Why Major in Gaming and Interactive Media Design at PBA?
Most game developers are players first: lovers of driving action, uncovering story, achieving advancements, and leveling up. Our on-campus and online gaming and interactive design degree empowers you to create through play, always working toward the next milestone and expanding your inventory of skills to excel in an exciting profession. Develop a Christ-centered ethic of creation and collaboration alongside fellow gamers and makers at PBA.
- Informed by Christ: Exercise your faith through every line of code, command, cut scene, and reward mechanic.
- Story-Oriented: Cultivate practices for immersive and exciting storytelling through games.
- Iterative Development: Collaborate with a team of peers to create an original game.
- Cross-Disciplinary Skills: Draw in expertise from the integrative core and your second major or minor, resulting in more interesting, well-rounded interactive media.
What You’ll Learn
Play for your gaming degree at PBA to:
- Create compelling game content for multiple gaming applications through use of industry-standard tools and software.
- Apply techniques and methods in the production of industry-standard game-art animation assets, game prototypes, and documents.
- Think critically about cultural and gaming applications from a Biblical worldview while using gaming and interactive design tools.
- Function effectively on teams to establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, manage risk, and produce deliverables.
Meet the College of the Arts
Approach gaming and interactive media from a uniquely art-driven perspective at the College of the Arts, where we connect creative minds across generations who are invested in transformative, restorative, and Kingdom-building art. Collaborate with peers in other design-oriented programs like theatre, sports broadcasting, film, and journalism. Make the most of opportunities to showcase your projects and develop your portfolio in student organizations, art shows, networking events, and more.
Program Details
Dive into complex game production and development with both technical excellence and compelling content design. From highly stylized to highly immersive lo-fi to 4K, 2-D platformer, open world, limited mobile apps to major console cross-compatibility, and indie publishing to worldwide studio release, PBA prepares you to bring your best—your talents, your ideas, and your practical experience—to the games and programs you design.
Review all courses for the gaming and interactive media major.
Design narratives, attract players, and inspire passion by ideating, producing, and distributing content for all kinds of gaming applications—from traditional consoles to apps to next-generation platforms. PBA’s on-campus and online gaming degree equips you with technical knowhow and practical experience to thrive in this dynamic industry.
Interrogate the vastness of creation and your responsibilities within it. Our one-of-a-kind Faith, Roots, and Reason general education program introduces you to elements of science, math, communication, biblical studies, and more—insights you can carry into your games, programs, families, and neighborhoods.
All successful games rely on two vastly different yet entirely essential elements: technical precision and immersive worldbuilding. Studying online or on-campus, build your proficiency in both areas through technical courses in game development, production, and user experience, paired with narrative-oriented classes in storytelling, worlds and systems, and level design.
Enhance your game designs with the diverse skills and perspectives you’ll gain from selecting a minor or second major. This uniquely PBA requirement broadens your prospects as a thriving professional, introspective thinker, and member of your community.
Careers With a Bachelor’s in Gaming and Interactive Media Design
Expertise in designing games and interactive media is highly transferable, with ample opportunities arising every day to work for AAA studios to mobile app developers to startups pushing the boundaries of how technology can interact with our lives. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, many of these fields are lucrative and growing: salaries for web developers and digital designers, special effects artists and animators, and software developers average from $92,000 to well into the mid-six figures. Enjoy an invigorating, creative, and rewarding career in roles like:
- Lead designer
- Game mechanic designer
- Level designer
- System designer
- World designer
- Technical designer
- Writer
- UI designer
- QA tester
- Producer
- Software engineer
- Unity developer
- AR/VR developer
- Gaming coach
- eSports coach
- eSports community manager
- Game reviewer
