Teach Your Children Well: RPI Offers Games Degree

  • By Paul McCloskey
  • 04/10/07
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute launched an undergraduate degree program in Games and Simulation Arts & Sciences (GSAS), which it said would play on the success of an existing games studies minor offered in the university's School of Humanities an Social Sciences.

The aim of the degree seems confined to preparing graduates for jobs in industry: GSAS will "equip graduates with a suite of integrated skills necessary for leaders in the game development industry," according to RPI.

John Harrington, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Rensselaer, said graduates of the program "will enter the field with a broad knowledge about games and simulation, as well as a specialized concentration or second degree in any one of a range of disciplines impacting the future of game development and design."

Rensselaer has a dedicated virtual reality and motion capture studio, as well as a 10-station networked PC room used to "study social gaming," RPI said. The lab is suitably decked out with sofas, video games and consoles, a plasma television, and four miniature cameras. Among the required courses for the degree are:  Experimental Game Design, Interactive Narrative, and History & Culture of Games.

Read More:

About the Author

Paul McCloskey is contributing editor of Syllabus.

Featured

  • futuristic crystal ball with holographic data projections

    Call for Opinions: 2025 Predictions for Higher Ed IT

    How will the technology landscape in higher education change in the coming year? We're inviting our readership to weigh in with their predictions, wishes, or worries for 2025.

  • cloud icon connected to a data network with an alert symbol (a triangle with an exclamation mark) overlaying the cloud

    U.S. Department of Commerce Proposes Mandatory Reporting Requirement for AI, Cloud Providers

    This proposed rule from the department's Bureau of Industry and Security aims to enhance national security by establishing reporting requirements for the development of advanced AI models and computing clusters.

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • glowing AI symbol integrated into a stylized cloud icon, surrounded by interconnected digital nodes and translucent security shields, set against a gradient white-to-blue background with grid lines and abstract risk charts

    Cloud Security Alliance Report Plots Path to Trustworthy AI

    A new report from the Cloud Security Alliance highlights the need for AI audits that extend beyond regulatory compliance, and advocates for a risk-based, comprehensive methodology designed to foster trust in rapidly evolving intelligent systems.