M.A. In Computer Game Design
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Executive Summary
Description of the Proposed Program
George Mason University seeks approval to initiate a new Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Game
Design beginning Fall 2014 semester. This degree will be managed by the College of Visual and
Performing Arts (CVPA).
The proposed M.A. degree in Game Design requires 36 credit hours comprised of core courses
drawn from digital arts, interactive design, creative writing for games, the business of games,
game design and production, and electives from CVPA or other Mason graduate programs. This
degree will prepare students for employment in the computer game design and development
fields which include the commercial, entertainment, serious games, and federal sectors. This
degree’s curriculum is designed to reflect the gaming industry’s demand for an academically
rigorous technical program coupled with an understanding of the artistic and creative elements of
the evolving medium.
Students in this proposed program will develop an advanced, comprehensive, integration of skills
that are in demand in the industry. The M.A. in Game Design will require a graduate
comprehensive experience that includes one of the following: (1) a completed computer game
project, demonstrating applied research, or, (2) a scholarly thesis; both courses require a public
presentation of the student’s findings. Students who choose the applied research-project develop
a complete, leading edge, serious game (e.g., games developed for non-entertainment purposes,
such as business management, corporate training, social policy, military operations, or medical
training and treatment), or an original entertainment game; in addition to the creative activity, the
students must complete, professional portfolio document that illustrates the scope and depth of
the student’s work in creating the game. Students who choose the scholarly thesis option are
expected to write a well-documented thesis with a clearly stated assertion, rationale for the study,
and valid research methodology.
The game design marketplace in the Washington, D.C. region is particularly vibrant, and our
students will benefit from multiple venues for internships, or future employment. Students in the
proposed program will be required to complete a teaching practicum and an internship. An
internship coordinator will assist the student in securing the internship at an established serious,
entertainment, or government agency. The coordinator will also work with Mason faculty to
determine the teaching practicum and its requirements. Students will participate in each of these
experiences because many K-12 schools are integrating computer game into their curriculum;
graduate from this program will be prepared to assist K-12 faculty in their efforts to incorporate
games into the academic work. The practical experience students gain in internships in well
noted by experts in experiential learning; students who serve as interns enhance their
employability upon graduation. The uniqueness of this proposed M.A. degree is that external
industry partners are an integral element of the thesis requirement, both in thesis research and
development, and each student’s M.A comprehensive experience will involve graduate faculty
and industry direction, support, and mentoring. Private and public sector industry sponsorships
and partnerships to support scholarships, overall graduate resources, and thesis projects are
critical to the success of the proposed M.A. in Game Design.
Students who will be attracted to the proposed M.A. in Computer Game Design are those who
have both science and artistic strengths, and this unique degree program deepens the student’s
participation in both knowledge areas. Prior to the emergence of the game design field, these
students frequently opted to pursue only computer science, digital arts or graphic design graduate
degrees limiting their employability in the game design industry Game Design’s
interdisciplinary nature allows students to value several areas of research and discovery; students
benefit both academically and professionally. They are prepared to respond to the unprecedented
growth of computer game design activities and practices around the globe.
The University is well positioned to offer the proposed M.A. in Game Design. The program
brings together faculty from multiple colleges and schools that offer the full range of scholarly
and creative backgrounds necessary to successfully offer this degree. The Computer Science
Department in Volgenau School of Engineering currently offers a 12 credit hour graduate
certificate in Computer Games Technology, providing the rigorous software design component
of the proposed M.A. degree. Computer Science faculty are actively engaged in Game Designrelated research, from virtual reality, distributed interactive simulation, and networked virtual
environments, to distributed applications, game engine development, and virtual biology (game
engine development components). Other components of the M.A. curriculum will be drawn from
CVPA’s School of Art standing graduate courses in experimental virtual modeling, interactive
video, and multimedia. The core of the M.A. degree curriculum will be drawn from newly
developed courses in Game Design and Production, primarily modeled after the
2008International Game Developers Association (IDGA) Curriculum Framework
(http://www.igda.org/ ) for the study of Games and Game Development, input and
recommendations from designers, developers and executives in the fields of emerging interactive
technology, both in government and the private sector, and analysis of successful existing
graduate programs that cover related areas of study and research in the U.S.
The University also possesses the hardware and software, laboratories, workstation suites,
rendering servers and additional equipment required to serve students’ academic needs and
research requirements associated with the proposed M.A. Game Design degree. Given their
faculty expertise, their currently successful B.F.A. degree in Computer Game Design, and their
current resources, CVPA is ideally positioned to found the Commonwealth of Virginia’s first
M.A. degree in Game Design.
George Mason University University’s Mission
George Mason University is innovative and entrepreneurial in spirit and uses its multi-campus
organization and location near our nation’s capital to attract outstanding faculty, staff, and
students. George Mason will:
Educate the new generation of leaders for the 21st century—men and women capable of shaping
a global community with vision, justice, and clarity.
Encourage freedom of thought, speech, and inquiry in a tolerant, respectful academic setting that
values diversity.
Provide innovative and interdisciplinary undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses of
study that enable students to exercise analytical and imaginative thinking and make well-founded
ethical decisions.
Nurture and support a highly qualified and entrepreneurial faculty that is excellent at teaching,
active in pure and applied research, capable of providing a broad range of intellectual and
cultural insights, and is responsive to the needs of students and their communities.
Maintain an international reputation for superior education and public service that affirms its role
as the intellectual and cultural nexus among Northern Virginia, the nation, and the world.
The Computer Game Design Program and the University’s Mission
The Mission of the Computer Game Design Program at George Mason University is to prepare
students for employment and further study in the computer game design and development fields,
with a curriculum designed to reflect the gaming industry’s demand for an academically
rigorous, technical program coupled with an understanding of the artistic and creative elements
of the evolving field of study.
This proposed MA in Computer Game Design encourages innovative and entrepreneurial
teaching and learning, preparing students for professional careers in the many fields that employ
game design methods. Students work with their faculty to investigate how game design
intersects with education, entertainment, research, and business systems. Mason’s Computer
Game Design faculty has expertise in both the academic and the professional worlds, and the
students benefit from faculty participation in inventive game techniques and progressive business
practices. The faculty works continually with entrepreneurs from the Northern Virginia area,
from across the United States and the globe. With the guidance of the faculty member, the
internship experience allows a student to participate in applied research, to gain meaningful
knowledge, and to learn methods of communicating both research and knowledge to a variety of
audiences.
The program encourages students to take elective courses from several disciplines across
Mason’s campuses. The courses on the list of suggested electives reflect the interdisciplinary
nature of the program, and they reflect the diverse skills needed to be innovative in the
professional fields of game design. After completing the coursework, the students determine if a
project or a thesis is more pertinent to their future ambitions. The students’ committees will
include at least one member from a discipline outside of the Computer Game Design Program;
potentially, a faculty member from one of Mason’s education, business, or management
programs.
Curriculum
The curriculum for the proposed M.A. degree in Game Design comprises 36 credits distributed
among the following categories of courses: Core Courses (22 credits), Elective Courses (9)
credits), the Comprehensive Experience (5 credits). The curriculum proposed has been modeled
after the International Game Developers Association’s (IDGA) most recent recommended
Curriculum Framework for the Study of Games and Game Development. Students may take
electives in subject area categories that include critical game studies and research, games and
society, game design and production, and game business and entrepreneurship. These subject
areas reflect the current and future roles that computer games occupy in the scientific,
entertainment, cultural, and economic sectors in society.