CCNY has launched a degree program in digital game development.
The City College of New York marks the launch of its pioneering bachelor of science in digital game development program with a symposium on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Participants, including leading academics, educators and industry experts, will explore how New York City can increase the economic impact of the video game industry on its economy and strengthen its technology ecosystem, foster entrepreneurship, and create new pathways for high-quality employment.
Key to this is the need to develop a skilled and inclusive workforce that reflects the diversity of New York City’s communities. The symposium will focus on ways to prepare the next generation of innovators, equipping them with the tools and opportunities necessary to thrive in today’s digital economy.
The new degree program was made possible by a multi-million-dollar investment from the City of New York. Pat Swinney Kaufman, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, hailed its start.
“We are excited to participate in City College's symposium celebrating the launch of the Bachelor of Science in Digital Game Development, which this administration invested over $2 million into as part of a larger strategy to uplift and expand New York City's digital game industry and make it accessible to all New Yorkers,” she said. "The Bachelor's Degree program, combined with other efforts of this office, including the Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs Esports Competition, has solidified a K-college pathway to prepare the youngest New Yorkers for jobs in the city's digital games workforce."
City College President Dr. Vincent Boudreau said public institutions have public obligations, and today’s CCNY answers those obligations in part by tuning its curricular offerings to the economic development needs of the city. “When the Mayor’s office announced its plans to make New York a center for economic activity around the gaming industry, we realized that our various departments had the capacity to be a hub for talent development. Now, after several years of work and in partnership with Science and Arts Engagement New York, we are launching our gaming major. Student demand is extremely high as are our expectations for the program,” Boudreau said.
According to Stan M. Altman, Gaming Pathways Program director, the skills students gain for careers in the video game industry extend well beyond games —as they are valuable in entertainment, public relations, fashion, product design, and other technology-driven industries.
“This symposium will showcase the many ways video games are being used, from advancing education to supporting mental health, and even helping the public understand how their choices impact society’s ability to address challenges like climate change,” he added. “With the launch of City College’s new bachelor of science degree in digital game development, we are contributing to New York City’s efforts to build a diverse pipeline of talent that will drive the growth of the digital game industry and strengthen the city’s creative economy.”
The digital game development major provides students with a foundation in the three main disciplines in game development: game design, programming, and digital art production. With that basis, students join teams to build game projects in studio classes, focusing on the specialization of their choice and learning critical teamwork and producing skills.
Students enrolled in the four-year program will take courses in programming, game design, animation, graphic design, and more advanced techniques as they progress. Beginners will take introductory courses that will provide them with the skills and software needed to develop digital games from scratch.
Boudreau and Altman will speak at the symposium, that starts at 10 a.m. in CCNY’s Steinman Hall Auditorium. Other speakers include:
- Edward Metz, former U.S. Department of Education Program Manager;
- Nick Fortugno, co-director of the Digital Game Development Program;
- Philip Courtney, CEO, Urban Arts;
- Harold Goldberg, president, Playing with Purpose, New York Videogame Critics Circle;
- Anthony Casasnovas, manager, NYCPS Division of Instruction & Information Technology;
- Susan Perkins, provost, SUNY Potsdam and co-founder of the Digital Game Development program when she was Dean of Science at CCNY; and
- Matthew R.F. Balousek, game designer and new media artist.
Alia Jones-Harvey, Associate Commissioner MOME will serve as moderator on the panel on "Reimaging K-12 Education for the 21st Century." In addition, Kyra Willis-Umdenstock, Program Advisor, Digital Game Development Program will moderate a panel of students majoring in digital game development.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers, and society. At City College, more than 16,500 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity, and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together,” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College's mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic, and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
917.892.0374
jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu