Game design degree program to be offered in fall
By Sabrina DuFran, News Writing Student
OCCC students may have a new major to choose from in the fall — Game Design.
The State Board of Regents for Higher Education is projected to approve the new program this summer which no other institute in Oklahoma offers, said Vicki Gibson, Dean of Information Technology. The department foresees this public’s response to be great, Gibson said.
“The interest has been high in this area, and our advisory committee has been working on the program for approval for several years,” Gibson said.
The Game Design Certificate of Mastery falls into the Computer Aided Technology program. A student in the program receives an AAS degree along with a Certificate of Mastery, which is 34 hours.
“If someone already has a degree, they can transfer in and receive this new mastery certificate,” Gibson said.
The program is designed for students to learn necessary skills to enter the field of Game Design in a variety of entry-level positions. They may work as modelers, animation artists, 3-D illustrators, digital artists, effects artists, video post-production artists, and as game designers, the proposal for the certificate reads.
“Most of the students are right out of high school, but the program is also designed for someone who has a degree. They can come back and receive the Certificate of Mastery in Game Design. We currently have 10 students who have declared this as their major,” Gibson said. “We are not limiting enrollment in this program,” she said.
The OCCC fall catalog lists classes in this area, but Gibson said the classes will be listed as “pending approval.”
However, she said, she feels certain the regents will approve this new program this summer when they meet.
The first student projected to complete the program, Kristina Seeds, will receive her Certificate of Mastery in Game Design in December, said Gary Dominguez, Student Computer Center supervisor.
“Creating something in 3-D and seeing it animated is just really rewarding,” Seeds said. Her goal is to create new video games, possibly leaving the state for employment since she would love to travel, she said.
A love for art, as well as her fascination of her uncle’s position as a computer instructor, sparked Seeds initial interest in game design in the fall of 2006, she said.
Once completed, the job market, many times, is on a contract basis with the individual working from home.
“Local employment in game design could be available from Digital Tutors, a large company that does work all over the country, even for Pixar. Lawton also has simulation companies for the military which follows the same concept,” Gibson said.
The employment office at OCCC, Gibson said, is a good starting point. “If I get a call, I funnel jobs through them,” she said.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the demand in this field will grow 35 percent in the next few years.
