What You Will Learn
Do you have a passion for developing and design, and are looking to learn the skills it takes to create games you want to play or to influence others for a good cause? Then consider studying the Game Development program at CCM. Game Development is a multidisciplinary skillset that includes design, programming, testing, 3D modeling, 2D and 3D animation, user interface design, project management, and audio creation. Everything you see in a game is created and proofed by an artist. Everything you read is written by a writer.
At CCM, you will develop diverse, full-fledged experiences from start to finish, including digital, non-digital, and simulation games, organize a large magnitude of tasks with a team of your peers, understand the impact play and gaming has on societies, and identify, discuss, and solve systemic problems in the game industry. CCM students have made and published over 100 games on platforms like itch.io and Steam. Check them out at https://bit.ly/playccmgames.
Curriculum
Our Game Development program houses a 36-credit core including Computer Science, Data Structures and Algorithms, Software Engineering, Game Design Concepts, Critical Game Play, Game Programming, Game Production, Media Aesthetics, Animation, and six open credits for CIS/MED electives.
Careers
The average salary for entry-level workers with an associate degree in Software Development (including C# programming) is $61,000 per year, with a projected mid-career salary of $98,000 annually.
Associate Degree:
- Animator (3D or 2D)
- Character Artist (3D or 2D)
- Game Tester
- Junior Programmer
- Level Designer
- QA Engineer
- User Experience (UX) Designer
- User Interface (UI) Artist
Bachelor’s degree:
- Engine Programmer
- Environmental Artist
- Game Designer
- Gameplay Programmer
- Hard Surface Modeler
- Lighting Artist
- Software Engineer
- Special Effects (FX) Artist
- Tools Programmer
CCM Game Development students learn how to:
- Develop diverse, full-fledged experiences from start to finish, including digital, non-digital, and simulation games
- Organize a large magnitude of tasks with a team of your peers
- Design non-digital games
- Understand the impact play and gaming has on societies
- Identify, discuss, and solve systemic problems in the game industry
CCM students have made and published over 100 games on platforms like itch.io and Steam. Check them out here.
Where You Can Go
Our Game Development program follows industry curriculum standards and is designed to transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue Game Development programs at the bachelors degree level.
Game Development majors can find varied careers in the field. They can go on to create indie games on their company. For most people, game-making after college is the goal, but the skills learned in this degree carry over to many other fields.
According to PayScale, the average salary for early-career workers with an associate degree in Software Development (including C# programming) is $61,000 per year, with a projected mid-career salary of $98,900 annually.
Credit, non-credit internship experiences and job search support are facilitated through our Office of Career and Transfer Services, where you can also learn how to build a resume, and receive the tools to help you with interviewing skills to succeed! Learn more about our Career Services here.
Many of our Game Development graduates attend nearby New Jersey public and private institutions like Bloomfield College, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Montclair State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Ramapo College of New Jersey and Rutgers. Other students have recently attended out-of-state schools such as Becker College, Digipen Institute of Technology, Full Sail University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Savannah College of Art and Design and School of Visual Arts (NYC).
Why Study Game Development at CCM?
There are many reasons why you should study Game Development at CCM:
- Dedicated, passionate faculty who have industry experience to give you real-world understanding of the field.
- Small class sizes enable individualized attention and teamwork in active learning labs
- Dedicated, passionate faculty and student body
- Active learning classrooms where you work in teams to solve problems
- Cultivate your network with long-lasting connections
- Pick a game from our massive library and play on campus or link up with classmates in our Discord server
- Extra-curricular activities like clubs, tournaments, and fun events that allow you to get to know others in your field and learn outside of the classroom
- Growing eSports athletic team
- Supportive environment with free tutoring and faculty office hours
- Flexible terms and class schedules that fit into your busy life
Paying For Your Game Development Education
Earning an associate degree in game development is a powerful investment that will pay off over the course of your life, in both increased earnings and job satisfaction. But what is the upfront cost, and how do you afford it?
There’s good news: Money is available to help you pay for school! Our Financial Aid staff can provide lots of information about the process of finding funds to help pay for your education.
Featured Courses
Game Design Concepts
This course provides the student with an introduction to fundamental game design concepts. The range of topics includes game worlds and settings, character creation, storytelling, game audio, game art and animation, gameplay and user interface design. In addition, the history of the game industry, social impact and the future of gaming are discussed. Students analyze various games and genres and create their own game design document.
Critical Game Play
This is an introductory course designed to increase games literacy and foster a shared understanding of the history of games, culturally and aesthetically. A thorough knowledge of the games that have shaped this industry is integral for all students considering entering the field. The class covers a wide spectrum of digital and analogue games. Students will take part in discussions and lectures. They will compose a short analyses of different games and justify their stances in group-wide presentations. The primary activity of the class is critical play – playing games and analyzing them in order to better understand the medium on a personal and professional level.
Game Production
Working in teams, students combine their game design and programming skills to explore the practical challenges of managing the development of games. Industry-standard software and advanced programming are used in this capstone course to develop a functioning game of the highest professional quality. Emphasis is placed on the game design document, storyboarding, the game production process, user interface and game design, interactive storytelling, character development, 3D animation, special effects, audio, the collaborative process, and usability testing.
