SUDBURY -- Sudbury’s Cambrian College is offering a new course called Game Design in which students will not only learn all about video games, but also create their own.
The Game Design program is the latest course launched at Cambrian. It’s a two-year diploma program that will begin this September. Faculty said they are excited to offer the program.
“Students are going to take game design from concept all the way to creation," said Jill Ferguson, coordinator of the Game Design program at Cambrian. "So, we will be exploring game psychology -- why do you want to play a video game? What makes you come back for more? As well as, we will be looking at how games actually work, what are the algorithms that make games work, what are the game engines that actually put all those concepts together.
“Most important of all, the students are going to be continuously producing games through workshops.”
Ferguson said not only is there a large demand for gaming design in the country, but she said the program is one-of-a-kind here in the north.
Canada a major player
“Canada is the world's third-largest producer of video games, and Ontario is the nation's second-largest producer," she said. "You don’t have another one of these programs in the north so the demand already is huge. I’m fielding calls every single day from students and their parents who are excited about having this offering in the north and a lot of it is going to be delivered online, as well.”
Cambrian faculty said this is one of the industries that continues to grow, even during a global pandemic.
“As we’ve had to move virtually, industries like game design and graphic design, those are industries where people are looking for those skill sets,” said Paula Gouveia, vice-president academic with Cambrian. "Which is why we are seeing an exponential growth … As people come to gaming, as people come to the skills of gamers to continue to expand their own more traditional delivery models. So, that’s where we’re seeing that exponential growth.”
Applications are now being accepted.
