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Game Design and Development, Bachelor of Science

Philosophy

Crossing the boundaries of traditional game programs, the Game Design and Development program combines the programming, art, and design aspects of creating video games for major platforms, consoles, mobile devices, and simulations. Gaming has been integrated into how we learn, socialize, interact, and gather information.  Architecture, Medical Imaging, Military/Law Enforcement, and Education have integrated and adopted game mechanics as well as benefited from technology developed from the game industry. In order to address industry demand, this program of study has been crafted to provide a holistic approach through the discussion and exploration of: Gamification, Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Realities, Educational and Business applications of game mechanics and design, and entertainment arenas. Combining the skills of interactive design, video production, graphic design, 3D modeling, and programming, this interdisciplinary degree program prepares the student for the exciting world of game design and development.

Purpose

The Game Design and Development program is for the student wishing to design and develop two-dimensional and three-dimensional games and simulations for training, educational, and animation applications deployed to personal computers, game consoles, and training modules. The primary focus of this program is on design elements supported by game programming using available game engine platforms. Students will have an understanding of the workflow involved in designing and developing a game or training simulation environment, game mechanic techniques, and be able to communicate to designers and programmers in the industry, with a base level of understanding.

The program prepares students with the “Game Design & Development Skill Set” required for entry into the fast growing industry of game technology. It is designed to balance the programming and design skills needed to understand the industry pipeline of product creation. The “Gaming Skill Set” reflects a well-rounded individual capable of managing a project from inception to completion. The student will be prepared with an understanding of video and audio techniques as well as designing interfaces and user experiences. Additionally, students will learn to create environments that reflect real world scenarios or create new worlds to explore; program complex levels with physics, logic and purpose; and measure users’ progress through those scenarios. Classroom projects will provide users the tools to improve reaction time, improve hand-eye coordination, think strategically, process cause and effect, and increase ability to process multiple stimuli. Students will gain an understanding of every aspect of the gaming industry from concept development to character and environment creation to programming user interfaces and the “guts” of a game. Finally, students will be exposed to marketing their products and project management.

Students enrolled in the Game Design and Development Program are also eligible to earn the 3D for Digital Media Certificate.  The certificate courses are embedded within the Game Design and Development program.  If students desire, they can substitute these courses with another College of Technology Certificate set of courses, or the Accelerated Masters option with permission from the program chair, appropriate GPA requirements, and available course program requirements.

Program Competencies

Students completing the Game Design and Development B.S. program will be able to:

  • Employ creative problem solving;
  • Employ the appropriate technical knowledge necessary for Game Design and Development job functions:
  • Game Art Production students will employ the creative abilities and skills necessary to achieve the relevant theme, motifs, color schemes, and stylist choices to the project requirements of their job.
  • Interactive Programming students will employ the necessary design patterns based on best practices, employ efficient coding formatting and implementation, and effective code execution for developer functions.
  • Analyze requirements for current trends, best practices, and current methodologies in game development projects;
  • Practice a professional pipeline for game development.
  • Appraise the needs of the audience and then speak in a clear and succinct manner. Research, construct, and deliver professional presentations using a variety of communication tools and techniques.
  • Write with clarity and precision using correct English grammar: mechanics (punctuation) and usage (sentence structure and vocabulary). Exhibit competence in writing for specific purposes, diverse audiences, and genres. Correctly and ethically present scholarly writings utilizing the selected citation and writing style deemed appropriate for the student's program of study.
  • Employ scientific, quantitative and/or qualitative reasoning and other critical thinking strategies to analyze consequences and outcomes and to be able to recommend alternative solutions.
  • Utilize the informational resources and other sources generally accepted as legitimate and valid.
  • Apply the ethical principles required of computer professionals.

Experiential Learning

The Office of Experiential Learning takes a 360 approach to experiential learning. Whether you come to Wilmington University with a vast amount of professional experience and are awarded Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), or you participate in a Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunity (Internships or Cooperative Education) embedded in your curriculum for credit, we provide a pathway to completing your degree.

Cooperative Education Option

The Cooperative Education option is an alternative to GMD 401 - Game Development I and GMD 405 - Game Development II. Each co-op assignment is one semester long and normally the two co-op assignments span two consecutive semesters with the same employer. In order to be eligible, students must first have completed GMD 300 - Advanced Game Engines and have at least 60 credits, plus a GPA of 2.5 or higher.  Students must contact the Office of Work-Integrated Learning and their Program Chair one semester before they would like to begin a co-op assignment.   For additional information on cooperative education, please visit: https://www.wilmu.edu/coel/work-integrated-learning.aspx

Enhance your Degree with a Certificate

The College of Technology's digital media department, which is focused on giving students hands-on training and real-world skills across a multimedia platform, consists of six individual Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees: Animation and 3D, Game Design and Development, Graphic Design, Video and Film Production, and Web Design.

Each of these degree programs has been designed with three identifiable parts:  Uniform First Year, Program Core, and 15 credits to be used towards a CoT Certificate.  All students will begin their academic career with a uniform first year before they begin to focus on their selected degree core.  After completion of the uniform first year, students will begin to enroll in their program core courses.  Finally, students in each program will use 15 career-centered course credits towards earning a College of Technology Certificate as illustrated in the table below. 

 

Uniform First Year

Animation & 3D Program Core Courses

Game Design & Development Program Core Courses

Graphic Design Program Core Courses

Video & Film Production Program Core Courses

Web Design Program Core Courses

College of Technology Certificate Courses (options vary by program)

Accelerated Graduate Certificate Option

Students in the Game Design and Development B.S. degree program may choose an accelerated option with:

  • Management Information Systems Graduate Certificate; or
  • Technology Project Management Graduate Certificate

Students selecting this option can complete both their undergraduate degree and the graduate certificate by completing 120 credits (105 undergraduate credits and 15 graduate credits).  The five graduate courses (15 credits) needed for the graduate certificate would count as five courses (15 credits) towards undergraduate electives in your degree.

Students who complete the Management Information Systems or Technology Project Management Graduate Certificates also receive the benefit of completing five graduate level courses that count towards a Master’s degree in Information Systems Technologies (MS-IST).  Students selecting this option are not required to pursue the MS-IST degree.

Admission requirements include:

  • A minimum GPA of 3.25
  • Completion of at least 60 credits towards your degree program
  • A meeting with an academic advisor to submit an Accelerated Option Intent (AOI) form upon completion of at least 30 credits; and
  • Recommendation of the Program Chair

Note:  Students will not be eligible to register for graduate level courses until they have successfully completed at least 60 credits towards their bachelor’s degree and have an approved AOI form.  Students must receive their B.S. degree in order to receive the graduate certificate.

Minimum Grade Policy: Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their graduate courses in order to earn the certificate.


Game Design and Development B.S. Curriculum

General Education Requirements (39 credits)

CTA 210 Intro to Technology

DSN 105 Visual Communication

ECO 105 Fundamentals of Economics

ENG 121 English Composition I

ENG 122 English Composition II

ENG 131 Public Speaking

ENG 360 Creative Writing

HIS 381 Contemporary Global Issues

LIT 313 Visual Approaches to Literature: The Graphic Novel

MAT 205 Introductory Survey of Mathematics

PHI 100 Introduction to Critical Thinking

PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology

SCI 240 Concepts in Physics

Game Design and Development Core (33 credits)

ANI 201 Fundamentals of Motion Graphics

ANI 321 Introduction to 3D

DSN 210 Basic Photoshop

DSN 220 Concept Development

GMD 100 Intro to Game Engines

GMD 105 Video and Audio for Game Design

GMD 110 Intro to Game Programming

GMD 300 Advanced Game Engines: Using Unity3D

MAT 320 Finite Mathematics

VFP 222 Story Design Methods

VFP 313 Aesthetics of Film

Game Art Production Concentration (39 credits)

ANI 100 Drawing for Animation

 

ANI 200 2D Animation I

OR

ANI 300 3D Animation I

 

ANI 310 Advanced Motion Graphics

ANI 322 3D Modeling Techniques

ANI 323 3D Texture, Rendering and Lighting Techniques

ANI 324 Character Creation and Texturing

ANI 325 Character Rigging

ANI 327 Introduction to 3D Digital Sculpting

 

ANI 400 2D Animation II

OR

ANI 450 3D Animation II

 

DSN 235 Vector Drawing

DSN 410 Advanced Photoshop

GMD 220 Game Art: Shaders/Engine Tech

GMD 310 Environment Creation for Games

Interactive Programming Concentration (39 credits)

CSC 305 Computer Architecture

CSC 310 Microsoft .NET I

CSC 311 Microsoft .NET II

CSC 345 Database Foundations

CSC 420 Intro to Artificial Intelligence

GMD 210 Advanced Game Programming

GMD 316 Game Player Data and Systems

GMD 410 Project Integration

GMD 420 AI in Games

SEC 250 Operating System and Computer Systems Security

SEC 290 Introduction to Programming with Python

Choose 2 courses (6 credits) from the following list:

GMD 202 Soundtracks for Film, Video and Games

GMD 203 Creating Sound Effects and Dialog for Film, Video and Games

SEC 235 Networks and Telecommunications

SEC 410 Web and Data Security

SEC 420 Data Integrity and Disaster Recovery

SEC 425 Ethical Hacking

SEC 435 Advanced Network Management

SEC 440 Network Forensics

SEC 465 Cybersecurity and IoT

Game Design and Development - No Concentration (39 credits)

ANI 310 Advanced Motion Graphics

ANI 322 3D Modeling Techniques

ANI 323 3D Texture, Rendering and Lighting Techniques

ANI 324 Character Creation and Texturing

ANI 325 Character Rigging

DSN 410 Advanced Photoshop

GMD 202 Soundtracks for Film, Video and Games

GMD 203 Creating Sound Effects and Dialog for Film, Video and Games

GMD 210 Advanced Game Programming

GMD 310 Environment Creation for Games

CoT Elective

CoT Elective

CoT Elective

When selecting COT electives, students may choose from the following undergraduate College of Technology courses:  ANI, CSC, DFM, DSN, GMD, ISM, SEC, TEC, UAV, VFP.  Students with less than 16 credits are required to take FYE 101 as one of their electives.

Game Design and Development Capstone Core (9 credits)

GMD 401 Game Development I

GMD 405 Game Development II

 

GMD 487 Game Design & Development Senior Project

OR

GMD 490 Game Design and Development Internship


Completion Degree Requirements

What is a Completion Degree?

A completion degree is a personalized version of a bachelor's degree created exclusively for students who have completed an associate degree at an accredited institution. Completion degrees are available for most Wilmington University Bachelor of Science degrees. A student who expects to transfer a completed associate degree should communicate with a Wilmington University academic advisor before registering for courses. A transcript with documentation of the conferred degree must be received by Wilmington University to confirm eligibility.

Note that a minimum of 120 combined credits are needed to satisfy the Completion Degree requirements, including both transfer credits and credits earned at Wilmington University.

Game Design and Development - Game Art Production Concentration

ANI 310 Advanced Motion Graphics

ANI 321 Introduction to 3D

ANI 322 3D Modeling Techniques

ANI 323 3D Texture, Rendering and Lighting Techniques

ANI 324 Character Creation and Texturing

ANI 325 Character Rigging

ANI 327 Introduction to 3D Digital Sculpting

 

ANI 400 2D Animation II

OR

ANI 450 3D Animation II

 

DSN 410 Advanced Photoshop

GMD 300 Advanced Game Engines: Using Unity3D

GMD 310 Environment Creation for Games

GMD 401 Game Development I

GMD 405 Game Development II

 

GMD 487 Game Design & Development Senior Project

OR

GMD 490 Game Design and Development Internship

 

LIT 313 Visual Approaches to Literature: The Graphic Novel

The following courses or their equivalents are prerequisites for a completion degree in Game Design and Development - Game Art Production Concentration:

ANI 100 Drawing for Animation

ANI 200 2D Animation I - or - ANI 300 3D Animation I

DSN 235 Vector Drawing

GMD 220 Game Art: Intro to Shaders and Engine Tech

VFP 313 Aesthetics of Film

Game Design and Development - Interactive Programming Concentration

CSC 305 Computer Architecture

CSC 310 Microsoft .NET I

CSC 311 Microsoft .NET II

CSC 345 Database Foundations

CSC 420 Intro to Artificial Intelligence

GMD 300 Advanced Game Engines: Using Unity3D

GMD 316 Game Player Data and Systems

GMD 410 Project Integration

GMD 420 AI in Games

GMD 401 Game Development I

GMD 405 Game Development II

 

GMD 487 Game Design & Development Senior Project

OR

GMD 490 Game Design and Development Internship

 

SEC 250 Operating System and Computer Systems Security

SEC 290 Introduction to Programming with Python

Students will also complete one course (3 credits) from the following list:

GMD 202 Soundtracks for Film, Video and Games

GMD 203 Creating Sound Effects and Dialog for Film, Video and Games

LES 330 Cyberlaw

LES 331 Electronic Discovery

SEC 240 Foundations in Cyber Investigations

SEC 250 Operating System and Computer Systems Security

SEC 290 Introduction to Programming with Python

SEC 305 Psychology of a Cyber Attacker

SEC 325 Breaking Down Cloud Security

SEC 350 Introduction Computer Forensics

SEC 355 Mobile Device Security and Forensics

SEC 360 Advanced Mobile and IoT Forensics

SEC 370 Computer Incident Response Course

SEC 375 Malware Analysis Techniques

SEC 410 Web and Data Security

SEC 420 Data Integrity and Disaster Recovery

SEC 425 Ethical Hacking

SEC 435 Advanced Network Management

SEC 440 Network Forensics

SEC 465 Cybersecurity and IoT

SEC 480 Experiential Learning in Cybersecurity

SEC 490 Cybersecurity Internship

SEC 491 Cybersecurity Internship

The following courses or their equivalents are prerequisites for a completion degree in Game Design and Development - Interactive Programming Concentration:

DSN 210 Basic Photoshop

GMD 100 Intro to Game Engines

GMD 105 Video and Audio for Game Design

GMD 110 Intro to JavaScript for Unity 3D

MAT 320 Finite Mathematics

VFP 222 Story Design Methods

VFP 313 Aesthetics of Film

Game Design and Development - No Concentration Completion Degree

ANI 310 Advanced Motion Graphics

ANI 321 Introduction to 3D

ANI 322 3D Modeling Techniques

ANI 323 3D Texture, Rendering and Lighting Techniques

ANI 324 Character Creation and Texturing

ANI 325 Character Rigging

DSN 410 Advanced Photoshop

GMD 300 Advanced Game Engines: Using Unity3D

GMD 310 Environment Creation for Games

GMD 401 Game Development I

GMD 405 Game Development II

 

GMD 487 Game Design & Development Senior Project

OR

GMD 490 Game Design and Development Internship

 

LIT 313 Visual Approaches to Literature: The Graphic Novel

VFP 222 Story Design Methods

VFP 313 Aesthetics of Film

The following courses or their equivalents are prerequisites for a completion degree in Game Design and Development - No Concentration:

ANI 201 Fundamentals of Motion Graphics

DSN 210 Basic Photoshop

ENG 122 English Composition II

GMD 100 Introduction to Game Engines-

GMD 105 Video and Audio for Game Design

GMD 110 Intro to JavaScript for Unity 3D

GMD 210 Advanced JavaScript for Unity 3D

MAT 200 Pre-Calculus or MAT320 Finite Math

MAT 205 Introductory Survey of Mathematics



This information applies to students who enter this degree program during the 2024-2025 Academic Year. If you entered this degree program before the Fall 2023 semester, please refer to the academic catalog for the year you began your degree program.