All those hours playing “Modern Warfare 3” were totally worth it!
New York University is launching the area’s first master’s program in game design beginning next fall.
The curriculum out of the NYU Game Center — which also hosts major video-game tournaments like this week’s “Angry Birds Challenge” — focuses on the creative aspects of video-game design and programming.
Students will also turn a critical eye toward the industry as aspiring game critics, along with studying the history of video games.
“Games are the defining cultural form of this century, and the NYU Game Center MFA is dedicated to exploring their potential,” said Game Center director and instructor Frank Lantz.
Those who fear that the school will be all work and no play needn’t worry.
“There will also be plenty of game playing, particularly at the weekly Game Salon,” says the Game Center’s Web site. “Play, creation, and analysis complement and inform each other to create a unique educational experience.”
Thesis projects will require most students to work together in groups to design an original digital game in their second year.
Students with low-tech interests can even choose to focus on studying and designing non-digital games — including card games, board games and sports.
Teachers at the handful of existing graduate programs say the learning environment can be both rigorous and relaxed.
“The nature of games is that you have to put a lot of hours in, so that turns your environment a little louder at times and a little less controlled,” said Joe Linhoff, an assistant professor at DePaul University in Chicago. “We have a lot of extra tables that end up stacked with pizza boxes and old Chinese takeout.”
It is a perfect time for students to jump into the gaming industry, Linhoff said.
“If you’re a good, solid game programmer, getting a job is easy,” said Linhoff. “There’s a lot of people looking for good programmers.”