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Game Design and Interactive Media, BA

The Game Design and Interactive Media major is a shared program between the College of Creative Arts and Reed College of Media, giving you access to the best classes, faculty and resources from both colleges. You will learn the principles of art and design, audio design and interactive coding at the College of Creative Arts and learn interactive storytelling, media theory and game design through courses in the College of Media.

Students take both lecture and skills-based courses with ample hands-on opportunities in technology and design thinking relevant to digital, interactive platforms, like video games and narrative web experiences. Coursework will also expose students to the history, guiding principles, ethics, diversity and cultural issues related to design, technology and interactive media.

Students hone their creative and analytical skills through real world projects including publishing their original video games through MonRiverGames, the program’s non-profit game publishing studio. Graduates learn how to grow with the ever-evolving industry, and leave the program prepared for a career as a game developer, digital content producer, visual designer, project manager, interactive storyteller, media communicator or animator.

The College of Creative Arts and Reed College of Media will merge to form a new college in 2024.

Your Degree Plan The WVU Difference Learn by Doing Careers and Outcomes Frequently Asked Questions Admission Requirements Tuition and Aid Take the Next Steps

Your Degree Plan

Intro

Student with computer screen showing a design for critique.

Game Design and Interactive Media students take a variety of art and media courses, including introduction to electronic media, game design and digital narrative, interactive audio design and coding for media applications.

To graduate, all College of Media majors must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours. Game Design and Interactive Media students complete:

  • A media- or art-focused first year seminar course
  • General Education Foundations (GEF) courses like English, math and science
  • Core media courses required for all Media College students
  • Foundation courses in art
  • Specific courses in art and media related to Game Design and Interactive Media
  • Elective courses of your choosing

Sample Courses:

  • Design for Multimedia
  • Interactive Design
  • Graphic Design History
  • Media Ethics and Law
  • Coding for Media Applications
  • Game Design and Digital Narrative
  • Intermediate and Advanced Game Design
  • Interactive Audio Design
  • Experiments in Interactivity

All students in the WVU Reed College of Media are required to take courses in media writing, media tools and applications, and media law and ethics.

Tailor this major to your interests by taking one of these courses as you pursue your degree:

  • JRL 322:
    Gaming Design and Digital Narrative

    This course covers an introduction to the principles and practice of game design as a tool for interactivity, database storytelling, and audience building within journalism. The course will analyze case studies and provide hands-on development and application of game mechanics and game dynamics within journalism and strategic media across web, mobile, tablet and emergent augmented reality platforms.

  • ART 273:
    Beginning 3D Animation

    Introduction to 3D computer modeling and animation. Fundamental concepts and techniques of polygonal modeling, shading, texturing, lighting, animating and rendering. Character design and bipedal animation. The course culminates with the production an original, character-based group animation.

  • ART 285:
    Interactive Audio Design

    Covers core principles of audio design and control in an interactive environment. Students will learn about sound creation and propagation, audio recording and editing, the structure and emotional effect of music, and the function and application of sound effects to augment interactive experiences.

  • MDIA 422S:
    Intermediate Game Design

    Key concepts that students explore are interactive and game design in three-dimensional spaces within both the physical computing and purely digital media. Students will establish a critical awareness of computer-controlled environments through programming, interactions development, game design and game theory.

Take advantage of special options related to this major:

  • Honors

    Expand your curiosity — and enhance your curriculum — through the WVU Honors College. Two programs are offered: Honors Foundations for first- and second-year students and Honors EXCEL for third- and fourth-year students.

    Explore Honors

The WVU Difference

What sets this program apart from its competitors?

  • You'll be exposed to visual design, coding, animation, game theory, digital storytelling and media ethics.
  • This interdisciplinary major brings together the faculty and resources of the College of Creative Arts and the Reed College of Media.
  • Advanced students can work with MonRiverGames, a student-run non-profit game publishing studio to promote and distribute their creations.
Scholarships

90% of WVU freshmen receive grants or scholarships (2020-2021).

Learn more

Learn by Doing

Learning happens outside the classroom. Get involved.

Hands-on Learning
You will work with talented, accomplished faculty, interact with industry professionals and gain real-world experience working with MonRiverGames, a student-staffed game publishing studio created and coordinated by the game design faculty.

Capstone Courses
You will have your choice of a capstone experience. You can develop personal, narrative websites that showcase their audio-visual design skills, interactive coding techniques and advanced storytelling. Or you can work with the MonRiverGames studio to create team-focused video games. Recent game releases include Spy Cats, One Man’s Trash, Purple House, Rosco’s Adventure, Trooper Cooper’s Campsite Cleanup and many others.

Minors
Students often combine the GDIM program with a variety of minors, including Time-based Media, Photography, Sport and Adventure Media, Creative Writing, Advertising, Cybersecurity and Computer Science.

Connect with other students who share your academic interests as a member of:

View all of the student organizations you can join.

Network with professionals in your field as a student member of:

Attending college will prepare you for many things. The Game Design and Interactive Media major will give you the following skills:

  • Game development and level design
  • Narrative storytelling and character design
  • HTML, CSS and Javascript web coding
  • Digital content gathering, editing and production

Live, study and pursue outside-the-classroom learning in a residence hall community that shares your interests:

Outside of the Evansdale Crossing building.

What you learn outside of the classroom is just as important as what you learn during class. We’ll help you follow your curiosity.

Careers and Outcomes

How does this degree prepare students for a career?

Web and Digital Interface Designers

Design digital user interfaces or websites. Develop and test layouts, interfaces, functionality, and navigation menus to ensure compatibility and usability across browsers or devices. May use web framework applications as well as client-side code and processes. May evaluate web design following web and accessibility standards, and may analyze web use metrics and optimize websites for marketability and search engine ranking. May design and test interfaces that facilitate the human-computer interaction and maximize the usability of digital devices, websites, and software with a focus on aesthetics and design. May create graphics used in websites and manage website content and links.

Has a Bright Outlook

Median Salary: $83,240

Possible job titles include: Technology Applications Engineer, Web Architect, Web Design Specialist, Web Designer, Web Developer, Webmaster.

Explore Career

Video Game Designers

Design core features of video games. Specify innovative game and role-play mechanics, story lines and character biographies. Create and maintain design documentation. Guide and collaborate with production staff to produce games as designed.

Has a Bright Outlook

Median Salary: $83,240

Possible job titles include: Design Director, Game Designer, World Designer, Level Designer, Designer.

Explore Career

Career Options

Graduates from the GDIM program have gone on to be:

  • Game developers
  • Interactive audio designers
  • Digital media specialists
  • UX designers
  • Educators
  • Social media coordinators
  • Media buyers

Graduates have also been accepted to the Game Design master of arts program at WVU.

Game Design MA

The College of Creative Arts offers a fully online MA in Game Design that provides the opportunity to design and prototype your own game and enhance your professional game design portfolio.

Graduates of the GDIM program have the option of enrolling in the Game Design MA program to continue and expand on their undergraduate studies.

FAQs

Common questions and answers about Game Design and Interactive Media.

  1. The GDIM program offers classes in audio/video design and content productions, game design, interactive coding, digital storytelling and UX design.

  2. Yes, the student-staffed video game publishing studio, MonRiverGames, provides students with a platform where they can collaborate, develop, promote and distribute their own, original video games.

  3. GDIM gaduates have been hired by Blizzard Games, worked on social media campaigns for Little Caesar’s and have been hired as a game design educator for Nonpariel Institutes.

    Graduates also work as multimedia specialists, web designers, digital content producers and social media directors.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to WVU's Game Design and Interactive Media major, first-time freshmen must meet WVU's first-time freshman admission requirements for the 2024-25 academic year. Interested in transferring? Review the transfer admission requirements.

Tuition and Aid

How much does Game Design and Interactive Media at WVU cost? And how can you save?

Tuition and Fees

Estimated rates are available on our tuition website. Anyone who is not a current West Virginia resident, including international students, will be charged non-resident rates.

View Tuition and Fees

Scholarships

Estimate your eligibility for merit scholarships at WVU Morgantown.

Find Scholarships

Net Price Calculator

Estimate your cost of attendance and eligibility for financial aid and scholarships at any WVU System campus.

Visit the Net Price Calculator

Ways to Save

Here are a few ways for you to save on the cost of attending WVU in addition to university scholarships.

Financial Aid

The most important step toward funding your future with financial aid for the Game Design and Interactive Media major is submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

How to Complete the FAFSA

Transfer Articulation Agreements

To simplify the transfer process, we have formal agreements with certain institutions. These agreements outline the courses you should take to prepare for transferring to WVU.

Review the full list of transfer articulation agreements to see if your institution is listed.

Learn How to Transfer Course Credits

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