What is a good major in college for the design fields of gaming?

Question

I was originally going to go with computer science for programming but I would really rather go for the path of design instead. Unfortunately I haven't found much reference for this field, and thus I don't know what major I should choose.

Answer 1

There are an increasing number of schools offering programs in computer game design. Some offer an actual major, some offer it as a concentration within their computer science program. Here are some great resources to help you get started with your search.

The International Games Developers Association has a great student resource page that includes articles about what to look for in a program, how to break into the industry, and some links to specific programs: http://www.igda.org/academia/

These are two good sites for learning more about the industry:

http://www.red3d.com/cwr/games/

www.gamasutra.com

And, finally, here's a list of colleges that have some sort of game design program. If you work your way through the list, looking at the programs offered at each school, you'll quickly get a sense of what is available and start to narrow down where your interests lie. The list may be incomplete as new programs seem to open fairly regularly.


Universities
American Intercontinental University
Art Institute of Atlanta
Arts Institute International in San Francisco offers a BA degree in Game
Art and Design
Art Institute of San Francisco
Becker College in Worcester, MA
Bradley University (IL)
Cal Arts (CA)
Carnegie Mellon
CDIS in Vancouver (www.artschool.com);Curriculum degree in Game Art and
Design
Champlain College - program in Electronic Game and Interactive Design
Chapman (CA)
Columbia College of Chicago
DePaul Univ (IL)
DeVry University
Digipen Institute of Technology in Redmond, WA. (B.A. in video game
programming.)
Drexel (PA)
_Expression Center for the New Media - San Francisco, offers Associates and
BAS degrees in Sound Arts, Digital Visual Media/Animation and Digital
Graphic Design.
Full Sail
Georgia Tech
Guildhall at SMU
Loyola (IA)
Loyola of New Orleans
Loyola Marymount (CA)
Michigan State University offers the Specialization in Game design
MIT
Oglethorpe University in Atlanta has a 3/2 program with Savannah College
of Art and Design
Ringling School of Art and Design offers a major in Computer Animation
with a minor in Game Art and Design
RIT
RPI
SF State (CA)
Savannah College of Art & Design
Shawnee State University (Ohio) - offers two different game design
degrees - BFA in Game and Simulation development Arts and BS in Digital
Simulation and Gaming Engineering technology.
The University of Baltimore - major in video game design & marketing.
University of California Irvine (CA)
University of California Santa Cruz (http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/press_releases/text.asp?pid=900)
University of Denver
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Univ. of Southern California offers opportunities in game design through both the Engineering School and the School of Cinema Television.
Westwood Institute of Technology
WPI

Finally, Southern Methodist University has a terrific Master's level program called the Guildhall.

Good luck with your search - it's an exciting, although competitive, field!
Carolyn Lawrence, www.AdmissionsAdvice.com

Answer 2

well there are not a lot of colleges for that. Why don't you find a different major. That will help!

Answer 3

computer engineering, harder program, also a school consulor