BAD News

Uh-oh... This is not good...

I have to wait four more months before I begin my first semester as a Bachelor of Arts in Design. I want to start right now!

Simply put, this major looks awesome. I'll have to submit an application to transfer, but I'm not too worried. As far as I know right now, there are only eleven current DigiPen students who want to transfer into the BA degree. The new majors (as a reminder, there will be a BA and a BS in Game Design next semester) have not been publicly announced yet, so I expect there will be plenty of Freshman applicants, but I was a little nervous about how much room there would be available, and now it seems that that shouldn't be much of a concern. Exciting!

The recommended class schedule I've seen looks great. It's funny - not much more than a week ago I was complaining about a course that the school didn't offer. I had planned to follow that post up with a look at a few more classes that I thought would be essential in any gamemaker's education, but now there's no need. Game History, Architechture, Psychology - they've created the major that I was imagining. Moreover, there are plenty of gaps left open for electives. I can take all the English classes I want! Woohoo!

Also great - I should be able to graduate at the same time as I would if I stayed in my current major. Yes!

So what should I learn with this major? The main focus is level design. This is fantastic. Getting a degree in world-building? Right-on! But that's not all! Other aspects of game-design will not be forgotten, of course, and I'll still be gaining plenty of art and programming experience. If I can't find work as a designer, I should be prepared to take on other game-industry titles, or work in movies, visual arts, or, I expect, toys. Are game levels not virtual playsets?

Finding work won't necessarily be easy, but apparently skilled designers have been in somewhat short supply lately. There will never be quite the same demand for designers as there will for programmers or artists, but, as I understand it, this will be the first respectable Game Design degree to be offered in the United States, and, if all goes well, I'll be in the second class of graduates. I'm told that many game studios have been requesting this major for years, and they'll almost certainly be keen on hiring students. The courses have been selected and designed with the help of a community of industry veterans.

Things are starting to fall into place.