Game Design Degree | Bachelor of Science | Champlain College, Vermont

Game Design Degree | Bachelor of Science | Champlain College, Vermont
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Game Design Degree
As a Game Design major at Champlain College, you'll start building worlds on day one, preparing for a burgeoning industry. And you'll understand the strategies, narratives and motivators that compel people to play.
How to Apply
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Build Better Worlds
Start creating an impressive portfolio of collaborative work as soon as you start the program.
Program Type
Major (BS)
School/Division
Division of Communication & Creative Media
Recommended Experiences
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Admissions
Portfolio Requirements
Current Students College Catalog
Related Majors
Level up your technical abilities, right away.
Gameplay systems, narratives, programming, level design, world-building: become an expert in the areas you’re most passionate about. Develop extensive foundational game design skills and build an impressive portfolio of collaborative work as you prepare to enter the game industry.
Work with peers from our other game majors to complete game projects from start to finish through the
Game Studio Experience
. This unique experience mirrors a professional studio, giving you firsthand experience working with other departments to bring a project to completion.
What is Game Design?
Video game design is the process of designing the gameplay, storyline, game progression, environment, and characters while determining how all of these parts fit together seamlessly into a cohesive game experience. Game designers create the vision of a game, and work with other game specialists, such as artists and programmers, to bring that vision to life. Many game designers have a focus area such as level design or narrative design, and work with other game designers to bring their visions together to create a successful game.
Systems Design
– Establish the foundational logic and mechanical plan for how a game operates and build the mechanics that bring the game world into existence.
Technical Design
– Build, script and prototype game ideas and mechanics by having a solid foundation in coding. Most technical designers will minor in Game Programming.
Level Design
– Create the step-by-step experience and determine parameters of play in each area in the game world. Create levels and maps that guide the player’s experience.
Narrative Design
– Define how the overall story is experienced by the player, through traditional narrative, dialogue, characters, and environment.
Content Design
– Build quests, experiences and interactions that leverage the game’s desired game play. You are building the game’s world!
Generalist
– Use your Game Design electives to get a solid mix of level design, narrative design, system design, programming and art.
Indie Developer
– Do you want to work at a small studio? Or maybe create your own indie studio? Use your game design electives on a mix of programming, art and business classes.
Why study Game Design at Champlain?
With the Game Design major at college, you’ll get involved in Game Design classes starting in your first semester so you can begin your Game Design education starting on day one. Students will spend most of their time in class and at home actually working on projects and doing the work. Students won’t have to sit through hours of lectures before starting the work; instead they learn by completing projects and working on real games and software.
Unlike other universities, the majority of your classes across all four years here are focused on game design and the different focuses students can go after. This way, you spend less time learning inessential classes, and more time focused on learning to design the next blockbuster game. The Game Studio and prominence of other gaming programs and esports club and varsity teams means you’ll learn in a gaming-oriented community, preparing you for your career.
What will I learn while studying Game Design?
By the time you graduate you will…
Learn to recognize the underlying principles guiding the relevant visual, audio, interactive, and narrative aesthetics of a particular genre of work, design movement, or designer.
Develop and implement successful strategies for organization of the design and delivery of the product using industry standards.
Form a professional degree of technical proficiency using computer hardware and software appropriate to the game development industry.
Develop and present a unique and professional portfolio that showcases your abilities.
Sign up for more information!
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Academic Excellence
Different by Design
01
Multiplayer Experience
Champlain College is a major gaming community: there are multiple gaming degree programs, Champlain is regularly ranked among the top nationally for game design, and there’s a healthy
esports
community.
02
Upside-Down Curriculum
The curriculum gets students involved in Game Design classes starting in their first semester. The majority of students’ classes are focused on game design and the different focuses students can go after.
Learn More About the Upside-Down Curriculum
03
At the Controls
Students will spend most of their time actually working on projects. No hours of lectures before beginning; learn by working on real games and software.
04
The Game Studio Experience
The Game Studio Experience ensures that students know how to work well in teams just like the ones in professional studios. This cooperative experience sets Champlain graduates above others when competing for jobs. Years 2-4 feature classes with all other game students in the Game Studio Experience.
Learn About the Game Studio Experience
Just a few of the studios where you’ll find champlain alumni
Sample Courses in the Game Design Degree
Game Design requires a broad range of knowledge from psychology to game engine scripting. You will find this depth throughout the curriculum and you’ll have plenty of options to specialize in Game System Design, Level/Content Design, or Narrative Design.
EGD 102
Game History
GMD 240
Level Design
GMD 300
Game Technology II
GMD 320
Game Systems and Experience Design
See the Learning Outcomes for the Game Design major
View Full Curriculum
EGD 102
Game History
Game History is an integrated, cross-disciplinary hands-on history class where students actively research the evolution and history of games through the lenses of design, art, technology, business, society and culture. Working with resources from the Game History Teaching Collection, students will play, study and research historical to contemporary games. In this way, students will discover the nexus of relationships driving game development. This course fulfills the requirement for FRM-118 Knowledge Making in the Creative Arts, Media and Humanities.
Prerequisites
Game Design, Game Art, Game Production Management or Game Programming students only. Or receive permission of the Dean.
Credits
GMD 240
Level Design
A level designer controls moment by moment what a player sees, hears and feels during the game experience. Following the broader direction of the game designer, the level designer creates the setting and crafts the challenges for each individual level. The style and content of individual game levels must establish the right mood, support the anticipated functionality, advance the storyline, and satisfy the idiosyncratic requirements of the players. Building on the design foundation of Conceptual Design, this course teaches students how to successfully design, draft, document, and implement successful game levels.
Prerequisites
Game Design majors only or permission of Game Design Program Director and complete GMD-200 and GMD-210 with a C or better.
Credits
GMD 300
Game Technology II
Acquire the integration skills needed to successfully build a 3D game. In Game Engine I we explore both the technical construction and practical design of games in a 3D game engine. The technical skills required to use the game engine software are combined with knowing how and when to use spaces in a level, construct an interface, establish moods, and direct a player’s attention through sound effects, lighting, camera angles, and text to create a complete working game.
Prerequisites
Game Design majors only or permission of Game Design Program Director and complete GMD-200 with a C or better.
Credits
GMD 320
Game Systems and Experience Design
At the core of every game experience are the systems that generate that experience. In this advanced game design course, we will examine a full spectrum of game experiences and deconstruct their systems. We will look at the many facets of creating a player-centric game experience from the cultural significance of games and play to conceptualizing and proving concepts for a broad range of game media target markets and purposes.
Prerequisites
Game Design majors only or permission of Game Design Program Director and complete GMD-210 with a C or better.
Credits
What Sets Us Apart
The Game Studio Experience
The unique Game Studio Experience at Champlain College gives you start-to-finish game-building experience in a professional environment. You’ll collaborate with your peers in each of our game majors to create playable games in a studio that parallels the processes of the industry.
Explore The Game Studio Experience
Annual Game Studio Senior Show
You will have the opportunity to present the game you create with your Game Studio team—as well as your own demo reel—to recruiters from all over the United States and Canada. Recruiters often come to the Senior Show to scout new talent, from companies like: Insomniac, Activision, Ubisoft and more!
Explore The Game Senior Show
Game Developers Conference
Champlain College sends a cohort to the world’s largest game developers conference each year in San Francisco for professional development and networking. The Career Coach facilitates exclusive networking meetings for Champlain students with top recruiters from some of the largest game developers.
Facts & Stats
#11
Champlain College was ranked a Top School for Game Design in
The Princeton Review’s
2026 rankings.
100%
Classes taught by game industry experts who have been or remain highly active professionals in the industry.
Career Possibilities
What jobs can I get with a Game Design degree?
You’ll Find a Career In…
Systems Design
Level Design
Technical Design
Narrative Design
Content Design
Game Design Admissions Requirements
Completing the Game Design Challenge is a required step in the Admissions process for the Game Design major.
You may wish to enhance your application with additional materials. These are not required, but are recommended. Show us some of your other skills as they apply to communicating your idea.
Game Design Portfolio Requirements
You might also be interested in these…
Based on your interest in the Game Design degree, we thought you also might like to check out these other academic programs and opportunities.
Majors
Game Programming Degree (BS)
Create successful games, build your portfolio, and learn programming within a creative gaming culture when you major in Game Programming at Champlain College.
Game Production Management Degree (BS)
This one-of-a-kind program prepares you to guide the teams creating tomorrow’s games. Immerse yourself in collaborative, hands-on projects in the Game Production Management major at Champlain College.
Game Art Degree (BFA)
Champlain College is a gaming industry hub, and the Game Art program builds your creative vision and your technical skills to make you job-ready.
Game Business & Publishing Degree (BS)
Gaming is global, and its future requires business leaders who understand the industry. Champlain College is a hub for gaming – study Game Business & Publishing and learn alongside your future peers.
Creative Media Degree (BFA)
Develop your self-expression in our Creative Media major, and learn the business side of interdisciplinary production, digital creation, and entrepreneurship.
Minors
Game Programming Minor
Hone your computer programming skills and apply that knowledge to create the dynamic environments, gameplay, characters, and more that make a successful game.
Interactive Narrative Minor
Discover different types of narratives that are immersive, non-linear, and engage our audience in a wholly new and unique way. Learn to design these narratives and create all new experiences.
Graphic Design Minor
Perfect your technical skills while learning how design impacts messaging and vice versa. Explore the latest digital-image software and learn how to create professional communication materials.
Psychology Minor
Develop a fundamental understanding of human behavior, and learn how to apply this knowledge to increase your interpersonal communication skills in your personal life and in the office.
Areas of Study
Game Design & Development
Turn concepts into digital reality. Explore our seven gaming majors to determine which path matches your interests.
Creative Arts & Communication
With many majors to choose from, you decide how to bring your ideas to life and communicate them to the world.
Game Design
Latest News from The View
Ideas
Game Design vs. Game Development: Key Differences Explained
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Ideas
Top Game Development Skills Employers Look For (and How to Build Them)
Ideas
What Does a Game Designer Do? Roles, Responsibilities, and Career Paths
Ideas
How to Build a Game Design Portfolio
Pre-College Summer Program: Champlain Game Academy
The Champlain Game Academy offers an intensive residential pre-college program for high school students entering grades 10-12 and recent high school graduates. Like the Game Studio, our program emphasizes teamwork and creative collaboration across all the game development disciplines. In order to understand how a professional game development team works, students will be introduced to all aspects of game development.
Learn More on the Pre-College Summer Program Website
More Inside
Game Design Degree
Overview
As a Game Design major at Champlain College, you'll start building worlds on day one, preparing for a burgeoning industry. And you'll understand the strategies, narratives and motivators that compel people to play.
Curriculum
Learn to map out, develop, and create the gameplay that defines a player's unique experience from industry-expert faculty with our Game Design major.
Faculty
Learn from committed and knowledgeable industry-expert faculty in the Game Design program.
Learning Outcomes
Through Champlain’s Game Design major, you will learn all the skills you need to be a top candidate in this competitive industry.
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How to Apply
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