BFA.GADS - Game Art and Design: Game Art Emphasis, B.F.A.

Accreditation

National Association of School of Art and Design

(NASAD)

Woodbury School of Design and Media offers a four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Game Art & Design. The program provides graduates with a solid understanding and practice of the expertise required to enter the computer game industry. The curriculum provides students with a thorough comprehension of the production process through critical and creative thinking, theoretical and historical study, and conceptual and experimental exploration.

The incredible growth and sheer expressive power of computer and video games have made them an important and influential part of the cultural landscape. Rapid advancement of technology requires continuous development of new skills for designers and artists. A generation of young gamers raised on earlier video games are now the designers and creators of today’s games. Young artists and designers—who are now students—will grow into the field’s innovators and emerge as the creators of tomorrow’s games, but it doesn’t end there. The technology, skills, and techniques of game art and game design have advanced into new areas that promote learning, encourage health and exercise, assist corporations and the military in recruiting and training, and create new medical therapies.

The Game Art & Design BFA connects art, animation, computer hardware and software, story development, and the many facets of game design. Students may choose from two emphases: Game Art, focusing on two- and three-dimensional character design, hard surface or environmental design, and character rigging or animation; or Game Design, focusing on elements such as game concept ideation, play mechanics, computer programming, story development, game system navigation, user interfacing, scoring systems, and rapid prototyping.

As one of the many vibrant programs in the School of Design and Media, Game Art & Design integrates communications and psychology into the general education curriculum through the study of visual communications, media culture, consumer behavior, and media psychology. The School’s location at the heart of Southern California’s entertainment industries provides students with unique field trip, internship, field experience, and employment opportunities.

Mission

 Game Art & Design merges creative vision, story, art, sound, animation, play mechanics, and computing in the development of immersive game experiences. Through original interactive projects, each student develops an individual creative voice while collaborating in an authentic production environment. We provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to excel and meet the challenges of this industry’s rapidly changing production and distribution technologies.

Additional Learning Opportunities

Career Experience

Prior to graduation, students must complete 120 hours of internship or career experience at a local or remote game development studio, web design company, digital art studio, narrative design enterprise, technical art studio, or companies that develop interactive media. The career experience is usually accomplished in the junior or senior year and approved by the department chair.

The Office of Career and Professional Development offers a variety of programs, services, and resources to assist students in exploring careers and securing work experience internships. The staff works with students one-on-one to develop successful search strategies in order to help students connect with employers through internship postings, résumé collections, on- and off- campus interview opportunities, alumni connections, and employer outreach in the United States.

Technology and Computer Requirements

Game Art & Design requires third- and fourth-year students to have laptop computers and recommends the same for first- and second-year students. Students may choose either Apple or PC/Windows laptops based on needs and individual budgets. Game Art & Design courses and faculty members use both Mac and PC computers. Students’ computers and software must be compatible with existing on- campus computer labs. Teaching labs are equipped with all software used in the Game Art & Design program.

Questions may be directed to the department chair and/or faculty regarding specific project needs or current hardware/software requirements.

Assessment Process

Formative Assessment Experiences

Student development is assessed in each major design studio, both at the midterm and at the end of the semester. At each assessment point, student work is reviewed in terms of the applicable course learning outcomes for the particular studio.

Summative Assessment Experiences

In order to demonstrate required professional and design competencies before graduation, students must successfully pass the GAME 431 and 432 Degree Project courses. Degree projects provide students with the experience of developing and completing original, substantial 3D art or game design efforts that illustrate their ability to incorporate knowledge gained in the previous years of study.

Program Specific Academic Standards

Below-average work is not acceptable for a professional degree. A minimum grade of “C” is required of all Game Art & Design studio courses.