The Best Colleges for Bachelor's in Game Design in Massachusetts

Clark University offers a bachelor's and master's in Game Design.

The BA in Interactive Media: Game Design & Development offers students tracks in eight game design domains:

• 3D Art
• 2D Art
• Audio
• Programming
• Production
• Writing
• UI/UX
• Design your own

Given these options, this program is very versatile to fit many students' education goals. These tracks include teaching the artistic side of creating games, to the programming, user experience and design side of gaming education.

Students can choose the "4+1" degree track option, and attend for a 5th year and earn the Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Media degree.

The MFA in Interactive Media requires 15 single unit courses.

The program emphasizes student projects. MFA students will create a project of their own design and making during each year of study. These projects are displayed in a publication or exhibition before graduation.

The program offers interdisciplinary courses, seminars, and studio work. Students engage in discussions, research, and participate in various other academic activities related to game design. Students have their chance to dive deeper into their chosen game design field through writing, reading, oral presentations, or guided research.

Clark offers industry-relevant gaming software and cutting-edge labs.

Fisher College is a non-profit college in Boston. It offers the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in Game Development.

This gaming school teaches mobile and computer games that are 2D and 3D. Students learn Information Technology and Computer Science fundamentals, and how to apply them to creating games.

Courses include:

• Website Programming and Development
• Advanced Web Application Development
• Operating Systems
• Information Security and Privacy
• Computer Science Internship I
• Computer Science Internship II

This can also be taken as a degree completing program for students who already have over 30 credits. This degree can be taken online or on campus. Terms are 8 weeks long. The online degree can be completed in 3 years and 4 months.

At Hampshire College, the Bachelor's degree in Game Design and Development takes an average of four years to complete. Course work is project-based in an effort to expand student portfolios.

To assist with research, students have access to a game laboratory with both modern and historic consoles as well as an ever-increasing game library with hundreds of digital and analog games available to rent.

Other facilities managed by Hampshire College include:

• The Cluster Computing Facility, which maintains a high-performance Beowulf-style computer cluster
• The Liebling Center for Film, Photography, and Video, and the Johnson Library Center both used for computer animation, film and video editing, and digital design

Fitchburg State University offers an on-campus Bachelor of Science in Game Design degree.

Students learn industry relevant skills, such as gameplay mechanics, how to create 2D and 3D digital art, tell engaging stories, and unify game aesthetics. Students also learn to think about games in their proper theoretical, historical, aesthetic, and social perspectives. Along these lines, they garner a sense of responsibility in their study and development of games.

Courses include:

• Game Level Design
• 3D Game Development
• Game Studio
• Introduction to Game Art

Students work on their capstone project at the IdeaLab, an off-campus studio where students collaborate with peers, faculty, and industry professionals.

The first branch leads to a Bachelor of Science in Games and Simulation Arts. The second branch consists of several different concentrations that students choose from relevant to emerging sub-fields in the games and simulation/entertainment industry.

The IMGD program offers digital whiteboard presentations, distributed virtual environments, and performance-based media.

All undergraduates must participate in a group based Interactive Qualifying Project.

One example of an IMGD IQP is the "virtual joust" now used at the Higgins Armory Museum that allows visitors to experience a joust in a Flash-based game through a Nintendo Wii.

Graduates of Polytechnic Institute have landed successful careers with companies such as Infinity Ward, Irrational Games, and Owlchemy Labs.

Northeastern University's College of Arts, Media, and Design offers training in Game Design running from undergraduate minors, through graduate degrees. Their program has both a Digital Arts and a Computer Science branch.

They also manage the Playable Innovative Technologies Lab which researches various topics such as visual analytics, adaptive lighting, and resource management models. Northeastern applies this hands-on approach to its education system.

Students are exposed to a co-op program that gets them working alongside industry giants including:

• Microsoft Game Studios
• Zynga
• Tencent Boston
• Tapwalk
• SAIC Corporation

Northeastern professor Susan Gold became famous throughout the game design community when she launched the first Global Game Jam. These events bring students from across the world together to develop games based on a common theme.