Not only does California offer many settings and cities to attend college, but the state hosts a huge variety and options for game design schools. Consider a California school if diversity in choice, viewpoints, learning, and teaching styles matters significantly to your game design education. As a major industry hub, you may get hired while there or even work your way into animation via Hollywood.
Academy of Art University
The school of game development at the Academy of Art University stands as one of the best-designed and informative programs in the State of California. Your options for degrees, the level of that degree, and the potential for freedom to explore whatever classes within the major enable a student-driven program. On top of that, those students experience an entire production cycle. The experience pays for itself!
Two-degree programs stand out from the award-winning Academy of Art University: Game Development and Game Programming. Each of these goes in different directions but equally leads to great pathways for education and future jobs. Developers learn the tools to be creative and what they can do with writing, art, and level design. Programmers learn to build those tools and engines from coding languages.
Former games industry professionals built the teaching standards at A.A.U. to help the next generation along to great future careers. They’re also nerds like their students, having worked on numerous projects from Tomb Raider to Sly Cooper. The staff at A.A.U. know that video games have become an art form worth celebrating. To that end, they have built an excellent program for future students to apply to!
Alumni from the A.A.U. have gone on to be hired by companies such as Blizzard, Riot, Naughty Dog, and Sony, all major local companies to California. These California-based companies want U.I. and level designers, artists, modelers, and programmers. The students coming out of the game development school stand ready for these careers. The future of modern and relevant developers starts here!
Laguna College of Art and Design
As an art school, Laguna College of Art and Design pays considerable attention to its game design, art, and media programs. There are two entire degree programs dedicated to industry quality learning: game art and a master’s game design program. Both choices stand out for excellent education opportunities. For anyone interested, consider applying to either program or even later!
The M.F.A. Game Design program at Laguna sets out with one primary goal: recognition of games as art that illuminates truths about our world, our societies, and ourselves as well as economic commodities. To that end, LCAD sets student goals to improve creative skills to prepare them for any future career. By the end, students will have an inside and out knowledge of the industry and a working game prototype.
If you’re looking to start at an undergraduate level, the BFA in Game Art could be what you’re looking for. As a heavily project-focused curriculum, LCAD wants students to learn traditional art skills and apply them to game development and animation. Armed with these, students will also learn how to apply them in digital settings to build 3D environments and animations. Art is an essential part of an immersive game.
ArtCenter College of Design
The Game Design Track as part of the Entertainment Design Degree at ArtCenter College of Design takes more generalized learning of all aspects of the gaming industry. Students learn everything from art to production to programming as part of the track, with options to pick from thirty classes. You’re on the right track if you’re looking to hone your storytelling, programming, and problem-solving skills.
Artcenter wants students looking for a fruitful career in the competitive gaming industry, from the smallest indie groups to the more prominent corporate studios. To that end, their diverse class roster comes packed with exciting courses that highlight the industry’s history and needs now. Classes like The History of Gaming and Player Experience and Usability Testing show students what they can expect.
If you’re a prospective applicant and want an idea of what classes are like, here’s a teacher lead Q and A on the Game Development 3 course. The faculty member in question, Tim Fitzrandolph, is a homegrown game developer who took his passions and made a successful career. He is best known for working for Disney on the pioneering mobile games “Where’s My Water” and “JellyCar.”
Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design presents its brand of game design education through the Game and Entertainment Design area of the Digital Media Degree Program. Students take a preconstructed list of classes from freshman to senior year on a designated track to learn game development and programming, art, modeling, and more. The curriculum culminates in a senior development project.
The program at Otis builds foundational key classes that help students later understand higher concepts. Students’ initial art classes will lay the foundation for advanced CG and modeling. Early game design courses in engagement and player teaching help students better prepare for later courses such as storytelling and advanced entertainment topics. This pacing helps students prepare for each course.
If you want a perspective as a potential student on what kind of work you’ll work towards being able to do yourself, check out the alumni gallery. Here you can see some examples of animation, motion graphics and design, concept art, and visual effects. Many of these show some talent and development on the part of the students. If you want to grow as an artist and designer, Otis should hone your skills!
