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Design Games with Impact
As the only program of its kind in the United States, the Master of Arts in Game Design drives students to stretch their capacities as designers, developers, consumers, and game administrators and apply that to their unique field of interest. Students bring to the program their own experiences鈥攚hether in politics, science, art, history, marketing, or international studies鈥攁nd can choose from multidisciplinary courses across our schools of communication, business, and arts.
Bring your creativity into play. Through game design theory, development, and design, our students bring about behavior change, expand awareness, and make a difference. Students leave with the skills and experience they need to succeed in applying game design to non-game contexts.
Well-rounded Learning Experience
With a聽4:1 full-time student to faculty ratio, Game Lab students benefit from聽one-on-one interaction聽with world-renowned faculty. From working with聽Game Studio聽clients to performing scholarly research, students are able to learn from, and work side-by-side with聽faculty.
Admissions
The School of Communication聽reviews graduate applications聽on an ongoing basis聽until programs reach capacity.听Learn more about our admissions process.
Administered jointly by the and the Department of , the Game Design (MA) is a unique, multi-disciplinary 36-credit hour program focused on game design and game engagement mechanics intended to influence non-game contexts and challenges. The program develops the intellectual capacity of students as designers, developers, consumers, and games administrators. Beyond traditional game design and development, students learn to tailor play design for distinct education purposes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a typical Game Design student?
There is no typical Game Center student! Students bring their unique backgrounds and passions to the program, having addressed diverse topics such as mental health, social justice, journalism, politics, money management, and advertising. The program can lend itself to your particular area of interest.
What technical skills do I need to study Game Design at AU?
You do not need to have a background in coding to become a Game Design student, just a love for games and the desire to learn.
Why study in Washington DC?
Consistently ranked as one of the best cities for job seekers, Washington, DC, offers game design master鈥檚 students unparalleled access to private and public sector opportunities.听
Take advantage of institutional relationships with government agencies, locally based companies, and not-for-profits alike. Clients you may contract with include the聽Educational Testing Service (ETS), the聽National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),听Smithsonian 91制片厂 Art Museum (SAAM),听and聽WAMU 88.5. 聽
Connect through renowned DC-held events, such as聽Indie Arcade at the Smithsonian Museum,听Global Game Jam,听, and more.听
Whether your next career step is local or global, you鈥檒l gain the skills and network you need to succeed.
What does the curriculum look like?
The Master of Arts in Game Design is a unique, multi-disciplinary 36-credit hour program focused on game design and game engagement mechanics intended to influence non-game contexts and challenges.听
The program will develop students' intellectual capacity as designers, developers, consumers, and games administrators. Beyond traditional game design and development, students learn to tailor play design for聽distinct education purposes.听
Required courses such as Games and Rhetoric and Games and Society take students beyond the fundamentals of building a great game. With their 9 credit hours of electives, students are able to choose from a聽variety of concentrations, or create one of their own.
Who are the faculty?
Program Director聽Andy Phelps聽is an augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) expert with a wide-ranging background in game design, education, art and interactive experiences. He is co-founder and currently serves as president of the Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) and he is also a professor at the Human Interface Technologies Laboratory NZ (HITLabNZ)within the College of Engineering at the University of Canterbury.
With a聽4:1 full-time student to faculty ratio, Game Lab students benefit from聽one-on-one interaction聽with world-renowned faculty. From working with聽Game Studio聽clients to performing scholarly research, students are able to learn from, and work side-by-side with聽faculty.
Still have questions? Check聽our general admission FAQ or聽send us an email:聽GradComm@american.edu