<p>I was recently thinking about what kind of major would you need to get into the business of video/ computer game design. Would it be computer software engineering?</p>
<p>I think there would be several majors that would work:
Plain old computer science, software engineering, game design, digital media design, computer graphics...</p>
<p>You should start by asking yourself on which part of the game you would like to work: the story, the graphics, the sound, pure programming (w/o graphics etc). Every one of these aspects "requires" a different major.</p>
<p>yea im not really sure haha. Im just aking because im brainstorming in my head about what I might want to major in and what career I want to pursue. I am as undecided as they get..I have intrests and strengths in everything from biology to pharmacutical sciences to computers to philosophy...Im lost lol</p>
<p>Michigan State has a video game design minor. You can do it from different areas. There is the communications side of things, or the engineering/computer science side of things.</p>
<p>DigiPen Institute of Technology is a college in my hometown of Redmond, WA (home to Nintendo) completely devoted to video game programming. The degree programs it has are:
-Bachelor of Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation
-Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
-Master of Science in Computer Science
-Associate of Applied Arts in 3D Computer Animation**
-Bachelor of Fine Arts in Production Animation</p>
<p>USC has a computer science major with emphasis on gaming.</p>
<p>The computer science program at SMU offers a game design track.</p>
<p>Just so you know, "game design", as I've heard it used by my (numerous) friends in the industry, is not the software engineering part. Designers, like my housemate, are responsible for the game content - the story, the characters, the mechanics, etc.</p>
<p>If you want to get into the industry, there are numerous paths you can take. A business major with some CS or industry-specific classes can be a producer. An art major can be a game artist. A computer science/software engineering major can be a game developer. An electrical engineer can be a console designer. A lit/cultural studies/comparative media/writing major (or for that matter, a CS major with one of these as a minor) can be a game designer. One can probably major in anything and be a tester, as long as one is really, really good at playing video games.</p>
<p>Rochester Institute of Technology has this major and the program is very strong.</p>