Profiles of Game Development Programs & Schools

The gaming industry generates big bucks. In fact, this industry is so profitable, experts predict that in 2012, video games will generate more than $68 billion. Employment is expected to break a few records as well with a three to six percent increase between now and 2020.  Other reports suggest a greater increase between now and 2018. As of 2010,  the gaming industry employed more than 200,000 game designers and hundreds of thousands of other professionals including developers, programmers, cover artists, animators, testers, and illustrators, just to name a few.

So, what makes a school a “top” school? This may be up for debate in some circles, but according to a number of student groups, education organizations, bloggers, and alums, roughly a dozen factors separate the best from the rest. Sure, a quality education is very important, but some of the other issues these groups care about are cost, convenience, job placement services, types of student clubs and organizations, intramural sports, cultural opportunities, quality of the facilities, student population, and even Greek life. Fortunately, a large number of New York schools scored high in all areas. Many of these schools also happen to offer some of the finest art and design programs in the world—including programs for aspiring game designers & developers.

According to the latest figures released by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), New Hampshire is now home to 29 accredited colleges and universities. Many of these schools are on the list of the nation’s top schools. Fortunately, several offer top-tier art and design programs, with one standout for aspiring game designers & developers. Southern New Hampshire University made the list of top schools for game designers & developers based on a number of factors such as quality of production facilities, job placement services, student body, types of social programs, student life, access to recreational opportunities, the admissions process, convenience, cost, and more.

The U.S. is packed with colleges and universities that just seem to get better with age. Many of the country’s more than 4,500 colleges and universities rank high on the list of top colleges in the world year after year. Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Yale University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Northwestern University, and Princeton University are just a few that come to mind.