UCCS Game Design and Development Options

Do you like playing computer games? Have you ever wanted to build your own games, but you know there's a whole lot to learn? Have we got a deal for you!

UCCS currently offers, and plans to offer in the future, a variety of curricular options involving Game Design and Development, including:

This web page provides access to more information about each of those options.

CS 110, Problem Solving through Game Creation

In Fall 2003, Dr. Chamillard developed and taught a freshman-level course in which we create 2D and 3D games using drag-and-drop tools; almost no programming is required in the course. The course is strongly recommended for computer science majors, but it’s open to everyone. It’s also a required course for the Game Design and Development Minor discussed below. We’ve offered this course every fall semester since the initial offering in Fall 2003.

For more information about this course, click here.

Game Design and Development Minor

In Spring 2005, Drs. Chamillard and Semwal developed and got approval for a new Game Design and Development Minor, which we started offering in Fall 2005. The minor requires 21 semester hours of course work, consisting of the following courses:

CS 110                        Problem Solving through Game Creation

CS 145                        Data Structures and Algorithms

CS 306                        Object-Oriented Programming Using C++ (or CS 302, Advanced OO Techniques Using C#/.NET)

CS 335                        Introduction to Game Design and Development

CS 435                        Advanced Game Design and Development

CS 436                        Game Design and Development Capstone Project

CS 480                        Computer Graphics

Math 313                     Introduction to Linear Algebra

Computer science and computer engineering students can complete the minor through careful selection of their elective courses without increasing the total number of credit hours in their program; electrical and mechanical engineering students would need to take 8 credit hours above their program requirements. Other majors are also welcome to pursue the minor.

Although many non-programming game topics are covered in the minor, it does require extensive programming. We therefore expect students completing the courses for the minor to either come from Engineering and Applied Science or, in rare cases, from other colleges.

For more information about the Game Design and Development Minor, click here.

Bachelor of Innovation^TM Degree in Game Design and Development

In the Fall 2005 semester, an interdisciplinary team of faculty formed the Game Design and Development Program Committee to develop a proposal for a Bachelor’s degree in Game Design and Development. This degree program was officially approved by the Colorado Regents in November 2006, so we started offering this degree program in Fall 2007.

For more information about the degree program, click here.

To read selected course descriptions for the degree program, click here.

For more information about the Bachelor of Innovation^TM family of degrees -- and to play InnoGame, the game that teaches about the degrees and innovation in general -- click here.

Employment Opportunities

In 2004, sales in the computer game industry topped $24.5 billion. Also in 2004, Halo 2 had over $125 Million in sales on the first day it was available. Game design and development is clearly a viable career choice, and the demand for effective game developers is likely to continue experiencing significant growth for the foreseeable future. There are 35 companies in Colorado alone (http://www.coloradogamedev.org/companies.php) that engage in game development activities, so local opportunities exist as well.

Anecdotal and more formal statistical data show that participating in game design and development and other multimedia development activities contributes significantly to student enthusiasm, motivation, and retention. The first step toward getting a job out of college is obviously actually completing college; pursuing enjoyable topics as part of their course work helps students do that.

Students who simply take the CS 110 course obviously won't see a noticeable affect on their employment opportunities when they graduate (though they will have fun). Students who receive the Game Design and Development Minor will be majoring in some other field; their employment opportunities will include those for their major field, while also being somewhat expanded by their receipt of the minor.

Students who pursue the Bachelor’s degree in Game Design and Development will have the best opportunity to be employed in the game industry. Their employment opportunities could be further expanded based on their selected elective courses, especially in the fields of education, health care, and simulation and training.

It’s important to note that companies that build games designed for entertainment aren’t the only employment possibility for graduating GDD students who decide to work in the game industry. Serious games – those that are designed to teach as well as entertain, like simulation and training games, educational games, games for healthcare, and so on – are also a fast-growing game-related domain. Employment in this area of game development is also a possibility for graduating GDD students. 

Finally, the Bachelor of Innovation™ in Game Design and Development (and other BI majors) is designed to teach students about entrepreneurship and innovation. Casual Games – games that are generally played for short periods of time, often on the web or mobile devices – are experiencing significant growth as a game domain. Because these games can be built with fewer people in less time for less cost than larger games, they represent a great opportunity for startup game development companies. We expect that many of our students will start their own companies in this field. 

Game design and development is clearly a viable career choice, and the demand for effective game developers is likely to continue experiencing significant growth for the foreseeable future. Even for those students who decide to pursue career options outside of the game industry, the critical thinking and information management and manipulation skills that they learn in this program will also serve them well in other careers (NY Times).

High School Presentations

During the Spring 2006 semester, Dr. Chamillard visited Colorado high schools to present information about the Game Design and Development activities going on at UCCS. Click here to find out more about presentation options.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or comments about the UCCS game design and development courses or programs, please feel free to contact me.

Dr. Tim Chamillard

Program Director, Bachelor of Innovation^TM in Game Design and Development

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

chamillard@cs.uccs.edu

(719) 262-3150