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Game Design (BA/BS)

Without game design, there would be no Master Chief, Junkrat, Mario or Zelda. Game designers dream up the world in which the game takes place and create the game rules that drive all the fun. Our game design majors not only learn how to come up with great ideas, but also how to realize them through scripting, game prototyping, and the game development process.

Preparing You For Success

As a student in Bradley’s top-ranked game design major, you begin building and polishing your storytelling skills as early as the first semester. Classes develop your narrative and art skills, then you learn the computer science roots of gaming. In addition, each semester brings opportunities to invent tabletop games and videogames, which leads to an impressive professional portfolio. With each step, you’re mentored by faculty who have worked on game series such as “League of Legends,” “Far Cry” and “Red Faction.”

By the time you graduate, your experiences may include:

  • An internship at a noted design company
  • Opportunities to show your work, including a senior project, to the public at the annual FUSE exhibit
  • Personal and professional growth through “game jams” and other competitions

Making Your Mark

Recent Bradley graduates turned their degree into positions at Blizzard, Warner Brothers Games, NetherRealms and Oculus VR.”

Sample Program Plan
Sample Student Work
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Major Requirements

A grade of “C” or better is required in each of the courses for graduation as a Game Design Major

  • IM 110 Introduction to Game Development - 3 hrs.
  • IM 150 Fundamentals of Interactive Design - 3 hrs.
  • IM 160 Introduction to Game Scripting - 3 hrs.
  • IM 180 Survey of Games - 3 hrs.
  • IM 226 Practicum – 4 hrs.
  • IM 288 Game Design I – 3 hrs.
  • IM 289 Game Production I – 3 hrs.
  • IM 380 Critical Game Studies - 3 hrs.
  • IM 388 Game Design II - 3 hrs.
  • IM 389 Game Production II - 3 hrs.
  • IM 426 Practicum – 4 hrs.
  • IM 459 Game Capstone Project I - 3 hrs.
  • IM 488 Prototyping for Capstone - 3 hrs.
  • IM 489 Game Capstone Project II - 6 hrs.

Theory & History Requirement (Choose 2): 6 hours

  • IM 191 Appreciating Comics - 3 hrs.
  • IM 243 History of Animation - 3 hrs.
  • IM 344 Environmental Storytelling
  • IM 355 New Media Theory - 3 hrs.
  •  IM 450 Critical Issues in Interactive Media - 3 hrs.
  • CFA 250 Film History - 3 hrs.
  • CFA 320 Film Theory & Criticism - 3 hrs.
  • CIS 300 Computers & Society - 3 hrs.
  • COM 101 Survey of Communications - 3 hrs.
  • COM 300 Communication Theory - 3 hrs.
  • COM 386 Media Race & Gender - 3 hrs.
  • COM 393 Small Group Communication - 3 hrs.
  • HIS 352 Introduction to Digital Humanities - 3 hrs.

Total Hours: 53

Through studio practices, students focus on communication, agile development, scope control, change management, playtesting practices and the ever difficult task of defining "fun".

We currently have standing internship programs with Undead labs and PUBG Madson, and are working on others. In addition, our students have gained internships across the game industry.

Disaster Golf

Currently available on Steam, Disaster Golf is a fast paced miniature golf speedrunning game where you string together natural disasters such as lightning bolds, geysers and earthquakes to move the ball as fast as possible towards the goal. Developed as a senior capstone project it has since been published by BoxPop games.

Bradley Game Design graduates have worked on such well known games as God of WAr, Saints Row, Spider-Man 2, Injustice: Gods Among Us and World of Warcraft to name a few.

Focus on actually making games. Over their four years at Braldey, Game Design students can make well over a dozen games. There is never a semester where you aren't working on a game..

Sample Student Work