University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) has introduced a new master's degree program in games and playable media. The program will be offered from the UCSC Silicon Valley location in Santa Clara and overseen by the Department of Computer Science in the Baskin School of Engineering at UCSC
"Students will develop strong design skills as well as strong technical implementation skills," Jim Whitehead, professor and chair of computer science said. "They will learn to be independent game makers, and they can go on to work in the game industry or for the growing number of companies outside the game industry that are looking for people with the combination of technical and design skills needed to create compelling interactive experiences."
The games and playable media program being offered in Silicon Valley presents a huge advantage to the selected students as the area comprises of the largest concentration of game companies in the world.
This might allow frequent interactions between students and game industry professionals, and industry's participation in leading workshops and supervision of student projects.
The master's degree is applicable to individuals from undergraduate game programs, with computer science experience who may be working in information technology or people working in the game industry.
Upon completion of this one-year professional degree program, students will acquire the necessary knowledge in advanced technologies that is used in the development of computer games and other interactive media.
They can find job opportunities in small, independent game studios and large companies that are looking for technically sophisticated game developers.
"We have a series of professional development classes to teach students what they need to know to start their own studio, or to join an existing "indie" studio or a major game studio, and also what they need to bring games into other contexts," Noah Wardrip-Fruin, an associate professor of computer science said.
"Many companies are looking to hire people with a background in games because they understand things like audience engagement. That's why we call it games and playable media, to include a broad range of experiences that invite and encourage play."
