Program Overview

Game Design & Technology Master Program

The Game Design & Technology master program provides students with the combination of technological knowledge and other skills required to work in and around the game industry. It focuses on analyzing game systems and their impact, understanding, developing, and using game engines, and developing games that provide an enjoyable gaming experience.

Program Details

• Program Code: N2GDT
• Level: Advanced
• Duration: 2 years
• Credits: 120 higher education credits (hp)
• Department: Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Technology
• Language: English
• Study Form: Campus
• Study Pace: 100%
• Study Time: Day

Program Content

The program consists of several areas that together cover the skills needed to work in the game industry. It includes building a game engine and the design considerations that must be made. Students learn how to analyze how parts of a game should be combined and how to develop their own games more effectively. The program also covers different groundbreaking game design trends and technical trends.

Education

The education is not only about building a career in games but also about how to connect the game world to a wide range of other professions. The skills required to create a game are the same type of skills used for interactive simulations, animations, and virtual reality environments. Learning to optimize the large demands placed on a well-functioning game engine means being able to optimize almost any system.

Research-Based Education

All courses on the master's program have a strong research focus, and the technical solutions are based on cutting-edge research. Knowledge of how to best utilize existing game research initiates the program through the course "Introduction to Game Research." This course is about building game competence based on careful analysis, using evaluation tools and frameworks that allow students to answer complex questions about why a game is fun.

Courses

The compulsory courses are:

• Introduction to Game Research
• Computer Graphics
• Gameplay Design
• Simulation Engines
• Game Development Project
• Technology-Driven Experimental Game Design
• Requirements Engineering
• Agile Development Processes
• Thesis, 30 hp or 60 hp

Examples of elective courses where students can deepen their knowledge:

• Computer Graphics
• Distributed Real-Time Games
• AI and Game Agents
• Naturalistic Simulations
• Game Development on Mobile and Other Non-Traditional Platforms

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree: 180 hp including 7.5 hp project or equivalent in the field of software engineering, computer science, computer technology, information technology, information systems, or equivalent.
• Mathematics: 4.5 hp
• Programming: 15 hp, including 7.5 hp object-oriented programming
• English: English 6/English level 2 or equivalent from a recognized international test, e.g., TOEFL, IELTS

Selection

• Credits: Up to 165 hp

After Graduation

After completing the education, students receive a Master of Science with a focus on interaction design. The program equips students to design and develop robust and interesting games that people want to play. Through project-based education, students get a portfolio that makes it easy for potential employers to assess their capacity and competence.

Graduates have access to a broad spectrum of different types of services within the game industry, from game design to development and quality assurance. They can also work in a large number of adjacent industries where knowledge of, for example, augmented reality and interactive simulations is in demand in many areas. The research-preparing part of the education also provides opportunities for continued advanced experiments in technology and design at the research level.