The video gaming industry is forecast to reach an overall value of nearly $20 billion by 2019, and the games it releases are getting more complex and labor-intensive to produce. The demand for trained programmers, artists, designers and developers has been on the rise for years, and video game development degree programs have cropped up around the country to fill that need.
Many four-year degree programs in game development give students an introduction to every stage of the development process, from initial design to publishing. Others give students the option to narrow their approach and focus deeply on one specific aspect of game work, such as art, animation, programming or gameplay design.
Just about all of the work that's done on video games takes place on a computer screen, so the emergence of online video game development degrees seems fairly natural. If you're looking to get an education in game development without committing to a full-time, traditional degree, look into online degree programs for game development students.
Best Colleges for Video Game Development Degree Programs
We looked at National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data on the dozens of schools nationwide that offer campus-based and online video game development degrees, analyzed it in eight major categories and ranked the final scores from top to bottom. Click the button to find out just how we calculated the rankings and continue reading for some info on the top schools for video game development.
Full Sail University isn't only one of the best schools for video game development, it also produces by far the highest volume of game development graduates of any school in our top ten. The NCES reports that Full Sail graduated 734 game design and development students in 2015 -- fully seven times more than the second-place school in that category of our analysis.
The numbers also show that students looking for online game development degrees can find what they're after at this private, for-profit school. More than 99 percent of students at Full Sail took at least some of their coursework online, and a 29-month version of the institution's game design bachelor's can be earned entirely online.
Our No. 2 school, located in Fort Pierce, Florida, took home the crown for most affordable video game development degree programs by a wide margin. The annual average tuition and fees expense of $2,764 at Indian River State College was nearly six times more affordable than the average calculated among schools that made our top ten.
The game development degree at IRSC is offered as a concentration in animation, gaming and 3D modeling within a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) degree in digital media. The curriculum focuses mostly on the artistic side of game development, teaching such skills as storyboarding, model design, environment art and texturing, although programming and play theory courses are included also.
This for-profit school headquartered in Emeryville, California, offers two degree programs targeted to the gaming and interactive entertainment industry, both structured as B.A.S. programs and both with an expected full-time duration of 32 months. The game development program is the more technical of the two, with the game art and design program focusing more on art and animation.
Game development students at SAE Expression College take four semesters of general game development instruction, not including the introductory course taken in the first program year. Other courses cover multiplayer game design and technology, logic and math for games, programming for games and level and entertainment design.
The No. 1 graduation rate among our top schools for video game development can be found at Living Arts College, where 100 percent of students attend classes on campus and around 12 percent graduated with degrees in the gaming field in 2015. The flagship Raleigh campus of this North Carolina school offers classes in the evening and on weekends for students who need them.
The B.A. in visual effects and animation at Living Arts College takes three years of full-time study to complete and includes some instruction on game technology, level design and overall production strategies. Students can also choose a 12-month non-degree program that leads to a credential called a Professional Intensive Diploma (PID).
Our No. 5 school finished in the top three among schools on our list for both graduation rate and affordability of tuition and fees. Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design has an open admission policy, also, which means that no applicant will be turned away on the basis of test scores or past academic performance. The student-faculty ratio was 10:1 in 2015.
The gaming and multimedia degree at RMCAD takes the shape of a B.F.A. in game art, focusing on such skills as digital painting, character design, particles and visual effects for games and designing 3D models and rigging them for animation. Some non-art courses, such as business ethics for animators and game production basics, are also included.
Video Game Development Degree Programs and Common Career Paths
A four-year degree in video game development can prepare you for fairly complex positions in the industry, although it's often necessary to enter the field in a specialized capacity such as artist, animator, programmer or quality assurance tester. Here's a rundown of a few careers for experienced pros in video game development.
Career Outlook for Video Game Development Majors
It can help you target your education to suit the demands of the job market if you keep your eye on the market's projected movements. Take a look at this quick summary of some relevant employment statistics for video game development graduates.
JOB TITLE | AVERAGE SALARY($) | EMPLOYMENT | PROJECTED JOB GROWTH(%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | $111,620 | 1,406,870 | 25.6% |
| Web Developers and Digital Interface Designers | $82,370 | 148,340 | 13% |
| Special Effects Artists and Animators | $84,780 | 29,340 | 4.2% |
| Graphic Designers | $56,510 | 215,930 | 3% |
| Art Directors | $109,600 | 42,890 | 0.9% |
Financial aid and scholarships in video game development
Scholarships and grants specific to video game development students are somewhat scarce, but there are a few out there. For example, popular webcomic property Penny Arcade furnishes an annual $10,000 scholarship for students who have their sights set on the games industry. Check out these other financial aid programs for game development students.
AWARD AMOUNT
$50,000
APPLICATION DEADLINE
30-Apr
AWARD AMOUNT
$10,000
APPLICATION DEADLINE
1-Mar
AWARD AMOUNT
$3,000
APPLICATION DEADLINE
1-Apr
AWARD AMOUNT
$2,500
APPLICATION DEADLINE
30-Jun
Professional organizations
To be included in these rankings, all schools must meet the following initial criteria for the specific subject being ranked.
- Offer an undergraduate degree (either associate or bachelor’s) in that subject.
- Have awarded at least one degree or certificate in that subject in the most recent year of IPEDS data available.
Based on those criteria, we ranked all 2-year and 4-year schools in IPEDS that reported data for all of the following points. Ratings are calculated on a 10-point scale, using the weights specified.
- In-state undergraduate tuition & fees, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015
- Graduation rate, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015
- Accessibility, based on admissions rate, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015
- Institutional spending, based on two equally weighted factors, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015
- Instructional and academic support expenses per full-time enrolled student
- Instructional and academic support spending as a percentage of all expenses
- Student-to-faculty ratio, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015
- Flexibility, based on the following factors, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015
- Percent of students enrolled fully or partly in distance education
- Whether the school offers programs that can be completed entirely in the evenings and on weekends
- Whether the school offers academic and career counseling
- Whether the school offers job placement services for students who complete their programs
- Whether the school offers any alternative tuition plans, such as a payment plan or guaranteed rate
- Size of program, based on how many of the degrees and certificates awarded in 2014-15 were in this particular subject, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015
- Related subjects, based on the number of similar topics for programs in relevant CIP codes that are offered at any level, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015