New York University (NYU) is home to Tisch School of the Arts (est. 1965), which houses the Department of Game Design. Founded in 2008 and known as NYU Game Center, the department hosts events and programs such as the No Quarter Exhibition (est. 2010); NYU Game Center Lecture Series; and the professional game conference PRACTICE: Game Design in Detail. The Center also hosts workshops, playtests, and tournaments, as well as immersive academic seminars, and hands-on experiences in the Center’s development studios and play labs.
A major component of the NYU Game Center is the internship program. Students have completed coveted internships with Disney, Ubisoft, Arkadium, and TreSensa.
The NYU Game Center MFA is a two-year program that consists of coursework in game history, game design, game studies, game production, studio, and play labs. Students will also take a number of electives that explore areas such as the psychology of game play and games journalism. Course examples for the program include American Computer Games of the 1980s; 3D Game Studio: Unity; Game Design I and II; Horror Games; Intermediate Programming for Games; Prototype Studio; UI/UX for Games; Mobile Game Studio; Shader Lab; Tech Art Studio; and Tackling Representation in Games.
The Game Design MFA program culminates with a thesis, completed across two courses (12 credit hours). Thesis projects may consist of digital games, card games or a sport, smartphone games, or a series of small games, among others. Thesis programs may also be individually directed or completed in teams. Thesis projects are presented at the NYU Game Center Spring Show.
NYU Game Center MFA graduates will enter the job market with a resume, several finished games or related works, and the assistance of NYU’s extensive Wasserman Career Center. As part of Tisch School of the Arts, NYU Game Center graduates also have access to school’s own Office of Career Development, which helps students launch their creative careers.
The Game Center Incubator is yet another resource for graduating students. Launched in 2014, the incubator provides expertise, funding, and space for projects with commercial potential. Incubator leaders help select students see projects through to a public launch.
Graduates of the NYU Game Center are Game Artists, Game Designers, Software Publishers, Game Developers, AI Engineers, Game Programmers, and Entrepreneurs. Program alumni have gone on to work for companies and studios such as Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Amazon, Tencent, Take-Two Interactive, ESPN, Nickelodeon, IGDA Japan, Arkadium, and Avalanche Studios.