a word association game between "video gaming" and "college" they think (a) students playing video games when they should be studying and/or (b) a video game design course. When people play a word association game between "video gaming" and "graduate school" (the one that hands out masteral degrees) they're bound to think "What student in his right mind will have the time for video games while he's in graduate school?" Trust me. I attended graduate school. Between the heavy classroom work and the heavy outside-of-classroom work and thesis research and thesis writing and thesis editing and even more thesis writing and more classroom work and out-of-classroom work... (phew! Gotta catch my breath) it was nigh difficult - nay, impossible - to squeeze in a couple of hours for a video game. Any video game. Even Pong.
Well, what if the video game was your masteral degree? The UK-based University College for the Creative Arts is now offering an MA in Digital Games Design for this coming academic year. Call it the result of two converging forces: the undeniable impact of video games in global culture today, and the game industry's quest to have its output recognized as an important and serious cultural work - you know, like classic novels and opera and such.
Offered at its Farnham campus, the MA course schools students in the fine art of video game design, from story and character development, to the necessary encoding, structuring, and scripting of game data, imagery and scenery, gameplay and events, level design and so forth. Express courses in computer visualisation, 3D modelling and animation, as well as an introduction to game programming and scripting languages, are on offer. That's in addition to the usual courses an MA has to offer - like those research methods courses I suffered though but a year ago.
And because there's a real world beyond the virtual one existing in game consoles and PC gaming rigs, the course also encourages its students to think of the social and cultural implications of their work. Pretty heady stuff: they'll be exposed to analysis of industry trends, and the historical and social contexts of video games in society. Not because you're going to create a game where you'll literally save the world - or for those political figures who've decried the social force that video gaming has become - but because let's admit it: video games really do have a deep impact on people beyond mere entertainment.
The final test of all enrolled students is the production of an advanced playable prototype. That's right: you're not here in this graduate school to learn how to make games. You're here to make a game. And be judged and graded by it. And be hooded for it.
Maybe education doesn't get any better than that. Interested? This is being reported from a received press release, but the source link below will direct you to the course website.
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Comments [refresh]
well, that's pretty much my whole question.... i'd like to have a go at this, and being an MA it would only require one year of study. but i'm a physics grad and i wonder if anyone knows whether that's an ok subject to have my degree in in order to study this MA.
cheers.
hey, comedy. checking out the press release and the site, the college says it doesn't really matter what course you came in from (like journalism, computer tech, etc.); and with this course, they also give you an intro to programming languages, game scripting, etc. (hey, i graduated political science, and I'd want in myself!). On the other hand, yeah, going in there almost programming-blind is daunting, but the most important lesson any school can teach you is "if you don't know, ask for help." if you do enroll, you'll probably run into someone who IS a computer tech graduate, and maybe the two of you can hook up and help each other through.
hope this helps. and if you're still interested in joining the course, then my hat's off to you. good luck!
cheers man, yeah, i hoped that was the case cos when i looked in the pdf's and the literature on the course it didn't really say any specific courses...
yeah, you know i think i might do that kind of thing... little late to do it this year, but next year... and then i can ply my trade as a psp homebrewer...
thanks for the info, and it's funny this came up, i was only wondering about which places offer postgrad game design courses!
i live about 10 mins away too... god i can see it now, me with my own 'my other car is a millenium falcon' t-shirt!
I'm studying GameDesign & Development at de Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht (www.hku.nl) and in 5 years you can also get a Master of Arts Degree in GameDesign & Development
There is a Article about the game design aspect. Just recently from a chat with someone from Ninty who was a developer and they discuss.. Physics would be an amaising thing to have because one of the schools of design you could walk out with a physics degree.. Specially with video games now of days. Everything want to be more realistic. Every world needs physics, Even a Mario World (Stole that line)
Sure would be cool to go to the UK for school. If only i had talent / potential.
i did my physics degree at cambridge... aren't i a smarty pants! which means my BA matures to an MA by default after this coming year... without my doing any work!
hooray for me
i'm actually seriously considering this idea though... it sounds like fun.
i'll tell you what, there's a bunch of physics which would work well in videogames, and then there's a load which is total rubbish and a pain the arse... quantum mechanics anyone?
don't fear, you don't need to be especially talented or have enormous potential to get far! have faith, anyone can learn a language, anyone can learn to program, and so anyone can learn to make video games... if you want it, just try and i'm sure you'll get somewhere