Group of students playing a board game designed in a game design class
Home › Academics › Schools › Department of English › Game Design Major

Game Design Major

Design and develop games 

Are you a gamer like us? Want to tell stories and expand your creativity? Whether you’re interested in video games, tabletop role-playing games, board or card games, the game design major will prepare you to work in the gaming industry and in a variety of media.  

Student working on laptops in game design class

What to Expect

  • Develop your writing, design and communication skills 
  • Explore the history and culture of games 
  • Design your own game 
Board game and pieces to the board game that are little ducks

Courses

In the game design major, you’ll take courses in professional writing, art, English and political science, which will help you develop your critical thinking, writing and communication skills. You’ll learn about the history and culture of games in order to create games that are informed by a broader understanding of the world. You’ll also be encouraged to consider the ethical implications of the games you play and work on.  

Games for a Better World
PSCI 261E

Games have been played for centuries in order to bring people closer as a community. This course focuses on how games can benefit society and the world. We use games in a variety of ways to connect with other people both in person and online. Games can encourage people to explore their community, spend time with others, create a large social network, get healthy and solve social problems. The class will focus on how games are used ethically including analysis of War Games, Simulations of Infectious Diseases and Gamification within Education. Students throughout the course will analyze human interaction with games and a variety of game types.

Game Design & Development Studio
PWR-301

A production course in which students develop skills in the fundamental development principles essential for crafting engaging games, moving beyond imitation to innovation. Through a blend of theory and hands-on practice, including real game projects, students will learn to think like a game developer, moving beyond typical step-by-step tutorials and exploring the ‘why’ behind game development, not just the ‘how.’ Perfect for aspiring developers, this course is the first step toward mastering the skills necessary to independently and collaboratively developing game mechanics and bringing a game to life. Students will be encouraged to experiment with various tools and technologies helpful in game design, including but not limited to Godot, Roblox, the Island Creator program in Fortnite and InDesign.

Specific requirements for this major can be found in the College Catalog.

Required Courses Meet the Faculty

Student holding up cards to a game

Careers

According to the Central VA chapter of the International Game Developers Association, the global gaming industry — which is already larger and more profitable than the music and film industries combined — is projected to grow by 50% by 2027. More than 3 billion people worldwide are estimated to be gamers. Explore the career possibilities in areas such as: 

  • Game design 
  • Game content and media 
  • User experience 
  • Game artist 
  • Game production 
  • Game development 
  • And many more