Game Programming Major
Champlain's team-based studio environment, The Game Studio, will have you authoring code that’ll drive graphics and bring characters to life in a real-life game collaboration.
Why Game Programming?
What's going on behind the scenes of the video games people play? How can math be used to create 3D magic? Millions enjoy these games every day, but very few understand what makes them work, and fewer still have the knowledge, skills and experience to create them.
Harnessing the power of today's computers, consoles and portable devices to make game images come alive, and knowing how to apply that power to bring new possibilities to the next generation of games, is the fundamental passion of game programmers.
Why Game Programming at Champlain?
Champlain's degree in Game Programming—one of the first bachelor's degrees of its kind in the nation—combines games with the intellectual challenge of software creation to produce a highly versatile, valuable, in-demand skill set. Students in this major build a strong foundation in computer science and software engineering and study both the theory and application of game subsystems.
Another important aspect of the major, one that gives students in the program a tremendous advantage when seeking employment, is the collaborative work environment provided by our Game Studio, in which Game Programming students work with Game Art & Animation, Game Design, and Management of Creative Media majors to build games from start to finish.
The Game Studio model replicates a professional game development setting and gives these students a superior understanding of how creative teams work together to develop game assets and pull them together into a functional product. Students in this major also benefit from the extensive experience and outstanding game industry achievement of the faculty, who bring real-world knowledge into the classroom.
Champlain's reputation for producing high-caliber industry professionals is substantiated by the extraordinary success of its graduates: Champlain alumni are working as game engineers at such companies as Bigpoint, Inc.; Turbine; MicroStrain, Inc.; and FunCom.
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Learn from industry experts. Your courses have been developed and are taught by fulltime faculty with personal experience as programmers in the game industry.
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Learn on the latest. Courses are taught on a variety of platforms, devices and operating systems, including PC/Windows and Xbox 360; Apple and iOS platforms (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch); emerging platforms (Android Mobile, social media); and Linux/Unix.
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The Game Studio: Experience the real-world environment of the game industry. After studying a foundation of mathematics, physics, computer science and software engineering, you'll take game production courses in the Champlain Studio-a team based environment in which you'll work with dame designers, game artist and game animators where you'll learn by actually making games.
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Build your personal game portfolio. Not only will you gain experience working with game development peers while working on projects from initial design and prototyping to "game complete," but the assignments will allow you to build a powerful, leading-edge portfolio.
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Study abroad at Champlain's campus in Montreal, Canada, the world's second-largest game development center-only 90 miles from our Burlington, Vermont campus. Attend the Montreal Game Summit every year and make industry connections.
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Study and create at Champlain's acclaimed Emergent Media Center and use these real-world projects to develop both practical experience and invaluable industry contacts.
Ask a Question about our Game Programming Degree Program
Ask a question, and someone from our Admission team will put you in touch with the faculty or staff member who can best answer your questions.
Game Art work by student Emilie Rodgers