B.A. in Game Design and Interactive Media

Why Choose Game Design and Interactive Media at Biola?

Biola's game design and interactive media program offers several key advantages:

• Industry-Minded Education. We collaborated with game studio recruiters to develop the best curriculum for graduating well-rounded, sought-after game designers. Your studies are narrative-driven, reinforced with the technical and artistic expertise necessary for you to be competitive within the game industry.
• Professional Development. Creating in Southern California offers virtually unmatched access to the game industry, including opportunities for internships, mentoring, networking and shadowing. Every student spends at least 180 hours gaining hands-on experience in a real studio — applying theoretical learning in a professional setting.
• Technical Preparation. Expand your portfolio and develop transferable skills for navigating any new tools you encounter by building real games using Unreal Engine — a popular, commercial-quality game engine used by both AAA game companies and indie studios. You’ll also master coding, computer languages, 3D design and animation through computer science and art courses.
• Culture of Collaboration. Game development is a team effort. From prototyping to playtesting, we’re constantly problem-solving and exchanging feedback. This collaboration is interdisciplinary, too, offering the exclusive opportunity to work with talented students from art, computer science, and Biola’s internationally renowned Conservatory of Music.
• Faith Integration. We develop the whole storyteller, because the stories you tell will be shaped by the person you become. We believe the best stories move people because they grapple with difficult questions that find their ultimate answers in the gospel. Through games, you can cultivate empathy, promote social good and challenge assumptions — in short, you can shape culture.
• State-of-the-Art Facilities. Start creating in our brand new game design lab, a collaborative space complete with Adobe suite, 3D modeling and animation programs, fully equipped game machines and more set to open in fall 2020. Watch for more news on the new home for the School of Cinema and Media Arts, a 53,000-square-foot building that will feature additional resources for game design students.

What Will I Study?

Game design and interactive media is an interdisciplinary area of study. While our program is narrative-driven and housed within the School of Cinema and Media Arts, you’ll also take courses in art and computer science. You’ll cover topics such as:

• Game mechanics design and prototyping
• Nonlinear narrative design 
• Game development within industry-standard game engines
• Collaborative game production methodologies
• Emerging technologies such as virtual reality
• Visual aesthetics and 3D design
  

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