Welcome to Game Studies at Minot State University!

Minot State currently offers two certificates in game studies.  These certificates - titled Introduction to Game Studies and Interdisciplinary Game Design & Development - provide students with the opportunity to explore varied, multidisciplinary elements of game and software development.  The programs include coursework on games as tools for cognition/learning, narrative/rhetorical structures in games, digital art design, and computer science.  The Introduction to Game Studies certificate is designed to be as accessible as possible regardless of major, while the more advanced Interdisciplinary Game Design & Development certificate is designed for those with a deeper interest in computer science and software development.  Please contact Dr. Ethan Valentine (ethan.valentine@MinotStateU.edu) with any questions about these programs!

Certificate Program in Interdisciplinary Game Design and Development

The Interdisciplinary Game Design & Development Certificate will provide students with the opportunity to explore varied elements of game/software development, including core computer science courses, digital art design, rhetorical structures in game systems, and games as tools for cognition and learning.  This advanced certificate will provide students with expertise in software development, including the languages for two of the most popular game development engines: Unity and Unreal.  At the end of the Interdisciplinary Game Design & Development certificate, students will complete a capstone project in which they design, develop, and publish (in some form) a digital game. This certificate program will include coursework from Computer Science, English, Art, and Psychology, and will tie together basic and advanced programming coursework, an in-development rhetoric course focused on game systems, coursework providing experience with creating digital art, a new course focused on cognitive processes in gaming, and a capstone project.  Together, this set of courses will help students develop a foundational set of skills and knowledge surrounding digital games, including critical analysis of narrative and rhetorical structures, effective use of empirical research in the design of games, familiarity with mixed reality applications, advanced skills with common programming language and structures, exposure to digital art creation, and experience developing and publishing a digital game.

ART 112	Print, Web, and Social Media Graphics	3
CSCI 160	Computer Science I	4
CSCI 161	Computer Science II	4
CSCI 242	Algorithms and Data Structures I	4
CSCI 321	Windows Programming	4
ENGL 341	Theories and Rhetorics of Game Studies	3
PSY 314	Cognition and Games	3
GAME 461	Game Design Capstone	1
Total Hours		26

Certificate Program in Introduction to Game Studies

The Introduction to Game Studies Certificate will provide students with the opportunity to explore varied elements of game/software development, including core computer science courses, rhetorical structures in game systems, and games as tools for cognition and learning.  By the end of the Introduction to Game Studies certificate, students will be prepared to critically analyze existing game structures and design their own digital game.  Together, the four certificate courses will help students develop a foundational set of skills and knowledge surrounding digital games, including critical analysis of narrative and rhetorical structures, effective use of empirical research in the design of games, familiarity with mixed reality applications, and skill with common programming language and structures.

CSCI 160	Computer Science I	4
CSCI 161	Computer Science II	4
ENGL 341	Theories and Rhetorics of Game Studies	3
PSY 314	Cognition and Games	3
Total Hours		14