Matthew Hlady
Area of Research / Interest: Gamer ethics
Undergraduate Education Institution: University of Massachusetts Amherst
Undergraduate Major: English and Western Laws & Ethics
Zihan Feng
RPI Degree Program: Critical Game Design, Ph.D.
Area of Research / Interest: inclusive game design, cross-cultural gaming, serious games, user experience design
Undergraduate Education Institution: New York University Shanghai
Undergraduate Major: Interactive Media Arts
Ysabelle Coutu
Area of Research / Interest: Affect in Games
Undergraduate Education Institution: Penn State University
Undergraduate Major: Information Sciences and Technology
Peter Burr
Area of Research / Interest: Worldbuilding
Undergraduate Education Institution: Carnegie Mellon University
Undergraduate Major: Art
Janine Bower
Area of Research / Interest: Voice acting, representation, character/player connection, localization processes, digital materiality
Undergraduate Education Institution: Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Undergraduate Major: Spanish and Mandarin Chinese
Game Studies is an interdisciplinary field which synthesizes literary, social scientific, artistic, and computational approaches to understand how games, computational media, and play shape society, technological development, culture, and the human sense of self. Since its founding in the early 21st century, games research has moved to incorporate design practice as well, leading to exciting challenges in synthesizing critical analyses of culture with the production of new forms of interactive and experiential media. In response to these challenges, Rensselaer established the first graduate program in Critical Game Design in the United States. Its faculty and students are scholars, storytellers, programmers, artists, and media makers at the global forefront of this rapidly emerging field and industry.
Program Overview
Students who earn a Master’s degree in Critical Game Design (CGD) design and develop their own games while also familiarizing themselves with critical game studies scholarship. They are students who are excited about taking their undergraduate design experience to the next level, and who want to work independently or on research teams to help push the boundaries of game design practice, entrepreneurship, games technology, and game analysis.
After Graduation
Graduates from this program work in game development and design studios across the globe, and have founded their own independent game studios in New York State and beyond. Some have continued their education in national and international PhD or MFA graduate programs, and others apply their skills within industry and policy spaces as programmers, designers, artists, and writers.
Games used to mean playtime. Not anymore. Rensselaer's Games and Simulations Arts and Sciences (GSAS) degree provides an undergraduate experience like few others available anywhere in the country.
Program Overview
The B.S. in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) at Rensselaer combines theory and practice with a strong emphasis on collaborative, interdisciplinary work in order to equip students with the variety of skills needed to succeed in the field. The program explores the technical, creative, social, and cultural dimensions of games and simulation. There are 6 Concentrations to choose from!
After Graduation
Careers in:
- Game design
- Game development
- Interactive simulation and visualization
- Animation
Advanced study in:
- Game design
- Computer science
- Fine arts
- Artificial intelligence
Game Studies is an interdisciplinary field which synthesizes literary, social scientific, artistic, and computational approaches to understand how games, computational media, and play shape society, technological development, culture, and the human sense of self. Since its founding in the early 21st century, games research has moved to incorporate design practice as well, leading to exciting challenges in synthesizing critical analyses of culture with the production of new forms of interactive and experiential media. In response to these challenges, Rensselaer established the first Ph.D.-granting program in Critical Game Design in the United States. Its faculty and students are scholars, storytellers, programmers, artists, and media makers at the global forefront of this rapidly emerging field and industry.
Program Overview
Students who earn a graduate degree in Critical Game Design (CGD) learn to blend literary, social scientific, and interpretive scholarly approaches with the arts, programming, and design. They are students who embrace working across the boundaries of traditional scholarly disciplines, and who are committed to deep understandings of the cultural and material dimensions of interactive media.
After Graduation
Recent and current students conduct a wide array of research, including games and health, platforms and labor, spatial and cultural audio, idle games and motivation, alternative and radical interface design, ethnographies of queer gaming communities, and feminist readings of dating sims. Graduates from this program have been hired into tenure-track and teaching positions in game design and game studies programs across the US, and apply their skills within industry and policy spaces as consultants, directors, writers, artists, and analysts.
Games are a powerful medium for creative expression. Games challenge us in competition, and bring us together in collaboration. Interactive technology shapes how young people learn, drives strategy and decision-making via computer simulation, and assists training for physical fitness, biomedicine, first responders, and other practical applications.
About the DepartmentAcademic Programs
| Area of Study | B.S. | M.S. | Ph.D. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Game Design | Critical Game Design, M.S. | Critical Game Design, Ph.D. | |
| Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences | Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences , B.S. |