The Game Design Initiative at Cornell (GDIAC) allows interested students at Cornell to be involved with game design through course work and hands on experience. What drives GDIAC members is their passion for making and understanding games.
Cornell currently offers a Minor in Game Design, which may be taken by all Cornell students.
Yes, though students needing to complete certain courses for the minor might get preference.
No. Completing any of the GDIAC courses constitutes "admission." As demand for the game courses increases, we may shift to model where you need to seek permission to enter the classes, which means contacting one of the GDIAC professors.
Students of course must first apply to Cornell. Our educational philosophy is encouraging students to excel in a core major (called a field) while specializing in game design. Before diving too much into too much detail, we recommend that you first investigate Cornell and its outstanding reputation:
As the gaming generation is moving into positions of management, elements of game design are likely to prove useful in other types of product development. GDIAC will help to teach students the creativity and playfulness that can be applied to games as well as to other types of product development.
Any major will work with the game courses at Cornell, though we do recommend certain fields:
Do you like developing software and solving technical problems associated with computer technology? If so, look at Computer Science and Information Science. The Minor fits extremely well with these fields, especially if you choose the College of Engineering.
Do you like drawing, electronic imaging, and animation? If so, review the offerings of the Department of Art in the College of Art, Architecture, and Planning (AAP). Note that Art majors may take a Concentration in Electronic Imaging through AAP.
Do you like music, soundtracks, and sound effects? If so, consider Cornell's Department of Music in the College of Arts & Sciences. Music has digital music composition courses and works closely with GDIAC. Arts and Sciences students can also concentrate in Computing and the Arts, which has music as one of its three tracks.
Do you like focusing on story and dialogue in games? If so, review the Department of English in the College of Arts & Sciences. The English Department at Cornell is considered one of the best in the nation, and the role and nature of narrative in games is a research venue in the newly emerging field of game studies.
We also suggest investigating the Department of Communication in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in which students can take courses in the social and psychological dimensions of the design, use, and evaluation of communication and information technologies, how people form and manage impressions and relate to each other in cyberspace, human-computer interaction, and the uses of language in online interaction.
Cornell students do not declare a major until their sophomore year, so first focus on the admissions process.
Skim our Courses page. Usually starting sophomore year, students start with CIS 300. (Once we finish developing INFO 200, students can take INFO 200 and CIS 300 in either order.) CIS 300 does have prerequisites, so sometimes students must wait until Junior year.
Students completing CIS 300 then proceed to CIS 400, which is an open-ended project course.
Dedicated students then take a battery of independent studies ("Part 4") to receive academic credit for continuing with a variety of self-directed game design projects. Students who successfully complete CIS 400 and at least one semester of Part 4 may continue taking Part 4 to build a portfolio of game related projects and experience.
Cornell's game design program is built on the understanding that the dynamic and collaborative process of game design and development provides human and technical experience applicable across all industries.
Refer to Courses. See also recent games from the Student Games Gallery. Note that the gallery merges games and research projects from CIS 300, CIS 400, and "Part 4"). The rough breakdown of game projects is below:
Many Cornell faculty have begun to incorporate games in their courses and research. Refer to the Courses page for links to a variety of courses.
Cornell's program offers tremendous flexibility. Students can take game courses that benefit their education regardless of whether or not they intend to enter the game industry. Cornell's game design program is built on the understanding that the dynamic and collaborative process of game development provides human and technical experience applicable across industries.
By requiring the rigour of an Ivy-League education as the primary focus of a student's degree, the student must develop deep, fundamental knowledge and skills. Such learning benefits the students, as all industry will continue to change.
By offering a challenging path of game design courses, students must balance workloads and team dynamics to build excellent portfolios. Studying games can be tremendous fun and extremely rewarding, but it is a difficult path and is therefore selective.
GDIAC holds ties with industry leaders such as Electronic Arts, Vicarious Visions, Seven Studios, and Bethesda Softworks.
Those who wish to someday work in the game industry should consider investing time in the courses and programs GDIAC offers. The game industry is competitive and the interdisciplinary team-based approach of GDIAC is appealing to this industry. Students are encouraged to do well in their major area, as this provides the foundation to their ability in game design and development. The construction of a strong portfolio is also beneficial when seeking roles in industry. The nature of GDIAC will help dedicated students to do this.
The game industry is very interested in hands on experience. Some companies offer summer internships, and GDIAC can be instrumental in connecting students with these opportunities. Rarely does a school guarantee that a graduate will get a certain kind of job. However, a number of GDIAC students have indeed received internships and jobs in the field.
GDIAC helps to connect students with game development opportunities in the area of education and the military. In addition, GDIAC holds ties with industry leaders such as Electronic Arts, Vicarious Visions, 7 studios, and Bethesda. GDIAC can also facilitate connections between current students and alumni who are working in industry. This helps students to network within the field and to develop relationships.
Yes. Given the competitiveness of the game industry, we recommend testing your interest in games (and pretty much any field) by taking a course. In fact, many students choose not to pursue the Minor or the game industry, but still take our courses! Why? The interdisciplinary team-based approach of GDIAC is appealing to a variety of industries.
Not all students participating in GDIAC intend to work in the game industry. Some students participate out of personal interest and enjoyment. It is an opportunity to have fun while learning. The interdisciplinary team based nature of the initiative teaches valuable skills to students interested in a variety of areas. This type of experience is useful in all areas of industry, and companies place this type of team work as a top work skill.
As the gaming generation is moving into positions of management, elements of game design are likely to prove useful in other types of product development. GDIAC will help to teach students the creativity and playfulness that can be applied to games as well as to other types of product development. In addition, students will have the opportunity to learn about things such as human-computer interaction, human perception, psychology of art, and digital culture. These areas are relevant to game design and development in addition to a variety of other areas.
One possibility to consider is pursuing a core area (outside of games) as your undergraduate experience. After receiving your undergraduate degree, you may then focus on games (or related areas) through graduate school, which usually means getting a Masters degree. Students who become involved with GDIAC later as an undergraduate may continue with GDIAC or other schools, some of which include:
Refer to the complete list of schools on gamasutra.com's education site for more information.
The game industry is very interested in hands on experience. Some companies offer summer internships, and GDIAC can be instrumental in connecting students with these opportunities.
Also, undergraduate students who do well in CIS 400 have the opportunity to applying to be an teaching assistant (TA) for any of the game courses. The TA role is a paid position, and the TA assignment may continue for several semesters. TAs act as mentors to students, participate in grading, and become even more immersed in the world of games. This position carries prestige and offers a great experience for students, which may help them break into the industry.
GDIAC courses are indeed a lot of work, but there is a tremendous comraderie associated with all levels of participation.
