Game and Interactive Media Arts Design, Production Management

The Associates of Science (AS)  in Game and Interactive Media Arts Production provides instruction for creating digital art assets for games and interactive media arts (Virtual/Augmented/Mixed reality, games and related live interactive media events) using industry-standard software.  The program is constructed to provide an emphasis on designing and creating digital art assets for production, and managing these projects using an industry-standard iterative process and the associated budgeting, scheduling, and program management industry-standard software.  The goal is to prepare students to not only be cutting edge creators, but excellent self-managers/group-managers, and prepare them for the decision to pursue a career as a digital art asset designer and creator, or evolve into an informed production support role managing assets and people on production, or to run their own business.  The AS degree furthers skills earned in the Certificate of Achievement through additional digital art asset creation and management curriculum, including a portfolio course wherein students complete a team production.

Projected annual completers = 18, derived from 2-year enrollments data.

Project management: Production Management is responsible for designing schedules, managing setbacks, and ensuring deadlines are met. Production Managers require the ability to predict problems and develop an alternate solution by achieving mastery of the production plan.  Graduates thus develop dexterity in industry standard scheduling, production management and budgeting software.

Leadership: Production Managers manage and maintain complete production pipelines for a team. It is imperative they understand the logistics of the project from all sides, be comfortable giving direction, and be ready to fill in where needed.  Graduates will study human resources, organizational development, or a gender and ethnic studies subject of choice to understand the people side of production, in addition to acquiring a mastery of digital asset production to understand the project needs.  Graduates will practice leadership through the pitch, blueprint, development and production of multiple individual and group lead interactive media projects.

Interpersonal communication: Production Management must demonstrate listening skills and empathy when facilitating communication within a team; to deescalate conflicts, build teams, and determine how to help a disparate group do their best work together.  Graduates must excel at public speaking and business communications.

Data and Research:    A Production Manager must understand how to use empirical data to make informed decisions.  They gather and translate research to predict market support for a product and inform development goals.  Graduates must develop a quantitative background, such as statistics, finance, economics, or computer science, and qualitative skills in interpersonal communications through general elective subjects in order to support these data and research goals.

Collaboration: Managing game production teams requires a strong ability to collaborate within and across teams towards a shared goal.  Graduates will practice agile management theory in a scrum environment with the opportunity to pass a PMP certification outside of the program.

Production skills in digital art asset creation:  A member of production is more valuable and capable of assisting production the more they know of the production process, and can better understand artist schedules and asset management if they understand how to create digital art assets.  Graduates must learn digital asset production through a core of digital asset creation courses representing the production pipeline. 

 

See attached document 'Irvine Valley College Narrative AS'

Y1/Y2Y1/Y2Y1/Y2

Required Courses	Title	Units (21)	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
(or) MGT 12A	The Legal Environment of Business	3	Y1
(or) MGT 12AH	The Legal Environment of Business Honors	3	Y1
ACCT 112.2	Spreadsheets II	1.5	Y1
ACCT 112.1	Spreadsheets 1	1.5	Y1
IMA 99	Virtual Film Production in a Game Engine	3	Y1
IMA 98	3D Modeling for Games and Film	3	Y1
IMA 40	Introduction to Game Design	3	Y1
IMA 30	3D Animation	3	Y1
IMA 22	Basic Game Engine	3	Y1
IMA 191	Portfolio Development	2.5	Y2

Pipeline Specialization Electives.  Pick 2	Title	Units (6)	Year/Semester
MUS 112	Introduction to Music Technology	2	Y1/Y2
IMA 96	2D Animation Principles	3	Y1/Y2
IMA 90	Organic Modeling	3	Y1/Y2
IMA 88	3D Character Animation II	3	Y1/Y2
IMA 79	Character Design and Layout	3	Y1/Y2
IMA 46	Concept Design and Visual Development	3	Y1/Y2
IMA 89	Rigging for 3D Animation	3	Y1/Y2
IMA 27	Environmental Texturing and Lighting in Games	3	Y1/Y2
IMA 35	Future Gaming and Toy Design	3	Y1/Y2
IMA 20	Writing and Storyboarding for Games	3	Y1/Y2
CS 37	C++ Programming	3	Y1/Y2
CS 36	C Programming	3	Y1/Y2
CS 10	Introduction to Programming using Python	3	Y1/Y2

Production Management Special Elective - Pick 1	Title	Units (3)	Year/Semester
ENTR 160	Entrepreneurship:  Managing Your Business	3	Y1/Y2
CIM 117	Social Media Marketing	3	Y1/Y2
MGT 135	Principles of Marketing	3	Y1/Y2
MGT 125	Organizational Behavior	3	Y1/Y2
MGT 104	Business Communication	3	Y1/Y2
MGT 288	Human Resource Management	3	Y1/Y2
MGT 1	Introduction to Business	3	Y1/Y2

The Game and IMA Design, Production Management curriculum has been in development, without Perkins assistance, since 2016. There are no related or similar programs offered at Irvine Valley College

Foothill College Fullerton College Golden West College Long Beach City College

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