The B.A. in Game Design
Game Design students build interactive experiences and learn to analyze and critique them, grounded in how games have shaped individuals and society. HPU describes its students as storytellers, critics, artists, advocates and entrepreneurs.
The major sits in the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, so writing, narrative and communication run through the whole degree alongside production. Faculty mentor each student one-on-one on career planning.
The degree totals 128 credits, with 48 in the major, 36 to 44 in the university core and 36 to 44 in electives. A game design minor is also available.
Required Game Design Courses
The B.A. requires 48 credits in the major within 128 total credits. Required courses for 2026-2027:
- COM 1110 Human Communication
- COM 3390 Communication Law and Ethics
- GAM 1000 Introduction to Game and Interactive Media Design
- GAM 1111 AAA Game Development Tools
- GAM 2252 Theory and Design of Games
- GAM 3342 Theory and Criticism of Games
- GAM 3352 Game Development
- GAM 4492 Collaborative Game Design and Development
- GAM 4493 Game Publishing, Promotion and Portfolio
Students add 12 elective credits from courses such as:
- GAM 3302 Narrative and Interactive Fiction
- GAM 3432 Character Design
- GAM 4432 3D Modeling for Video Games
- GAM 3362 Puzzle, Obstacle and Level Design
- GAM 3442 User-Interface Design
The sequence ends in a collaborative senior capstone, and capstone games have been exhibited to the public at PAX East.
See the full course requirements and the undergraduate bulletin course descriptions.
How Game Design Students Put Their Courses to Work
Students and graduates describe the projects, research and classes behind their games.
Amaris Jenkins
Game Design Major
“My project has two voice actors, so directing them on the script that I wrote and recording and editing that audio gave me skills I can take with me.”
Shane Cooper
Game Design Major, Summer Research
“I’m learning a lot about film while also expanding my knowledge about game design.”
Dom Bellusci
Graduate Student, Guildhall at Southern Methodist University
“All the classes on game theory, level design and countless conversations provided me with the drive to work on my own time.”
The Game Lab, Maker Space and Esports Arena
Game design students have 24/7 access to the game design lab and the Maker Space, where they collaborate on game concepts and designs. A playable library covers game history from Atari through NES to Xbox.
The Esports Arena, part of the Miriam and Steve Kimsey Game and Interactive Media Lab, is home to the HPU eSports Club.
Epic Day
Every semester, professionals from Epic Games come to campus to run workshops for game design majors and talk through what jobs in the industry involve.
Funded Summer Research
The program funds summer research for students developing and testing their own games or game features, including travel to present the findings at a conference.
Where Students Have Presented
- Game Developers Conference, San Francisco: narrative design through environmental design
- PAX East 2024, Boston: senior capstone games and Game Development Club projects
- Accessibility in Media, York, England: audio description for games
- Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas: virtual reality and minority representation in video games
- Popular Culture Association: level design in Spyro the Dragon and Sonic the Hedgehog
The Princeton Review gives High Point University a 95 out of 99 rating for professor accessibility, based on its student surveys.
Explore Game Design at High Point University
See how HPU game design ranks and where its graduates go next.
Accreditation & Awards Careers & Student Organizations
Questions about the program? Email Dr. Stefan Hall, chair of Game Design, at [email protected].