Are you sitting at home playing games? Have you thought about how fun it would be to make that great game you are playing? Do you want a job that you will love and never want to give up? If you have answered “Yes!” to all three questions than maybe you should look into a degree in game design. I know, you’re saying to yourself, “Who offers a game design degree in Baltimore, MD? Does the video game industry pay well? If I do not get a job right out of school, can my skills be used outside the industry? Are there jobs near my home in Maryland?” The answers to all of these questions may surprise you. With a little research, you can start your path to a degree in game design.
Who offers a game design degree in Baltimore, MD? In the past few years local community colleges CCBC, Hagerstown Community College, and Montgomery College (partnered with University of Baltimore) lead the way in game design degrees, being the first to offer a statewide program in Simulation and Digital Entertainment.
The Simulation and Digital Entertainment (SDE) program provides students with the skills to design and develop computer games for fun, advertising, education and simulations. Course concentration will be game design, art and animation, programming, documentation, structured design principles, problem solving and business ethics. Classes are conducted with hands-on labs. — CCBC
When the program started gaining notice and others schools watched as it grew year by year, eyes were opened. University of Maryland Baltimore College now also offers a computer science degree with a track in game design, Art or Programming. In 2009 John Hopkins University started offering classes focused in game design. Now that is what I call opened eyes! 2010 now brings two new school who wants to jump into the fierce competition of game design programs, Towson University and the very prestigious Maryland Institute of College Arts (MICA) .
Each student will gain a basic understanding of interactivity and connectivity within physical and digital environments — MICA
If my count is correct, that is EIGHT schools to choose from and research on what they have to offer. They are not the only schools that offer game degree programs, just maybe the top tier with focused degrees. Many of these schools and other local schools offer similar degrees from Information Technology to Computer Science and Art. If you are in another field of study, do not worry. Talking with many professionals around town you will quickly learn all disciplines are welcomed. English majors are known to do storyboarding, mathematics majors are know to be involved in games with advanced physics, and so on. So now you have no excuse! Go start looking for a school to begin your path to a career in game design. In part 2, i will answer, ”Does the video game industry pay well?” For more information on the schools talked about and other schools click the links below.
Links of Interest
Baltimore College Town - Towson University - University of Baltimore - Community College of Baltimore County
Education-Portal.com - John Hopkins University - GameCareerGuide.com
University of Maryland Baltimore - MICA
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