Program Overview

Game Art & Design, B.F.A. Program Overview

The Game Art & Design program at Lipscomb University prepares students for careers creating and enhancing the visuals of games. This program teaches students the foundational art concepts and prepares them to use these foundations in the creation of game-ready assets. Students study the art of movement through animation and drawing courses, while developing long-lasting connections with expert professionals in a Christian context.

Program Outcomes

The game art program will shape how students think about animation, game layout, and player movement within a game. Beginning with drawing and animation courses, students study critical game graphics like how people and things move, as well as how to build the environment with buildings or landscapes. As they progress in the program, students will gain the following skills and experience:

• Ability to give and receive critique on artistic works
• Software skills for creating art for game engines
• Working with game engines such as Unreal
• Learning how to balance their faith in relationship to career

Program Foundations

The program is designed to give students a solid foundation in drawing, animation, and computer-generated (CG) assets. The upper-level classes allow students to create art/assets for different games with specific goals and genres for diverse platforms. Concentrations are available to allow students to dive deeper into a topic they're most interested in and to be more versatile.

Concentrations

• Concept Artist
• Animation
• Asset Modeling
• Environment Artist

Portfolio Review Material

For anyone applying for the BA or BFA in Game Art, a portfolio must be submitted as part of the admissions process. The portfolio should include:

• Digital work in the form of digital file images in either .jpg or .png file formats for images and .mov files for movies
• Minimum 10 works/ maximum 15 works
• Digital slides accepted on Google Drive or Dropbox
• Letter of intent addressed to the Selection Committee explaining what concentration the student wishes to study

Requirements for Portfolio Submission

• Figure drawings/ gesture drawings (or sketches of people doing things around you)
• Animal drawings or sketches
• Sketchbook pages that the student likes
• CG models (figures or objects)
• Paintings and architectural renderings
• Character designs
• Caricatures or illustrations
• Animation reel or animation tests

Capstone Projects

Students will have the opportunity to create their own capstone project, either creating a game or creating concept art for a game pitch.

Why Earn Your Game Art Degree at Lipscomb University?

With state-of-the-art technology and real-life commercial projects, Lipscomb's Game Art degree equips students with the skills they need to lead in the gaming and entertainment industry. Smaller class sizes mean students will have the chance to make strong connections with their peers and receive individual guidance from proven faculty.

Courses

Game Art & Design, B.F.A. Core Courses

• AM 1013 - Dynamic Gestures (3)
• F GD 1013 - Introduction to Game Art & Design (3)
• F AM 1153 - Perspective, Color & Comp (3)
• F AM 1113 - 2D Character Animation I (3)
• S AM 1213 - Character Design I (3)
• F AM 2513 - Storyboarding for Animation I (3)
• S AM 3013 - CG Modeling and Lighting I (3)
• S GD 3313 - Textures & Materials (3)
• F GD 2113 - Unreal Technology I (3)
• S AM 4713 - Computer Animation I (3)
• F AM 3033 - Character Modeling in ZBrush (3)
• F GD 2013 - Writing for Games & Interactive Media (3)
• S GD 3273 - Game Production (3)
• S GD 3113 - Unreal Technology II (3)
• F GD 4314 - Game Art & Design Capstone I (4)
• F GD 4414 - Game Art & Design Capstone II (4)

Game Art & Design B.F.A Elective Courses

• AM 1123 - 2D Character Animation II (3)
• F AM 2713 - Concept Development (3)
• F/S AM 2303 - Characters & Costumes (3)
• AM 2113 - Animation Environments & Layout (3)
• F AM 1223 - Character Design II (3)
• F AM 2523 - Storyboarding for Animation II (3)
• F AM 3113 - Animation in Harmony (3)
• F/S GD 3113 - Unreal Technology II (3)
• F AM 4723 - Computer Animation II (3)
• F AM 4733 - Computer Animation III (3)
• F AM 4883 - Portfolio Development (3)
• S

Total Hours Required

The BFA in Game Art & Design is an admission-only program, requiring a total of 64 hours. Prospective students must submit a portfolio when applying for the program, including transfer students. Submissions should be uploaded to the student's Bison Portal during the admissions process.