|
Video Game Development
The Video Game industry is a fast growing, multi-billion
dollar industry. Austin has emerged as one of the leaders
in the country, along side Silicon Valley and Seattle. Video
games require unique design, programming, animation and business
skills. Join the fast paced world of entertainment!
Program Overview
The Video Game Development program is designed and developed
by leaders in the Austin video game development industry,
under the direction of the ACC Video Game Advisory Board.
Courses are taught by industry video game developers for those
who want to become video game developers. The program offers
a comprehensive approach towards learning what's needed to
be successful in video game development.
Curriculum
Today's environment for developing video games requires specialized
skills and strong teamwork. Consequently, the
Video Game Development curriculum
provides three areas of specialization: Programming, Art and
Design. Courses can be taken to obtain the Video Game Development
Certificate, or individually. Typically, students will take
2 years to complete the course work, and an additional semester
to complete the Capstone project.
Effective fall 2008, the video game program will expand with
the availability of three associate degree plans - Game Design,
Game Art and Game & Visualization Programming. Select
the following links for the preliminary degree plans:
Game Design,
Game Art and
Game & Visualization Programming.
The courses require some basic skills that students should
possess as preparation for much of the coursework. Some of
these are "hard" skills and some are "soft"
skills. Our
Basic Skills web page
provides guidance here.
Industry Staff
The
Industry Staff represents
the spectrum of the Austin Video Game community teach the
courses. These industry professionals are generously sharing
the lessons they learned to improve the overall depth of talent
in the Greater Austin area.
Video Game Development Certificate
Completion of the certificate requires successfully completing
twelve courses and a Capstone project. All courses are letter
graded. There are four required industry courses – Video Game
Industry, Business of Games, Video Game Development &
Video Game Production. Each student must have all the required
survey courses from specialization areas – Video Game Art,
Video Game Programming & Video Game Design I, plus five
elective courses in their area of specialization. A major
element of the ACC program is the completion of the Capstone
project. The project will have students from each of the specialization
areas. There will be a mentor to guide the team. The team
will have scheduled project reviews with industry representatives.
The end result will be a mod or demo suitable for use in students'
portfolios.
Video Game Advisory Board
The ACC Video Game Advisory Board has representatives from
major studios and related video Game organizations.
Video Game Specialization Directors
The ACC Video Game program is also supported by the Specialization
Track Directors who are responsible for the specific course
requirements.
Where?
Most courses will be taught at the
Highland Business Center.
Some labs will be taught at other ACC campuses.
Academic Discounted Software
Enrolled students can obtain most software at discounted prices
from a number of suppliers. Below are some of these. A student ID card may be required.
Note:
This is not an endorsement of any of these suppliers.
Contact
For more information, email
Bob McGoldrick.
|
