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Top 7 colleges in the world to start your career in Gaming

If you are a passionate gamer and want to pursue gaming as a career but clueless where to start, then this article might be useful for you.

Jas Gupta, Blogger

November 3, 2020

6 Min Read

Earlier when the era was without digitalization, we spent our free time playing board games like chess, ludo, monopoly, etc. with our friends and families. But now that the world runs with technology; we have upgraded our lifestyles too. Now we play ludo on our phones or play Pub-G or the newest addition among us. But have you ever wondered how all these mobile and video games are designed?

Well, the answer is Game designer and Game developers. We never think about the story or characters of the game while playing but the designer thinks about the players while designing one. The designer is the one who creates the layout, design, and character sketch of the game. He also designs the game format. On the other hand, the game developer is the one who makes the layout and design into actual game to play with coding and programming. The developer and the designer are the cornerstone of the video games. Their creativity gives life to the images.

While many are running behind MNC’s for a job there are others who are passionate about creative jobs in gaming industry. If you are a passionate gamer and want to pursue gaming as a career but clueless where to start, then this article might be useful for you

Here, you get to learn about all the disciplines of gaming industry. Below are the top colleges in around the world where you can begin to turn your dream into a career.

1. University of Southern California:

Los Angeles, California

USC provide four video gaming degree programs both at graduate and undergraduate level. The four programs are:

  1. Bachelor of Arts

  2. Bachelor of science

  3. Master of Fine Arts

  4. Master of Science

The USC ranks No.3 institution in Los Angeles, among the 150 universities in western U.S. It is the global center for arts, technology and international business while offering interdisciplinary courses.

As Los Angeles is the heart of Hollywood and entertainment industry you can expect that the students receive their courses from best working professionals from gaming industry.

2. University of Utah:

Salt Lake City, Utah

The university of Utah provides 3 programs for game development/design:

  1. Bachelor of science

  2. Bachelor of arts

  3. Masters of entertainment arts and engineering

The University has been one of the best schools for video game designs. Their programs are also offered in computer science degree. The alumni go on to find work with wide range of opportunities with average starting salary $67,075- $87,332.

The university also provides game design related undergraduate paths such as computer science BS degree with an emphasis solely in Entertainment Arts and Engineering.

The perk for a student from University of Utah is that they have access to many internship opportunities as the University has a strong relationship with EA sports in Salt Lake City. Many students from other schools would thrive for such opportunities but the Utah University manages to provide best for their students.

3.Savannah college of art and design:
Savannah, Atlanta GA

SCAD offers both graduate and undergraduate programs:

  1. Bachelor of Arts

  2. Bachelor of Fine Arts

  3. Master of Arts

  4. Master of Fine Arts

SCAD offer degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university. The university give students the chance to work with industry professionals and use latest design tools. SCAD’s program has even won E3 college gaming competition multiple times. SCAD is thoroughly qualified and is at its best to help students to figure their creative careers.

4.Backstage pass institute of gaming and technology:

Hyderabad, India

Backstage pass institute of gaming and technology is a top most college in India which provide programs in game development, game programming, game art & game design and augmented reality & virtual reality. The different programs are:

  1. Bachelors Programs

  2. Advanced diploma courses

  3. Short term courses

 Here in Backstage Pass they mentor the students from basic level to advanced level with advanced software tools, they also provide a game lounge for the students to boost their energy and give them relaxation in leisure time. BSP provides interdisciplinary courses as well and encourage students to participate in various events. Backstage Pass has more than 600 students and has been teaching about for a decade now. It is the first institution in India to offer Game Design and Development courses. Backstage Pass has collaborated with JNFAU for bachelors degree programs and Lincoln University College for advanced diploma courses.

BSP ensures that the students are given opportunity to intern with good amount of pay with many national and international gaming companies and students are most likely to get a placement after graduation. They also conduct seminars and workshops by alumni and by industry veterans to give the students a glance of experience of working in a gaming environment.

The college is awarded Times Education Icon 2018-19 in the gaming category and 2 students were nominated for emerging scholar awards.

5. Digi Pen Institute of Technology

Redmond, Washington

Digi pen Institute of Technology offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in field game development/design field. The following are the programs offered:

  1. Bachelor of Science

  2. Bachelor of Arts

  3. Bachelor of Fine Arts

  4. Master of Science

  5. Master of Fine Arts

The students from across Digi Pen’s degree programs work on game projects to create fully playable 2D and 3D games. The Bachelor of Arts in Game Design will help you pursue modern game design career. Digi pen will help you attain skills in areas of art, audio, technology, design, 2D and 3D level design, game mechanics, character design etc. Digi Pen describes that your role as game designer is to ultimately breathe life into every aspect of what would otherwise be lifeless code and static pixels on a screen.

Winter Park, Florida

Full Sail University's campus and online degree programs offer immersive educational experiences centered around the needs of the entertainment and media industry.

Full Sail campus has exclusively large campus and creative studio environment. Each program has an advisory board comprised of working professionals who continually update Full Sail on the needs of their industry. Since Full Sail courses are offered on a monthly basis, each program's curriculum can stay up to date with advances in the real world.

With more than 37,000 alumni, Full Sail University graduates have worked in many different roles for some of the industry's most well-known companies and contributed to countless notable projects:

  • Films like The Avengers, the Twilight series, and Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

 7. Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University provides game development programs are:

 

  1. Bachelor of Computer Science

  2. Bachelor of Arts

The university is known for its teaching of key components like programming, story and character development, visual and sound design and more.Carnegie Mellon University's faculty, staff, students and alumni have earned personal and professional recognition in a variety of fields.Students are also required to develop fun, polished and engaging games while working in teams. This alone offers the best experience possible to prepare students for life in a major game development studio.

To sum up, in this gaming world there is lot to explore, learn and discover with both creative and technical skills. In this ever changing and competitive industry these institutions have helped to take skills of aspiring game developers and designers to the next level. Game companies are constantly scouting for talented people to join their firm and it is these prestigious colleges that provide them with such talent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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