Video game degrees and courses up 50% over 5 years
The number of colleges and universities offering courses and degrees in video game design has grown by half over the last five years, according to new research released by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).
"Today’s colleges and universities are responding to student demand for high-quality and innovative video game design programs,” Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA, said in a statement. “The new talent coming into our industry will revolutionize entertainment experiences.”
The number of schools offering professional certificates and undergraduate or graduate degrees in video game design has grown from 254 to 390 in the last five years. Among those programs are WPI’s Interactive Media & Game Development and the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI), which was founded in 2011 and housed at Becker College in Worcester.
Degree programs are available at schools in all 50 states and Washington D.C. California currently offers the greatest number of video game-related courses or degrees (73), followed by New York (26). Illinois and Texas tie for third place with 24 schools, the ESA report said. Massachusetts’ schools offer 14 video game degrees or courses.
“As video games have become a major component of popular culture, we’ve seen more academic programs addressing games from a variety of perspectives, whether it be aesthetic, cultural, educational, or economic,” said Drew Davidson, director of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “This is only going to increase the influence video games have in our culture as students graduate with more of a critical grasp of the unique capabilities of games, and apply that in their careers and lives.”
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