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Though the school just unveiled a new bachelor’s degree in game design, students have been learning how to develop and design games at IU for about a decade, and many already are working in the industry.

Before The Media School formed in July 2014, the telecommunications program at IU offered game design classes, which students combined with other media science and communication classes.

Those alumni say The Media School needs only to build on that foundation already in place to create more opportunities for students pursuing careers in game design and development.

Jenna Hoffstein, MS’11, founder of an educational game company, Little Worlds Interactive, said she appreciated the breadth of the program, and expects those seeking degrees to benefit from that as well.

“My time at IU gave me the opportunity to think in a very deep and interconnected way about game design,” Hoffstein said. “I took a number of classes in the telecommunications and informatics that helped me build a solid foundation of knowledge in areas like game design theory, user experience and media industries in general.”

Hoffstein said she was always interested in both art and technology. Initially, she thought she would like to work at a computer animated film company like Pixar.

But at IU, Hoffstein enjoyed taking classes that featured broad approaches to game design as well as those that focused more narrowly on innovative areas like alternate reality games.

Hoffstein’s company, Little Worlds Interactive, has the prime objective of creating fun and educational games for kids. She said she strives to create learning games that are both exciting and strategic.

Another alumnus, David Antognoli, MS’08, is a designer for The Incredible Baron, a pixel art strategy game coming soon to iOS, Android and Windows 8.

“I remember taking an intro film class that introduced a lot of concepts regarding shot composition, lighting and pacing, all of which I routinely consider in game design,” Antognoli said. “The courses did a good job of introducing concepts of usability that are very important to game design, as well as theories about interactivity and narrative.”

While at IU, Derrick Fuchs, BA’12, was active in Hoosier Games, the student-run video game developers’ organization, then transitioned to a career as a producer at Fantasy Flight Games after graduation.

“Running Hoosier Games and working as an executive producer on many of the games there was incredibly rewarding,” Fuchs said. “I fell in love with the development process, the management of teams and seeing a game go from concept to completion.”

At FFG, Fuchs has worked as a producer and developer on many existing game lines, such as Talisman, BattleLore, Wiz-War, Age of War and Drakon.

Lauren Morton, BA’14, said her experience in 3D courses prepared her for her current job in indie games and development.

“The entire games department helped us develop into the designers and developers we are today,” Morton said. “I would say the focus on teamwork and collaboration has been most helpful. The ability to work with others, communicate well and take constructive criticism is invaluable.”

Alumni often cite associate professor Ted Castronova’s influence as keys to their professional success. Arriving at IU in 2004, Castronova developed the program within the former telecommunications department and guided the development of The Media School’s new bachelor’s degree in game design.

“Out of all the wonderful professors I had the pleasure of learning from, Ted Castronova was undoubtedly the most influential,” Fuchs said. “He was the driving force behind all of us who wanted a game design program at IU. He encouraged us relentlessly to follow our passions and worked tirelessly to give us as much a leg up in the industry as possible. I think we really helped change the culture there at IU.”

Classroom work as well as outside organizations such as Hoosier Games can give students experience. Skill building is key, said Antognoli, and among those skills are writing, communication and teamwork.

“For those looking to enter the industry as designers, I strongly advocate getting good at either programming or art, and practicing actually making games with publicly available engines and level editors,” Antognoli said. “Studios aren’t going to hire a new employee to tell them what to do. If you can’t help them with the execution of their ideas, you’ll likely have a hard time getting hired.”

More:

• Learn more about the bachelor of science degree in game design.
• Read about the game design program’s response to “#Gamergate.”