Learn More and ApplyGame Design (BS)

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CDM 2024 - Gaming

​The BS in Game Design prepares students to become storytellers, critical thinkers, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the field of games. Students collaborate in interdisciplinary teams with programmers, artists, and musicians to master the iterative development process and create polished experiences. Students build a portfolio showcasing their skills developing AAA, indie, and art games, as well as transformative play experiences on established and emerging platforms including augmented and virtual reality, tabletop, and physical technology.

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
Liberal Studies Requirements 76
Major Requirements 100
Open Electives 16
Total hours required 192

Learning Outcomes

​Students will be able to:

  • Collaboratively generate ideas, share them and assess their inherent risks and scope.
  • Translate game ideas into prototypes; iteratively develop prototypes until they are viable and playable.
  • Evaluate games with users using multiple common games user research methods.
  • Manage the pipeline for games, effectively evaluating the impact of potential changes.
  • Develop a foundational literacy and confidence in reading, writing, and modifying computer programs and scripts.
  • Clearly communicate and establish the vision for a game’s experiential goal by taking formal and dramatic game elements into account.
  • Intentionally craft experiences that leverage and develop the unique affordances of games as an artistic medium.

Liberal Studies Requirements

Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down. 

Plan of Study Grid
First Year ProgramHours
Chicago Quarter
LSP 110
DISCOVER CHICAGO
or EXPLORE CHICAGO
4
Focal Point
LSP 112 FOCAL POINT SEMINAR 4
Writing
WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 4
WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 4
Quantitative Reasoning
Not Required
Sophomore Year
Race, Power, and Resistance
LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE 4
Junior Year
Experiential Learning
Required 4
Senior Year
Capstone
Required in major 1
1

Students must earn a C- or better in this course.

Learning Domains

Arts and Literature (AL)

Historical Inquiry (HI)

  • 2 Courses Required 

Math and Computing (MC)

  • Not Required

Philosophical Inquiry (PI)

Religious Dimensions (RD)

  • 2 Courses Required

Scientific Inquiry (SI)

  • 1 Lab Course Required

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)

  • 3 Courses Required 

Note

Specified required courses within Liberal Studies may have grade minimums (e.g. C- or better). Please consult your advisor or your college and major requirements.​​

Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.

In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.​

Major Requirements

First Year

Course Title Quarter Hours
ANI 2303D DESIGN & MODELING4
GAM 205GAMES LITERACY4
GAM 226FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN4
GAM 240PLAYGRAMMING4
GAM 244GAME DEVELOPMENT I4
GD 105INTRO TO VISUAL DESIGN4

Second Year

Course Title Quarter Hours
ANI 2313D ANIMATION4
GAM 180UNREAL ENGINE WORKSHOP2
GAM 181UNITY WORKSHOP2
GAM 230INTRO TO GAME PRODUCTION4
GAM 245GAME DEVELOPMENT II4
GAM 340PRACTICAL SCRIPTING FOR GAMES4
GAM 341INTRODUCTION TO LEVEL DESIGN4

Third Year

Course Title Quarter Hours
GAM 250GAME SOUND DESIGN I4
GAM 312PLAYTESTING4
GAM 355SOLO GAME DEVELOPMENT PROJECT4
GAM 365ADVANCED GAME DESIGN4
IT 223DATA ANALYSIS4
Eight (8) credit hours of Major Electives8

Fourth Year

Course Title Quarter Hours
GAM 392GAME MODIFICATION WORKSHOP4
GAM 394GAME DEVELOPMENT PROJECT I4
GAM 395GAME DEVELOPMENT PROJECT II4
Twelve (12) credit hours of Major Electives12

Major Electives

Major elective courses must meet the following criteria:

  • Eight (8) credit hours of Major Electives must be selected from GAM courses at the 300-level
  • Twelve (12) credit hours of Major Electives must be selected from any 200-level ANI, CP, DOC, FILM, GAM, GD, GPH, POST, SCWR, UXD, or VFX courses or from any 300-level CDM course

Open Electives

Open Elective credit hours are required to meet the minimum graduation requirements of 192 hours. Open Electives may be taken from any unit at DePaul.

Program Combination Restrictions

Students pursuing the BS in Game Design are forbidden from pursuing the Minor in Game Design.