Game Design and Development (B.S.)

Electronic gaming has become one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world today.  It is used also for education, training and other important purposes.  The U.S. video game industry generated nearly $18 billion in sales in 2007, up 43 percent from 2006, according to The NPD Group, a consumer and retail information provider. The industry is expected to continue to grow in 2008.

Southern New Hampshire University’s game design and development degree program lets you decide whether you want to be the master storyteller who dreams up the mission, theme, plot, visuals and rules of a game, or the mastermind who focuses on game production and the business of gaming. You choose between a liberal arts focus, which emphasizes School of Liberal Arts courses, or a business focus, which incorporates School of Business courses.

The game design and development major emphasizes the creative, interactive storylines and environments of games and will give you a competitive edge in the technologies of game development. You’ll be prepared to seek entry-level employment as generalists able to multitask in modeling, storyboard, animation, broadcast graphics design, video post-production and 3-D illustration.

B.A./B.S. Core
Business Core

Game Design and Development Major Courses
IT/GAM 135  Interactive 3-D Virtual Environments
IT/GAM 207  Information Technology and Digital Games
IT/GAM 303  Design of Virtual Game Environments
IT/GAM 305  Digital Game Development
IT/GAM 430  3D Modeling and Animation
IT/GAM 450  Artificial Intelligence for eBusiness
IT/GAM 465  Digital Multimedia Development

Select four courses in one of the following tracks:

Interactive Storytelling and Supporting Arts
ENG 327   Play Writing Workshop
ENG 329   Fiction Writing Workshop
LIT 301     World Mythology
LIT 305     Popular Fiction
COM 327  Screenwriting for Media Arts

Visual and Audio Design
COM 230  Graphics and Layout in Print Media
FAS 310    Illustration
GRA 320   Introduction to Digital Imaging
COM 345  Animation and Visual Effects
GRA 410   Advanced Digital Graphic Design
GRA 420   Advanced Digital Imaging
IT 205       Digital Music

Game Development and Supporting Technologies
IT 201  Computer Platform Technologies
IT 230  Software Development With C#.Net
IT 232  Software Development w/C++.NET
IT 315  Object Oriented Analysis and Design
IT 330  Database Design and Management
IT 340  Network and Telecommunication Management

Psychology and Marketing of Games
ADV 428  Promotional Research & Media Measurement
MKT 229 Principles of Advertising
MKT 345 Consumer Behavior
PSY 305   Cognitive Psychology
PSY 257   Social Psychology
PSY 216   Psychology of Personality

Game Production & the Business of Gaming
OL 320 Entrepreneurship
OL 342 Organizational Behavior
QSO 340 Introduction to Project Management
ECO 402 Business Cycles and Forecasting
IT 467 Digital Commerce and eBusiness

Graduation Requirements
SNHU 101 First Year Seminar: Fundamentals of Critical Thinking
or
Free Elective (transfer students with 15 or more credits and CE students only)