Games and Interactive Media

The Associate of Science in Games and Interactive Media program prepares students for entry-level careers as artists in the game design and interactive media entertainment industries, for both analog and digital environments, such as character artists, environment artists, prop designers, level designers, animators, or 2D and 3D artists. The program also provides coursework for professionals interested in upgrading skills and/or receiving certification in the field. The degree is designed as a focused specialization, meant to guide students toward transfer pathways while also satisfying industry goals of producing highly specialized artists and designers. The program encompasses all phases of the art design process for games and interactive media from establishing visual aesthetics in concert with interaction dynamics (design, layout, and prototyping) through iteration, implementation, and distribution following industry standard pipelines.

20 annually

The primary goal for developing this program was to meet both industry needs and the needs of local 4-year institutions. Game design and interactive media programs are Career Technical Education programs with specific industry needs. Industry partners have identified a need for students who have "a strong foundation of their skills within their discipline” with highly developed “subject matter expertise and soft skills,” who are “motivated to also teach themselves outside of school." They encouraged the development of programs that “build out educational pipelines for essential disciplines, such as programming, design, art, production, business, and marketing” while ensuring students are trained in soft skills and have the time to develop and present advanced portfolios by focusing on project-based instruction because "game design is best learned through execution."

As such, we developed our program as an art and design focused pipeline with a media literacy foundation and the development of arts training specific to the needs of the game and interactive media tech industry sector, giving students the first steps towards getting jobs in the game design or interactive media industries as artists, animators, and designers of various types across various skill sets. The program focuses on project-based instruction and team-oriented soft skills, with an equal focus on ensuring our students are prepared for entry-level positions and ensuring our graduates will feed well into 4-year institutions. The needs of this program will also give us an opportunity to collaborate with other departments currently serving related industry needs that will coordinate well with our classes and the needs of our students. Setting up this program now, which will make our offering more relevant to industry needs, will serve the college and its students for many years into the future.

The degree is designed as a focused specialization, meant to guide students toward transfer pathways while also satisfying industry goals of producing highly specialized artists and designers. The program encompasses all phases of the art design process for games and interactive media from establishing visual aesthetics in concert with interaction dynamics (design, layout, and prototyping) through iteration, implementation, and distribution following industry standard pipelines. No prerequisites or licensures are needed. Students simply need to take all required courses.

Department of Graphic Design

Irvine Valley

35 estimated nonduplicative enrollments annually