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Without question, video games have become a large part of our society, both in an economic and a social fashion. The video game industry has become so powerful economically in the United States alone, according to one report, that between the years 2014-2016, game sales brought in a staggering 500 million to one billion per month. Furthermore, the ever growing industry of video games and gaming continues to increase yearly at a rate of 3 to 5 percent.
Arizona State University’s Regent Professor of the Teacher’s College of Education, James Gee, believes that video games are more than simply entertainment. According to Professor Gee, “, the technology development (of video games) is necessary to be able to make breakthroughs in industries such as education and health care.” The ASU professor also noted that “video gaming is a new platform for learning, thinking as well as collaborating. Such programs can be used in a variety of ways on college campuses to help in a number of subjects.”
Without a doubt, video game designing has not only become more popular, it is also becoming more and more of a sought after as a career by today’s college students. Colleges and universities across the nation have recognized this, and college courses are increasingly becoming offered in college classrooms. Dozens of colleges around the United States are offering degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate levels for video game programmers and designers.
Today’s college students can choose between five different degrees in video game designing from many colleges and universities. These include Game Design, Game Art, Computer Animation, Computer Science, and Multiplatform Software Development.
As we head towards the second decade of the 21st century, today’s college students have a world of possibilities and opportunities before them, through the world of video gaming and online technology.
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