Game design courses
Employers in game design look at your portfolio, so the degrees here are built around team projects and studio style work. Here's what each course covers and what the jobs pay.
- Quickest way to start
- 3 years
- Bachelor degree, typical full time length
- What the jobs pay
- $91,000 to $128,800
- median pay across 2 jobs, some estimated
Which course do you need?
None of these jobs needs a set qualification, but these courses teach what employers look for.
A bachelor degree in game design and development
Build skills for game design work
Design how a game plays, including its levels, rules and characters, then test and refine it with the team building it.
A job it helps withGame Designer
Median pay$91,000 (estimate)
Helps, not required. Employers hire on skills and experience as well as study.
- How long it takes
- 3 years full time
- How you'll study
- Online, on campus or a mix
The game design degrees compared
Both degrees cover game design, game art and programming, and both are built around team projects that mirror a studio. They differ mainly in emphasis. Some can be studied online at one or more universities.
- Bachelor of Design (Game Development)Follows a game from first idea to finished product, covering game art, game design and game programming. You usually make games as part of the coursework, working in small teams, and finish with a portfolio of projects.How long3 years
- Bachelor of Game Design and DevelopmentCovers the creative and technical sides of making games: design, art, animation and programming, and looks at games as a cultural form. Team projects run in a studio style setting, and some include an internship.How long3 years
Other university courses
Jobs this study can help with
Pay is the median for everyone in the job, not a starting salary.
- Game DesignerStudy that can helpA game design degreeMedian pay$91,000 (estimate)
Game DeveloperStudy that can helpA game design degreeMedian pay$128,800
“In demand” means the job is on the national skills shortage list. Pay marked as an estimate is our own analysis, not a published figure. Check the course and provider are approved for the work you want, as rules differ by state.
Still not sure which one fits you?
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