<p>I don’t know about other colleges but at MIT my son’s first CS class was a game programming class. The class is taught during the Indepedent Activity Period in January. There are money awards if students get to the final round.</p>
<p>[MIT</a> TechTV – BattleCode 2009: Finals - Part 2](<a href=“OVS | Video Detail”>OVS | Video Detail)</p>
<p>@Coolweather, MIT offers lots of cool stuff during IAP. I think the battlecode contest is a little different than a regular game design/programming course because if I understand correctly, the students aren’t writing the game, they’re writing code for a player of the game. Also a very cool thing, of course. 
They have a similar robotics contest as well, though I’m not sure if that’s an IAP thing or a full-semester class.</p>
<p>I’m seconding CountingDowns’s recommendation that you consider Univ. of Maryland. Both their Computer Sci & Computer Engineering programs are highly rated. Here’s link to recent Wall St. Journal rankings: [University</a> of Maryland Named a Top 10 Recruiter Pick by Wall Street Journal :: University Communications Newsdesk, University of Maryland](<a href=“http://newsdesk.umd.edu/universitynews/release.cfm?ArticleID=2226]University”>http://newsdesk.umd.edu/universitynews/release.cfm?ArticleID=2226)</p>
<p>My S is in their Honors program (Engineering) and received generous merit $. He had several great choices among colleges in NE/Mid Atl. and choose UMD (after visiting for admitted students’ day). He’s very happy.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>The fact that he may choose to move away from game design definitely has prompted me to encourage him to get a good rigorous CS background to learn about other possibilities and keep his options open.</p>
<p>I think that is a great idea.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the whole game-design CS area…Is it possible for someone to get a “regular CS degree” but also have extra classes in game design so as to improve one’s possibilities in the job market?</p>
<p>Yes, in general a game design program is either a concentration within a “regular CS degree” or can be done as a dual major with a CS degree. It is generally an interdisciplinary program with a media arts department.</p>
<p>MIT also has a huge media lab.
[MIT</a> Media Lab](<a href=“http://www.media.mit.edu/]MIT”>http://www.media.mit.edu/)</p>
<p>For me game development is boring and stressful. But I spent a lot money on games when I was in college and in early life. My favorite games were Ms Pacman and Centipede.</p>
<p>Waterloo CS would be challenging.<br>
Tuition ~$20K CDN, no worse than OOS fees at other good universities (although finaid unlikely).</p>
<p>OP, my son has similar stats to yours and also plans to major in cs and game development/design. We are also looking for merit aid. My son’s list is very similar, though without MIT. I doubt S will get into CMU but feel it would be worth the money for a CS degree from there. Before applying to RIT, I suggest you compare the requirements for a game development degree there with the requirements for cs; there is very little overlap. And it is a school where students start right in on their major, so it is very hard to change majors without adding time.</p>
<p>@Kappie, at RIT I think my son would be looking at majoring in CS and doing a minor in game design. They have a minor specifically designed for CS students: The IGM Department offers two Academic Minors, a Minor in Game Design & Development, and a Minor in Game Design. The first minor (GD&D) is intended primarily for students within GCCIS and/or with a technical background in computing (such as computer engineering, or another technically oriented program). </p>
<p>You are right about RIT (and many of these schools, really) being a school where the kids have to jump right in on their major. My son should be entering with 7 APs, so hopefully that will give him a little flexibility in the first year to explore multiple areas without losing time if he wants to change majors, but I haven’t looked into it in any detail yet. I guess that will be for him to do once he has some acceptances in hand and needs to start making hard decisions.</p>