MEAE: Game Arts Track Coursework
The Master of Entertainment Arts and Engineering degree is designed as a cohort model where students from all four tracks remain together throughout the two year program (fall and spring semesters only). Students take a series of courses focused on their specialty, as well as a series of classes with students from other tracks including game design, rapid prototyping, pre-production, and final projects. Each track also has a concentrated set of electives to choose from.
Students typically enroll in three courses each semester for the two years they are in the program (see below for a sample program of study).
Sample Arts Track Curriculum
Each of the graduate tracks have both shared and unique classes. Scroll to view the specific classes for each track.
Fall 1
- GAMES 6200- Game Arts I (3 credit hours)
- GAMES 6100 – Rapid Prototyping (4)
- GAMES 6000 – Theories of Games and Play (3)
Spring 1
- GAMES 6210 – Game Arts II (3)
- GAMES 6110 – Game Studio (4)
- GAMES 6*** – Directed Elective (3)
Fall 2
- GAMES 6220 – Game Arts III (3)
- GAMES 6120 – Advanced Game Studio I (4)
- GAMES 6*** – Directed Elective (3)
Spring 2
- GAMES 6230 – Game Arts IV (3)
- GAMES 6130 – Advanced Game Studio II (4)
- GAMES 6*** – Directed Elective (3)
Course Descriptions:
GAMES 6000 – Theories of Games and Play
In this required course for the MEAE, students will play and analyze games concurrently with studying contemporary research and theories about them. The medium of games will be examined from a variety of perspectives including their aesthetic potential, uses, culture, their industrial production, and more. In this way, this course provides opportunities for richer and more informed views on games as a cultural medium. The course involves significant amounts of reading, writing, and presenting.
GAMES 6100 – Rapid Prototyping
Rapid Prototyping is a project-based course focused on the prototyping phase of game development. Over the course of the semester, students will work in small teams developing prototypes of video games in a short amount of time. Each development cycle presents constraints, and students will put game design theories into practice to overcome emergent problems brought about by working in interdisciplinary teams. This course serves as an introduction to studio simulations and will help students form and test their identities as a game developer.
GAMES 6110 – Game Studio
This course provides MEAE students with a venue to test and explore the skills they have learned during their first semester of graduate studies and guidance in abstracting their experiences. Working in multidisciplinary groups, students will follow an industrial model while building a video game from the ground up. This model includes the following phases: brainstorming, pitching, prototyping, and development.
Instructors act as coaches/mentors in the studio and as Executive Producers in stakeholder meetings, working with each team throughout the development process (pitching, prototyping, alpha, beta, gold) as they secure investment to build their product.
Students will work collaboratively on a medium-sized team to design and develop prototypes, meet milestones, and iterate based on playtesting. By completing this course, students will gain practical experience in taking a concept to market, resulting in a feature complete game for public release.
GAMES 6120 – Advanced Game Studio I
Students work collaboratively in large teams in the design and development of their master's game project. This course is the first of a two-course sequence that continues in Advanced Game Studio II.
GAMES 6130 – Advanced Game Studio II
Students work collaboratively in large teams in the design and development of their master's game project. This course is the second course of a two-course sequence that began in Advanced Game Studio I. Students are expected to publish their master's game project as part of this course.
GAMES 6200 – Game Art I
This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of creating game-ready artwork from the perspective of working within a video game studio by using current development pipelines and workflows. This is a project-based course which uses an apprenticeship model where students assume the role of junior artist.
GAMES 6210 – Game Art II
The tools and techniques required to animate a character in a 3D animation software program are presented in this course. It includes a strong focus on demonstrating strategies for the application of traditional animation skills in the 3D environment.
GAMES 6220 – Game Art III
This course focuses on real-time rendering tools available to artists within modern game engines. These technical tools are explored through an aesthetic lens, resulting in practical knowledge of current game rendering pipelines and techniques. Established lighting tool sets and new approaches are covered in depth, which include baked lighting, probes, global illumination, ray tracing, and post-process. In-class critiques and discussions are used to break down the aesthetic qualities and technical impact of various approaches used in AAA game production. Students who successfully complete this course will have a solid foundation of a wide range of lighting tools and practical application experience through individual projects.
GAMES 6230 – Game Art IV
Advanced studies in the production of video games. This course emphasizes the development of discernible artistic skills in visual game design. Emphasis is on individual development in studio skills from the perspective of future goals. Analysis and criticism will explore industry, historical, and contemporary directions as they relate to the player's expectations.
Sample Directed Electives for Game Artists:
Availability varies by term.
- GAMES 6600 – 3D Modeling
- GAMES 6605 – Advanced 3D Character Production
- GAMES 6620 – Environmental Art for Games
- GAMES 6630 – Hard Surface Modeling
- GAMES 6640 – Digital Figure Sculpting
- GAMES 6665 – Character Design
- GAMES 6670 – Texturing for 3D