The Game Design Initiative at Cornell (GDIAC) was formed in the Fall of 2001 with a mission to see if studying games was a viable academic area. Little did they realize that five years later Cornell would approve of the nation's first undergraduate Ivy League program in game design!
GDIAC offers four courses on game design and development, in which over 50 students a semester are involved. Students work in multidisciplinary teams composed of artists, writers, musicians, programmers, and producers, all engages in the processes of design and development of original games. By taking the fourth course, "Part 4," multiple times, students build a portfolio/"game reel." Students use their portfolios to find jobs in not only the entertainment industry, but all kinds of related fields. Sometimes students simply enjoy being part of this massively collaborative experience that helps them develop real-world skills. Various projects include cutting-edge game technology, innovations, and industry applications with the occasional contest (in which we've had several successes!). GDIAC has forged strong ties in the Ithaca community, and has partnered with organizations such as The Learning Web and The Fingerlakes Unschoolers Network to provide area youth with the opportunity to apprentice with a game in development in the Part II course. The youth get the opportunity both to contribute and learn valuable skills from the mentors on the teams while having a blast making a game. In addition, at the end of each semester, GDIAC holds a showcase that is open to the community where the game projects from that semester are unveiled. In addition to providing a fun time playing games for the guests, the experience for the students in having people enjoy their hard work is an unforgettable experience.
Most parents -- and not a few teachers -- think computer games are a waste of time. David Schwartz, Cornell assistant professor of computer science, thinks they can be a powerful teaching tool -- especially if you get students interested in creating their own.
In accordance with its goal of training students for a future career in game design, GDIAC has helped students in finding internships and full-time jobs in the game industry, holding ties with industry leaders such as Electronic Arts, Vicarious Visions, Seven Studios, and Bethesda Softworks. GDIAC has also helped to connect students with game development opportunities in the area of education and the military. Alumni of GDIAC in the game industry are growing fast, and are valuable resources for current Cornell students looking to get involved with games.
With all the growth GDIAC has seen in the past few years, there is still much in store.
