Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Campus only
110 Eighth St.
Troy, NY 12180

Website

: http://www.gsas.rpi.edu/

Rensselaer’s Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) Major, formally announced as a B.S. degree, is among a handful of such programs in the country and is designed to educate students for early career positions, in addition to providing them with the technical, communication, and leadership skills needed to help shape an industry emerging out of the “games” phenomenon.

 

Game Design Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Rensselaer’s Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences program, like the existing Game Design Studies Minor, is a second-generation program intended (1) to educate students for early career positions and (2) to provide them with the technical, communication, and leadership skills needed to help shape an industry emerging out of the “games” phenomenon.

 

True Spirit of Collaboration
Students have played a seminal role in the development process of the games and simulation curricula by facilitating the links between the academic community and the world of games. From its inception, the GSAS was concieved as inherently interdisciplinary, where students would work in multidisciplinary teams.

 

According to John P. Harrington, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, game design, development, and research can provide junctures and cooperation between the arts and cultural studies, social sciences, computer sciences, engineering, and information technology. The Game Design Studies curriculum includes current courses offered within the departments of cognitive science; arts; and language, literature and communications, as well as new courses in digital imaging, animation, computer music, and performance art.

 



Programs Offered:

B.S. Degree in Games & Simulation Arts and Science (GSAS)
The program in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) has two components. The first component is a program leading to the games and simulation arts and sciences B.S. degree. It is designed to ensure that every graduate has a suite of integrated skills that external reviewers and our faculty working group have identified as important for leaders in the field: experience working in interdisciplinary teams, proven abilities in producing work (as demonstrated by having a portfolio in hand at graduation), analytical and communication skills, and experience pushing the boundaries of present-day genres and technologies through research.

 

The second component of the program is a concentration in one of several disciplines directly related to existing or emerging career paths in the games and simulation/entertainment industry. External reviewers of this program have been very clear in requesting that students have a solid grounding in a traditional discipline in addition to team skills and design expertise in games and simulation. This program structure provides that grounding for students.

 

The courses in the games and simulation curriculum provide many team experiences and cycles of design, analysis, and iteration, as well as a formal research component that is rare in undergraduate programs. This core curriculum will help ensure that graduates can develop as leaders in the game industry as well as in other fields that make use of highly interactive media (e.g. training and simulation applications found in business, education, and government; business management in emerging new media fields).

 

Minor in Game Design Studies
This interdisciplinary minor is housed in Humanities and Social Sciences, and is comprised of courses offered within the Departments of Cognitive Science; Arts; and Language, Literature, and Communication.

 

Cognitive Science’s philosophy on gaming relates to designing better games. It seeks to follow the industry model of game development with team approaches, fostering a strong collaboration between electronic arts, cognitive science, human computer interaction, and computer science; developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence for games, especially in the form of “synthetic characters.”

 

Arts courses in game design research consider games as a newly evolving genre stemming from cinema and interactive experiences with the computer. Students develop innovative game prototypes in a multi disciplinary, collaborative, hands-on studio environment using a variety of interactive multimedia approaches, methodologies and materials.

 

In addition, games are analyzed as cultural artifacts reflecting behavior, social formation, and the representation of gender. The aesthetics of game design including character development, level design, game play experience, and delivery systems are covered. Alternate gaming paradigms such as scenario planning, non-violent problem solving, blended reality, abstract play, and emerging forms are encouraged.