Critical Game Design (M.S.)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - INTO

Game Studies is an interdisciplinary field which synthesizes literary, social scientific, artistic, and computational approaches to understand how games, computational media, and play shape society, technological development, culture, and the human sense of self. Since its founding in the early 21st century, games research has moved to incorporate design practice as well, leading to exciting challenges in synthesizing critical analyses of culture with the production of new forms of interactive and experiential media. In response to these challenges, Rensselaer established the first graduate program in Critical Game Design in the United States. Its faculty and students are scholars, storytellers, programmers, artists, and media makers at the global forefront of this rapidly emerging field and industry.Students who earn a Master’s degree in Critical Game Design (CGD) design and develop their own games while also familiarizing themselves with critical game studies scholarship. They are students who are excited about taking their undergraduate design experience to the next level, and who want to work independently or on research teams to help push the boundaries of game design practice, entrepreneurship, games technology, and game analysis.