Game Studio Experience

The Game Studio Experience at Champlain College brings together seven collaborative gaming majors, all taught by industry-expert faculty, for hands-on team training that mirrors the professional workplace.

Games aren’t made in single-player mode. Learn the production pipeline in the Game Studio Experience.

The Game Studio Experience is a learning environment modeled after the gaming industry itself, answering the question, “What can we make together?”

We take skills learned in Champlain’s seven individual gaming majors and bring new concepts to life, creating fully functional games as a team. Let’s say you decide to be a Game Art major; get ready to work along side a designer, programmer, sound designer, manager and a publisher to create a portfolio piece that is unique to your studio group.

You’ll start taking major-specific classes in your first semester, collaborate with other game majors on real-world projects building real games, and graduate Champlain Ready.

Over the four years working with colleagues and faculty members, you’ll develop an understanding of the game pipeline from concept to finished product and gain teamwork experience many people don’t cultivate until they have been working in the industry for years.

Our industry-expert faculty will guide you through the rigorous courses that will shape you into a polished game industry professional. There are two main factors that land people the most highly prized jobs in the game industry: the right education and a strong portfolio. Champlain’s Game Studio delivers both.

a group of game studio students unveiling their new game at the senior game show

Game Studio at a Glance

Choose Your Character

Follow your passions by choosing one of seven available Game Studio majors offered at Champlain: Game Art, Game Business and Publishing, Game Design, Game Production Management, Game Programming, Game Sound Design, or Interactive Narrative for Game & Digital Media. Specialize in different aspects of video game development as you hone your craft and practice your skills.

Squad Up

Collaborate with other game disciplines to produce games from concept to finished product for your portfolio. You’ll put your expertise to work in a group environment along with specialists from other game majors just like in a professional game studio.

Follow Your Guides

Champlain game professors are game industry experts who bring real-world expertise to the classroom every day. They’ll give you insights and connections into the industry that you can’t get from a textbook. Invested in your success, they’ll share personal experiences and knowledge you can use on your career path.

Score Big

On your first day of work, you’ll already understand how various game disciplines work together to produce a game. Game studios LOVE this about our Champlain grads! Our alumni work at AAA studios worldwide, such as Ubisoft, Insomniac, Riot, Blizzard, and Sony Bend Studios, to name just a few.

MORE GAME INDUSTRY DEGREE OPTIONS FROM ONE OF THE TOP GAME DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Boasting more degree programs in game development than any other college in the country, Champlain College’s renowned Game Studio consistently ranks among the top game development programs, and many of it’s graduates go on to land coveted positions at AAA studios.

The Best

The Game Studio at Champlain College consistently ranks in the top schools for game design by The Princeton Review—coming in at #12 in 2024.

100%

100% of classes are taught by game industry experts, who have been or remain highly active professionals in the industry.

the most

Champlain College was named a “Most Innovative School” by U.S. News & World Report in its “America’s Best Colleges” 2024 rankings.

Sign Up To Get a Poster + Helpful Info

We’ll send you info about our game majors plus a poster designed by our students when you fill out this form!

Collage of game art environments and characters created by Champlain students
Female game students talk with each other after the Senior Show

It’s Game Time

The Game Studio Senior Show is the culminating event of an intense, year-long competition among teams of students from each of Champlain’s game majors for the ultimate bragging rights. Faculty advance only the top eight games to finals and spread out eliminated teams to join the remaining contenders. Each spring, those eight teams take the stage to present their fully functional games to their friends, family, faculty, and recruiters.

Learn About Senior Show

You’ve Got Options

  • Burlington, VT lake view
    Burlington Campus

    There’s something for everyone on and around our Champlain campus. See why Burlington, Vermont, is considered by Travel + Leisure as one of the “Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S.”

    Explore Our Home in Burlington
  • site seeing in Montreal
    Montreal Campus

    Montreal, Canada, is home to some of the top game development studios in the world. Study abroad at our international campus and gain experience to last a lifetime.

    Go Where the Games Are
  • student explaining her video game character model design to another individual while making hand signals
    Summer Game Academy

    Looking to get a jump start on your education? Champlain offers several summer programs for high school students that will help build your portfolio and prepare you for the Game Studio experience.

    Join Us this Summer
What I love most about working with Champlain students is that they are prepared to hit the ground running when it comes to developing games. Any student coming out of their program has the tools to make an immediate positive impact to a game development studio.
Steve Meim, West Coast Game Producer

More Inside Studio Experiences