Art and Design Department

BFA Art, Game Arts

Revised Concentration for Fall 2027!

Game Arts Concentration

The Bachelor of Fine Arts Art, Game Arts concentration prepares students with a range of widely applicable design skills, followed by critical, conceptual, and production skills common in the game industry, including: the analysis, ideation and design of games; 3-D modeling and animation; scripting; and level, prop, sound, lighting, narrative, and user experience (UX) design. Students develop a narrowed focus as they approach graduation with career-launching portfolio work.

 

This is a concentration in the BFA Art program. Students will complete required core courses for BFA Art alongside students in Illustration, Fine Arts Practice, and Video & Animation concentrations. The BFA Art, Interaction & Game Design concentration will be discontinued; students who started that program at East Bay prior to Fall 27 may complete it or switch to the new concentration (or change majors to BFA Graphic Design and Interaction), but students who start in Fall 27 or after may not enroll in the older concentration.

 

Ready to start? 

Joining is simple: declare the major, and you’re in. Become part of a vibrant creative community with deep roots in the East Bay. 

Prospective students: Apply here.

See a sample roadmap.

Current students exploring a change of major: Contact Professor Ian Pollock to find out if BFA Art, Game Arts fits your goals. 

Already in the Interaction & Game design program? 

If you’re enrolled in the BFA Art, Interaction and Game Design program, you can finish your current degree. You never have to change majors. Students who are close to graduation should finish in their current programs; generally the university does not allow switching majors if it will postpone your graduation. But, if you do not yet have senior standing, we encourage you to consider switching to BFA Art, Game Arts in fall 27. 

 

Learn more about the BFA Art, Game Arts 

 

Students complete the required core courses for BFA Art (37 units) and then concentration courses below.

 

Game Arts Core

The following 21 units are required:

  • ART 246 - 3D Modeling and Animation I - 3 units

  • ART 255 - Fundamentals of Game Design and Development - 3 units

  • ART 355 - Game Characters and Concepts - 3 units

  • ART 454 - Level and Virtual Set Design - 3 units

  • ART 455 - Game Studio - 3 units

  • ART 455 - Game Studio - 3 units

  • ENGL 260 Videogame Storytelling - 3 units [Breadth Area: GE-3B]


Media & Design Histories

Choose one (1) of the following for 3 units:

  • ART 127 - History of Play, Games, and Interactivity - 3 units [Breadth Area: GE-3A]

  • ART 226 Histories of Design - 3 units [Breadth Area: GE-3A]


Restricted Electives

Choose two (2) of the following for 6 units:

  • ART 260 - Introduction to Illustration - 3 units

  • ART 301 - Sketching Interactions - 3 units

  • ART 346 - 3D Modeling and Animation II - 3 units

  • ART 362 - Illustrating Dynamic Forms - 3 units

Students in BFA Art, Game Arts concentration will complete ART 493B - Game Arts Senior Project as their capstone.

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New and updated courses:

Art 255 - Fundamentals of Game Design and Development (3 units)
Combining beginning game design art, concepts, and methods to create a variety of simple games. Creating art, using mechanics, building prototypes, designing, and user testing original games, individually and in teams using a professional game engine.

Art 355 - Game Characters and Concepts (3 units)
Working with player and non-player characters in digital games from concept art to animation, from simple interaction to sophisticated AI, students analyze, conceptualize, design, rig, and implement a range of characters and their interactions across multiple game genres.

Art 454 - Level and Virtual Set Design (3 units)
Design, construction and texturing of 3D environments with static, mobile, lighting, and interactive elements for games and cinema. Development of gameplay through explicit and implicit narrative, creation of goals and obstacles, and implementation of mechanics, followed by iterative playtesting. 

Art 455 - Game Arts Studio (3 units)
Choose common roles from the field, such as interaction designer, animator, graphic designer, sound engineer, character designer, 3D modeler, and level designer as part of a creative team; together, design, plan, and build a complex, interactive and playable media work.

Art 493B - Game Arts Senior Project (3 units)
Students produce a game or component of game design, such as a fully implemented character or level, reflecting mastery of creative, design,  and development skills and processes that meet professional standards within the field of Game Arts.