Game Studies Certificate

Course Requirements

ART 425LAB - Designed Play Credits: 3
DMS 448SEM - Games, Gender and Culture Credits: 3
DMS 462SEM - Game Design Credits: 4
ART 499TUT - Independent Study Studio Art Credits: 1-5 OR
DMS 499TUT - Independent Study Credits: 1-8
(Note: This option is a capstone project, yielding a game or research paper, and if selected it must be taken after the other courses.)

The certificate is awarded concurrently upon completion of all program requirements and completion of a bachelor’s degree at the University at Buffalo. It cannot be awarded as a standalone certificate program even after the student has earned a bachelor’s degree.
Must have a 2.500 GPA in the Introductory Courses (DMS 210 or DMS 121 and DMS 259 )

Upon completion of the certificate, students will be able to:
Critically engage with scholarship relating to the history, theory and analysis of games, game culture, gender and diversity.
Evaluate genres of video games and critically relate them to controversial cultural issues.
Apply a formal iterative design process for a game, including prototyping and play-testing.
Analyze the structural elements of a game and how they contribute (or not) to the success of the game.
Identify, recall, and apply elements of game development technology (such as pixel art, 3D modelling, and game engines) to create both digital and analog games.