Love video games? You’re definitely not alone! But what if you could make a career out of that passion? It’s absolutely possible. There are plenty of video game majors and adjacent areas of study that can get you to design your own games in no time. Whether you want to open your own studio or join an existing one, here are some great majors that may land you that coveted position.
1. Computer Science
Computer science is still one of the best majors out there for future video game developers. Not only will you learn the ins and outs of programming, but you’ll have a solid foundation for software and network architecture. Many schools will also have electives for computer science majors that focus more on video game development.
Computer science is a strong major, too, in case you decide you don’t want to enter the video game world or discover it’s not for you after you start your career. There are tons of jobs out there that require a computer science degree!
2. English/Creative Writing
This one is definitely an outlier on this list, but Creative Writing is actually a fantastic major if you’re interested in writing for video games. After all, any game with a story needs someone to write out that story, dialogue, and more. Creative writing and other English courses give you a good foundation for being able to write an engaging tale that can really shine in a video game.
And believe it or not – English is not a worthless major if you decide your future lies elsewhere than video games. There are plenty of careers out there for Creative Writers from teaching to writing your own books.
3. Computer Animation
Computer Animation is the study of 3D modeling and similar areas. Students in this major will learn about storytelling, drawing lifelike figures, and using 3D modeling to transform their ideas into reality. If you’re a creative person, this can be an excellent segue into the video game world.
This particular major can also be used in other careers, too. Animation companies, for example, can use those skilled in computer animation for their short stories or movies!
4. Computer Engineering
We all know about video games that seem rushed into production that are full of bugs. In many cases, these games can be unplayable. If bug fixing and ensuring a game works flawlessly on release sounds like solid goals for you, a computer engineering degree may be in your future.
Computer engineering majors learn about how computers work, how they can work faster, and how they can be more efficient. All of this education translates well into the video game world as you’ll be able to focus on how to design and make a game that works as intended. Bugs will happen with just about any game, but you’ll have the know-how to correct them and have a happy user base!
5. Game Design
Some schools have recently been introducing Game Design as a major for their students. This area of study has the sole focus of preparing you for a career in video game design or video games in general. Many Game Design majors are designed to be flexible, so if you want to write stories or design a game from scratch, this will fit those goals!
However, some schools’ Game Design majors will instead focus on the non-technical aspects of video game design such as writing and music, so you may have to compare the specifics of different programs if this major sounds good to you before choosing a school.
Other Video Game Related Majors
Recently, colleges and universities have started to add more video game-related majors to their offerings. These can be scarce, but they’re out there! And some computer-related majors can actually be put towards a career in gaming, too.
Here are just a few other majors you may want to look into:
- Video Game Programming and Development
- Interactive Media Design and Game Art
- Game Design and Development
- Interactive Entertainment
- Software Engineering
- Sound Production
- Graphic Design
- Digital Arts
Gaming can be a wonderful pastime, but it can also be a very rewarding career! These majors will definitely set you up for success in the video game industry. Just be sure to weigh the pros and cons of each against your career goals so you can rest assured you selected the best major for the job!
On the fence about your major? Our College Major Search Tool helps you learn the must-know info about various areas of study including the best schools for the major and careers available to graduating students. Get started with it for completely free right here.
