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Students in the Game Design Minor are eligible to participate in the St. Thomas Game Jam every semester. Student teams make a complete game based on a surprise theme in only seven days!
Game Design Minor
The Game Design minor provides skills, theoretical knowledge and experience in making interactive digital media that students can apply in their careers. Apply your knowledge in advertising fields, public relations, journalism, digital art, entertainment industries and more.
Digital games can do more than provide entertainment; they are critical to media culture. Teachers use games in their classrooms, news organizations create interactive experiences to explain complicated phenomena, and artists make games to express personal stories and critique social issues.
The wide and varied impact of games requires that we train game designers in the common good: courses in the minor address critical ethical questions regarding identity representation, accessibility for people with disabilities, and making games more inclusive, uplifting spaces.
Why Study Game Design at St. Thomas?
The St. Thomas Game Design Minor teaches game design theory through the process of making games. Students who complete this minor will leave St. Thomas with a portfolio of designed games that they can showcase in job interviews and graduate program applications. The minor also emphasizes the Common Good-mission of the university by teaching the ethics of interactive design, especially regarding accessibility and representation. The minor works well with either a Digital Media Arts Major, a Journalism Major, or a Computer Science Major. And with the introduction of the Schoenecker Center, the state-of-art STEAM building at St. Thomas, the Game Design Minor will find a home in its own Gaming Studio. The Gaming Studio will be equipped with game production computers, a wall-mounted screen for collaboration, and other tools to allow students of Game Design to focus their work in their own semi-private space.
Program Overview
Course Requirements
All minors must take at least 20 credits, consisting of the following.
Required courses (12 credits):
Required courses (12 credits):
- DIMA 246 Game Design (4 credits)
- CISC 131 Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (4 credits)
- DIMA 346 Game Production (4 credits)
- DIMA 256 Design Concepts of Communication (4 credits)
- DIMA 262 Audio Production (4 credits)
- DIMA 358 Writing and Designing for the Web (4 credits)
- ENGL 294 Writing Video Games (4 credits)
Four Year Plan
Your four-year plan will vary because we want you to pursue what interests you the most. We recommend connecting with a member of our faculty to start planning your coursework early in your undergraduate career. However, DIMA 246 Game Design should be taken early as well as CISC 130/131 Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving. The final class of the minor, DIMA 346 Game Production, should be taken in the third or fourth year. The electives may be taken at any time.
Course Information
Course Requirements
All minors must take at least 20 credits, consisting of the following.
Required courses (12 credits):
Required courses (12 credits):
- DIMA 246 Game Design (4 credits)
- CISC 131 Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (4 credits)
- DIMA 346 Game Production (4 credits)
- DIMA 256 Design Concepts of Communication (4 credits)
- DIMA 262 Audio Production (4 credits)
- DIMA 358 Writing and Designing for the Web (4 credits)
- ENGL 294 Writing Video Games (4 credits)
Four Year Plan
Four Year Plan
Your four-year plan will vary because we want you to pursue what interests you the most. We recommend connecting with a member of our faculty to start planning your coursework early in your undergraduate career. However, DIMA 246 Game Design should be taken early as well as CISC 130/131 Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving. The final class of the minor, DIMA 346 Game Production, should be taken in the third or fourth year. The electives may be taken at any time.
Faculty Spotlight
Sky LaRell Anderson, PhD
Meet faculty member, Sky LaRell Anderson, Ph.D. Dr. Anderson’s research focuses on video games, games culture, and design. Recent projects include work on disability, accessibility, and mental illness in games culture. His research emphasizes the role disability plays in structuring how we talk about and engage with games. He also examines how games portray mental illness as well as how they can be critical tools for imagining improved discourses about mental health. He has published articles in international journals such as Games and Culture, Convergence, Game Studies, Transformative Works and Cultures, and Communication Studies.
Possible Careers
A Game Design minor will benefit students planning careers in:
- Business
- Education
- Media Production
- Web Design
- Social Media Management
- Marketing
- Advertising
- Journalism
Quick Facts
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Approximately 214.4 million Americans play video games.
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The gaming industry brings in more money that the movie and music industries combined!
Take the Next Step
There is more to learn about St. Thomas; including our ranking as a Best Value School by U.S. News & World Report, the many classroom and extracurricular activities that will be part of your student experience and so much more. Schedule a visit to see our beautiful campus or start your application today.