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The Best Schools for Aspiring Game Developers

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The Best Schools for Aspiring Game Developers THE BEST SCHOOLS FOR ASPIRING GAME DEVELOPERS THE BEST GAME Whether you’re taking your first steps or refining your skills, there’s DESIGN PROGRAMS, a game design program for anyone. Check out the 50 best RANKED BY THE undergraduate and 25 best PRINCETON REVIEW. graduate programs out there. Even in these ridiculous times, video games you want to use your artistic flourish to are there to comfort, challenge, and inspire design fascinating worlds and new us. It takes a lot of work to make your characters? Do you want to manage the favorite games, though, and a lot of business of running a studio? Or do you smarts. It’s dangerous to go alone, as one want to get your hands dirty in the coding famous adventure told us, and that’s where and programming that makes games run? awaiting new image these game design programs come in. Maybe you’re also looking to master your The Princeton Review has done all the skill set with a graduate degree. & cut out heavy lifting of researching the absolute Every adventurer knows that the first best game design programs across North steps can often be the most important. America and Europe. Whether it’s the best If you’re ready to take that leap, read teachers, the most prestigious graduates, on to find out where you should start the best facilities, or the highest average your journey. salary, you’ll find a great school for you. Want to know more? Check out The So take a moment to think about what Princeton Review’s website for further info: kind of game developer you’d like to be. Do www.princetonreview.com/game-design THE TOP 50 2021 BEST GAME DESIGN 2021 UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS 5. DIGIPEN INSTITUTE OF 14. UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL TECHNOLOGY FLORIDA Graduates: Kim Swift (Portal, Google Fun Fact: One of 16 Microsoft Stadia), Adam Brennecke (Pillars of Flagship Schools Eternity) Graduates: Richard Ugarte 2020 Grads Salary: $81,500 (Producer, Epic Games), Alex Madeville (Facebook Games) 6. WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE 15. ABERTAY UNIVERSITY Faculty: Keith Zizza (sound designer, 2020 Grads Hired: 40% BioShock Infinite), Ed Gutierrez Graduates: David Jones (creator of (Disney/Pixar) Grand Theft Auto), Timea Tabori Graduates: Alex Schwartz (Job (Engine Programmer, Rockstar UNIVERSITY Simulator), Michael Gesner (Riot BECKER Games) 1 OF SOUTHERN 2 COLLEGE Games) 16. BREDA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED CALIFORNIA 7. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SCIENCES Faculty: Ricardo Guimaraes (concept 2020 Grads Hired: 60% Total Courses: 277 Total Courses: 125 artist, Blizzard Entertainment, 2020 Grads Hired: 90% 2020 Grads Hired: 54% Ubisoft), Elizabeth LaPensée Graduates: Jendrik Illner (3D 2020 Grads Salary: $65,000 2020 Grads Salary: $62,321 (Indigenous game designer) Programmer, Ubisoft), Nathalie Faculty: Gary Schyman (Composer, Faculty: Keo Heng (Senior Animator, 2020 Grads Hired: 81% Jankie (Level Designer, Remedy) BioShock series), Artem Kovalovs Sony Computer Entertainment), (Programmer, The Last of Us) Christina Alejandre (Director of 8. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 17. CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE Graduates: Ryan Coogler (Black Publishing & Esports, WB Graduates: Doug Bowser (President, 2020 Grads Hired: 77% Panther), Jeff Kaplan (Overwatch) Entertainment) Nintendo), Nolan Bushnell (Founder, Faculty: Nathan Walpole (Character Graduates: Lawrence Preston Atari) Animator, Halo, ESO), Christopher (Environment Artist, Sony Bend), Katelyn 2020 Grads Hired: 40% Cao (Character Artist, Bethesda) Anthony (QA Lead, Riot Games) 9. BRADLEY UNIVERSITY 18. COGSWELL UNIVERSITY OF 2020 Grads Salary: $63,683 SILICON VALLEY 2020 Grads Hired: 60% 2020 Grads Salary: $62,000 Fun Fact: Recently added a program 10. SHAWNEE STATE UNIVERSITY focusing on business, marketing, and 2020 Grads Hired: 60% production of games. 2020 Grads Salary: $59,200 19. RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC 11. LASALLE COLLEGE VANCOUVER INSTITUTE 2020 Grads Hired: 69% 2020 Grads Salary: 68,400 Graduates: Greg Findlay (Tomb Graduates: Zach Barth Raider, Thief), David Larmour (ZachTronics), Curtis R. Priem (Capcom) ROCHESTER (NVIDIA) NEW YORK 4 INSTITUTE OF 12. VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL 20. THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT 3 UNIVERSITY Faculty: Scott Henshaw (EA), Jeff TECHNOLOGY DALLAS Plamondon (Capcom Vancouver) Graduates: Armando Troisi Graduates: Matt Charles (Gearbox Total Courses: 564 Total Courses: 133 (Narrative Director, Ubisoft), Boris Software), Ricardo Flores (Animator, 2020 Grads Hired: 40% 2020 Grads Hired: 90% Wong (EA) Naughty Dog) 2020 Grads Salary: $55,000 2020 Grads Salary: $65,000 2020 Gender Breakdown: 50% Faculty: Dr. Bennet Foddy Graduates: Elan Lee (Exploding Kittens), 13. DREXEL UNIVERSITY Male, 50% Female (Getting Over It) Alex Kipman (Microsoft Hololens and 2020 Grads Hired: 50% Graduates: Carol Mertz (Designer, Kinect) Graduates: Anna Nguyen (Injustice 21. HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE Exploding Kittens), Robert Meyer Fun Fact: Recently launched a new 2, I Expect You to Die), Glen Winters 2020 Grads Salary: $60,000 (Designer, Just Cause)including Ape Out Geogames Lab in partnership with (Red Dead Redemption 2) 2020 Grads Hired: 60% and others. Pokémon Go creator Niantic Game TOP 50 GAME DESIGN UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS (CONT) 22. SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND 2020 Grads Salary: $75,000 DESIGN Fun Fact: Largest provider of 2020 Grads Salary: $43,667 graduates to North Carolina games Graduates: Chad Dezern (CCO, industry, which includes Epic Games, Insomniac), Harrison Pink (Quest Ubisoft and more. Designer, Blizzard) 34. BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE 23. LAGUNA COLLEGE OF ART + 2020 Grads Salary: $50,000 DESIGN Graduates: Greg Baldwin (Character Graduates: Josiah Hunt (Sony Santa Artist, Insomniac), Nicole Tan (Level Monica), Corey Delorenzo (Level HOMEWORK: Architect, Arkane) Designer, Sony Santa Monica) 24. HOWEST UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED 35. MIAMI UNIVERSITY Amnesia: Rebirth SCIENCES Graduates: Chris Carney (Level 2020 Grads Hired: 70% Designer, Valorant), Stephanie Tsirlis Can “normal” mechanics Faculty: Tristan Clarysse (Artist, (Producer, Riot) Larian, BioWare), Kevin Hoefman 2020 Grads Salary: $52,465 undermine your vision? (Larian) 36. INDIANA UNIVERSITY 25. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - Frictional Games, the makers of Amnesia: 2020 Grads Salary: $60,000 STOUT The Dark Descent, SOMA, and more 2020 Grads Hired: 85% Graduates: Kees Luyendijk (Game Graduates: Mitchel Clayton Designer, Nintendo), Jess Tompkins recently Amnesia: Rebirth, definitely (Environment Artist, Naughty Dog), (User Researcher, EA) know their way around horror. But even Mic Rooney (Gameplay Programmer) professionals can fall victim to tropey 37. KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY game design mechanics, get a bit too 26. MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE 2020 Grads Salary: $60,000 OF ART 2020 Grads Hired: 40% comfortable, and undercut their own 2020 Grads Salary: $64,000 vision. How can you keep gruesome 2020 Grads Hired: 66% 38. NEW ENGLAND INSTITUTE OF monsters still terrifying without taking TECHNOLOGY 27. FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY your player out of the experience when Faculty: William C. Culbertson (R&D, 2020 Grads Hired: 80% they get caught? Fun Fact: Partners with Michigan Hasbro), Jim McClure (Environment non-profits to develop game projects. Artist, Sony Online) Total Courses: 57 EXAMPLE: Frictional Games learned from their 28. FALMOUTH UNIVERSITY earliest titles that forcing a player to replay a level after Graduates: Rex Crowle (Media 39. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN dying only served to reduce the horror and increase the Molecule), Sophie Shepherd Graduates: Richard Garriott (Ultima, frustration a player might feel. Since Rebirth still (Animator, Creative Assembly) Astronaut), Warren Spector (Thief, incorporated a “fear” system that encourages players to System Shock) avoid darkness and monsters, they tied that into what 29. ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY 2020 Grads Salary: $59,000 2020 Grads Salary: 70,000 happens when a player fails. If the player is taken down 2020 Grads Hired: 71% by an enemy, the main character experiences an 40. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA onslaught of cryptic visions, then awakens in a different 2020 Grads Salary: $55,000 30. NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY spot. Failure also impacts the main character’s health, 2020 Grads Salary: $49,402 2020 Gender Breakdown: 50% Male, Graduates: Alisa Bricker (User 48% Female impacting their journey in meaningful ways that an Researcher, Harmonix), Zhuo Chen (UI invested player will take care to avoid. Design, Sony) 41. DEPAUL UNIVERSITY 42. OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN HOMEWORK: If you’re making a game that tells a 31. UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI UNIVERSITY story or sends a message, consider how the gameplay 2020 Grads Hired: 66% 43. ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY mechanics we’ve taken for granted might impact that Graduates: Evan Carroll (Animation 44. MARIST COLLEGE Artist, Diablo II), Randy Pagulayan narrative. Part of being a game designer is thinking 45. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN- (Director of Research, Xbox) outside the box, even in a game that might already DEARBORN 46. QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY follow an established formula in many ways. It might 32. NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY turn a gimmick you tossed in into something much more 2020 Grads Salary: $55,000 47. ARTCENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN 2020 Grads Hired: 70% 48. CORNELL UNIVERSITY meaningful in the end. 49. FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY 33. NORTH CAROLINA STATE 50. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF READING MATERIAL: https://bit.ly/2M7d8VE UNIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY TIPS FOR GETTING INTO A GREAT GAME 2021 DESIGN COLLEGE If you’re on your way to graduating high school, or just looking for a new start in education, odds are that imposter syndrome is hitting you hard. Even the brightest and most accomplished students wonder if they’ve got what it takes to get into a great school. You’re in good hands, though. We talked with leaders at some of the biggest game design colleges about what they want to see from applicants. MAKE GAMES ALREADY student who produced speedruns of Perhaps one of the best things any potential games and streamed them out to an new student can do is demonstrate a audience. Almost anyone in the games industry proven interest in making games. “We looked at that applicant and will tell you that successful, fun games are Thankfully, no one has to be a master of the immediately said ‘that’s a natural-born often the result of countless attempts.
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