Manhattan College to Offer a New Major and Minor in Game Design and Production

Manhattan College will begin offering a major and minor in game design and production this fall that will prepare students for careers in the booming video game industry. 

Forecasters expect the video game industry to continue its growth surge, according to Computerscience.org. In 2020, market analysts valued the global video game market at $167.5 billion. By 2027, the value is expected to reach nearly $291.2 billion.

The game design and production program will prepare graduates for jobs as special effects artists, animators, art directors, computer programmers, craft and fine artists, film and video editors, camera operators, graphic designers, producers and directors, and web developers and digital designers.

“In this program, all majors begin by learning together in ART 134: The Culture of Games, which explores the motivations for play, history and structure of the videogame industry, genres, marketing, and careers in the field,” said Michael Grabowski, Ph.D., director of game design and production and professor of communication. “After taking courses within their concentration, students come back together to practice building games in Game Design and Development. Then, in Senior Game Seminar, they work together in concentration-based teams to produce an original video game in an incubator setting.”  

The courses explore gaming history and cultures and provide students with critical skills to work within the game design industry. As an interdisciplinary program, with courses offered both in the School of Liberal Arts and the Kakos School of Science, three concentrations will be offered: Coding (B.S.), Design (B.A.), and Narrative (B.A.). Students will take courses  in art history, digital media art, communication and computer science.

Each concentration will focus on a specific area of gaming. Design students will learn about 3D modeling, animation and graphic design. Narrative students will concentrate on interactive storytelling techniques, digital storytelling, game mechanics, and video and virtual reality  production. Coding majors will learn programming languages and processing, including discrete structures and artificial intelligence. 

Grabowski said students will also have opportunities to learn outside the classroom through internships at video game companies and other technology firms that utilize gaming skills. Some of those companies include Avalanche Studios, Defiant Studios, Epic Games and Quytech.

To learn more the College’s program, visit www.manhattan.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/game-design-and-production.php