If you are one of the many international students reading this page, chances are you love video games. Nearly everyone loves video games, and a career dealing with video game development in the US is a dream for many international students. The decision amongst international students to study video game development in the US is on the rise, and for good reasons.
Not only does pursuing video game development in the US lead to fun, fulfillment and lucrative career opportunities, the time for international students to apply to programs in the US has never been better given declines in domestic enrollment rates and a thriving video game industry with large production budgets. For those international students considering making the decision to study game development in the US, this page and its links will serve as a guide to better inform and orient you to the whole process and any common questions that arise along the way.
What is video game development?
So, what is video game development? Video game development is a computer and mathematics-heavy field that spans the entirety of the many aspects involved in creating a video game. This includes everything from conception and storyline to graphic design and programming. As such, international students who study video game development in the US will become familiar both with the whole production process of creating a video game, as well as each of its specialized aspects. Many video game development programs focus on providing a robust programming foundation to complement the education in the production aspects of game development. This focus on the actual software development of the game equips international students who study video game development to work on professional development teams, coding and rendering the next must-have title for gamers.
What courses can a student of video game development take?
Since video game development in the US is such a robust and diverse field, international students may be wondering what sort of courses they can expect to take if they study video game development. Typical courses comprising a degree in video game development in the US include:
- Multiple programming foundation courses
- Data structures
- Artificial intelligence
- Software architecture
- 3D content creation
- Engine development
- Game rules
- Image rendering
- Multiple software engineering courses
- Structure of game design
- Structure of game production
- Game preproduction
- Game networking
- Physics
- Calculus
- Trigonometry
- Linear algebra
- Public speaking
- Optimization
Often, the titles of these courses will vary between institutions, but the content and form of the degree is fairly uniform.
If you need additional funding to study video game development, explore financial resource options like scholarships and loans.
What jobs are available in the field of video game development?
Given the diverse nature of video game development in the US, international students can focus on overseeing the production aspect of making a video game, or specialize in a skill internal to the development team (such as programming or rendering). Though many of these jobs on a production team are specialized areas in which a student may receive a degree as well, a degree in video game development encompasses roles such as:
- Game producer
- Game artist
- Programmer
- Graphic designer
- Creative writer
- Storyline editor
- Audio specialist
- Level designer
- Game tester
What are some reputable places to study video game development in the US?
- University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
- University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
- DigiPen Institute of Technology
- The Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia)
- Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
- Shawnee State University (Portsmouth, OH)
- Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)
- University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM)
- Becker College (Worcester, MA)
Video Game Development Programs
Visit the Study in the USA School search to find schools that offer programs of study in Video Game Development.
