Game Programming Minor

MINOR

The Game Programming degree is available as a minor, as well as Bachelor of Science.

If you want to be involved in the game development process, the Game Programming minor might be for you. Whether you’re a Game Design student looking to become a more-qualified designer or a Computer Science & Innovation student who finds games interesting and wants to expand their programming skills, this 18-credit minor will give you the technical foundation to program games.

Gain higher-caliber skills which will enable you to produce more complicated features in your design that will make you a stand out among others.
Learn game architecture—all the pieces and parts that go into the game like graphics, audio, artificial intelligence, physics and input (keyboard, mouse, game controller or multi-touch).
Be ready to create a game for whatever the next big idea or device is.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the game industry as a programmer making AAA titles, you will want to look at the Game Programming major, as the minor is not as comprehensive.

Interested in Learning More?

We’ll send you Game Studio info plus a game art poster designed by our students when you fill out this form.

COURSES IN THIS MINOR CURRENTLY INCLUDE

Year 1

Year 2

Students learn the history and basics of computing, as well as the fundamentals of programming. General topics include: the history of computing, number systems and classical computing, Boolean logic, algorithm design and implementation, and modern computer organization. Programming topics include: memory and variables, mathematical operations, basic input and output, decision making, repetitions, functions, and arrays.

Prerequisites	None
Credits	3

This course builds on the content from Introduction to Programming. Students study the Object Oriented Programming (OOP) Paradigm with topics such as objects, classes, encapsulation, abstraction, modularity, inheritance, and polymorphism. Students examine and use structures such as arrays, structs, classes, and linked lists to model complex information. Pointers and dynamic memory allocation are covered, as well as principles such as overloading and overriding. Students work to solve problems by selecting implementation options from competing alternatives.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-140 with a C or better
Credits	3

This course takes a shaders-first dive into modern computer graphics programming. Students are introduced to vertex and fragment shaders, 2D and 3D coordinate spaces, drawing primitives, lighting and shading, data flow and manipulation, and modern GPU capabilities. Linear algebra and 3D math concepts will be refreshed and/or introduced for applicable topics.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-240 with a minimum grade of C or better.
Credits	3

Game Architecture explores components and subsystems of electronic games and their associated architectures. Topics include game state representation, time management, the main game loop and game subsystems. Game design and planning from first concept to start of development are explored in detail. In addition to game architecture, we will also look into the issues of game design, team building, and management. The focus will be on those implementations that work well, and will include situations to avoid and how to fix errors.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-240 with a minimum grade of C.
Credits	3

Senior Show Games

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Game Programming Student Work

Easel Theme

Music that plays in Install Wizard’s Easel Level

Graduate Reel (Scott Dagen)

Sequin Shader

A GLSL shader that creates the appearance of sequined fabric

Rory Beebout 60s Graphics Programming Reel

A brief graphics programming reel showing Animation programming work on Forward Kinematics, Inverse Kinematics, and delta-pose blending, as well as grass shaders based on shell-texturing and tessellation.