At a glance

Game development provides students a solid basis to pursue employment in the field of simulation, training, education, game development, and visual storytelling while being flexible enough to allow students to pursue a major in another discipline.

Concentration

  • Game Development

Minor

  • Game Development

View Degree Requirements

More Resources

Ready To Take the Next Step?

REQUEST INFO

Carthage takes a unique approach to game development, combining computer science with art and digital media. The new program equips graduates to design and develop high-level video games, as well as training simulations, 3-D models, and animation.

“Certification in the Unity technology stack can be a powerful credential.” — Professor Perry Kivolowitz

Computer science majors who add the optional concentration in game development can obtain associate-level certification through Unity, the platform used to create most mobile, console, and PC games. As of 2020, over half of mobile, console, and PC games were made using the company’s platform. 

The 24-credit minor can be paired with any major, with the exception of computer science.

  • <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,466,491/33500_Davison-Krajcik-22.rev.1645476653.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,466,491/33500_Davison-Krajcik-22.rev.1645476653.webp 2x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,466,491/33500_Davison-Krajcik-22.rev.1645476653.jpg 2x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,466,491/33500_Davison-Krajcik-22.rev.1645476653.jpg" alt="Davison Krajcik ?22" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,466,491/33500_Davison-Krajcik-22.rev.1645476653.jpg 2x" data-max-w="466" data-max-h="491" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “My favorite spot on campus is the Esports Arena. Along with getting most of my homework done there, I also have Overwatch practice and a game development class in the space.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/1535-">Davison Krajcik</a> ’22</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
  • <div class="lw_widget lw_widget_type_blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="blockquote__image"><picture class="lw_image"> <source type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,650,650/33762_JOrdan.rev.1646950398.webp 1x, /live/image/scale/2x/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,650,650/33762_JOrdan.rev.1646950398.webp 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,650,650/33762_JOrdan.rev.1646950398.webp 3x"/> <source type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,650,650/33762_JOrdan.rev.1646950398.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,650,650/33762_JOrdan.rev.1646950398.jpg 3x"/> <img src="/live/image/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,650,650/33762_JOrdan.rev.1646950398.jpg" alt="Jordan Ball ?23" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,650,650/33762_JOrdan.rev.1646950398.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/37/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,650,650/33762_JOrdan.rev.1646950398.jpg 3x" data-max-w="650" data-max-h="650" loading="lazy"/> </picture> </div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “Game development is more than making mindless video games. It is creating art and telling stories in a new medium that allows players to become heroes, villains, or anyone they could ever want to be.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/445-">Jordan Ball</a> ’23</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>

Courses you’ll take

A sampling of required and elective courses that can be taken toward the game development concentration or minor:

  • Principles of Computer Science (I and II)
  • Game Development (I, II, and III)
  • Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Modeling
  • Mobile Application Development
  • Operating Systems

Courses in Game Development

 

Facilities and research

Sharing arena space with Carthage’s varsity esports team, students can access 24 gaming stations with custom-built Lenovo PCs and an adjacent classroom. The Science Center contains a server room, hardware lab, and a networking/ advanced computing facility with Linux and Sun/Solaris platforms.

 

Student Opportunities

Students playing video games in the esports gaming studio. Students studying game development at Carthage will consult with members of Carthage’s new competitive esports team when creating and refining original games.

Students in the program also have the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member for a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience or delve into up-and-coming topics and technologies during a month-long period of study for J-Term.

Opportunities for Game Development Students

 

 

Financial aid

Students intending to major in computer science or another eligible major at Carthage can participate in the Math/Science Scholarship competition. Two full-tuition scholarships are awarded each year.

Math/Science Scholarships