Game art and animation offers students an opportunity to master visual arts and animation within the game medium. The program focuses on developing the depth of knowledge required to be successful in a highly competitive industry. The continuing revolution in digital computing and animation has produced a rapidly evolving field for artists who create aesthetics, characters, and environments for games. The major encourages students to think critically and work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams. The collaborative approach helps all team members to understand the context in which their asset contributions are used and to develop visual design skills in the service of larger experiential goals. Students have many opportunities to collaborate with their peers and work with students in the BS in computer science and game development and BFA in games majors, culminating in a two-semester senior capstone. Students will have a home college in the College of Arts, Media and Design but will have a minimum of four interdisciplinary courses where students interact and work together with students in the other degrees.
Working in the interdisciplinary game areas, the program fosters experiential learning opportunities utilizing diverse intersections of skills merging artistic practice and expression blended with technology. Focus is on establishing core skills that engage critical thinking in preparation for professional practice in game art and asset creation or moving on to advanced study. Students will have an opportunity to develop tools to succeed, eagerness to innovate, and skills to become next-generation entrepreneurs in an ever-changing games and media landscape. Practical and technical experiential training will be offered via Northeastern’s world-renowned co-op program.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
NUpath requirements Creative Expression (EI), Interpreting Culture (IC), Societies and Institutions (SI), and Analyzing/Using Data (AD) are met through the major course requirements. All other NUpath requirements must be met through electives.
Game Art Courses
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
ARTF 1000 | Art and Design at Northeastern | 1 |
Foundations | ||
ARTF 1120 | Observational Drawing | 4 |
ARTF 1122 | Color and Composition (with optional ARTF 1123) | 4 |
ARTF 1124 and ARTF 1125 | Form and Structure and Form and Structure Tools | 5 |
ARTF 2220 and ARTF 2221 | Movement and Time and Movement and Time Tools | 5 |
ARTF 2223 and ARTF 2224 | Experience and Interaction and Experience and Interaction Tools | 5 |
ARTH 1001 and ARTH 1002 | Visual Intelligence and Seminar in Visual Intelligence | 4 |
ARTH 2212 | Survey of the Still and Moving Image | 4 |
GAME 1110 | Games and Society | 4 |
Art History Elective | ||
Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
Interactive Media and Society | ||
Topics in Design History | ||
Modern Art and Design History | ||
Contemporary Art and Design History | ||
History of Graphic Design | ||
Global Networks in Early Modern Art and Visual Culture | ||
Topics in Visual Studies | ||
Performance Art | ||
Topics in Visual Studies | ||
Contemporary Art Theory and Criticism | ||
Landscape and Ecology in Visual Culture | ||
Media Arts Required | ||
ARTD 2100 | Narrative Basics | 4 |
or GAME 2355 | Narrative for Games | |
ARTD 2370 and ARTD 2371 | Animation Basics and Animation Tools | 5 |
GAME 2500 | Foundations of Game Design | 4 |
Complete one of the following: | 5 | |
Introduction to Photography and Photo Tools | ||
Video Basics and Video Tools |
Animation Courses
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Animation | ||
ARTD 3000 | Topics in Media Arts | 4 |
ARTD 3470 | Animation 1 | 4 |
ARTD 3472 | Character Design for Animation | 4 |
ARTD 3473 | Animation for Games | 4 |
ARTD 4570 | Animation 2 | 4 |
ARTD 4575 | Animation 3 | 4 |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Electives | ||
Complete two of the following as long as prerequisites have been met. At least one must be at the 4000 level: | 8 | |
Game Design | ||
Experimental Game Design | ||
The Business of Games | ||
Introduction to Game Research Methods | ||
Games Criticism and Theory | ||
Games and Social Justice | ||
Game Studio | ||
Game Interface Design | ||
Level Design and Game Architecture | ||
Rapid Idea Prototyping for Games | ||
Game Concept Development | ||
Topics in Game Design | ||
Designing Imaginary Worlds | ||
Generative Game Design | ||
Game Production | ||
Art and Design | ||
If ARTD 3000 Topics in Media Arts (or any other topics course in the options listed below) is completed more than once, the additional completions may be allowed toward the electives. | ||
Topics in Media Arts | ||
Photography: Concept + Process | ||
Virtual Environment Design | ||
Video: Sound and Image | ||
Photography: Visual Strategies + Context | ||
Studio Photography | ||
Photography: Experimental Processes | ||
Art and Design Abroad: Studio | ||
Art and Design Abroad: History | ||
Special Topics in Art and Design Studio | ||
Graphic Design Principles | ||
Programming Basics | ||
Physical and Digital Fabrication | ||
Physical Computing | ||
Interactive Media and Society | ||
Painting Basics | ||
Figure Drawing | ||
Drawing in Mixed Media | ||
Other | ||
Fundamentals of Computer Science 1 and Lab for CS 2500 | ||
Foundations of Psychology |
Capstone Requirement
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
ARTD 4530 | Media Arts Degree Project | 4 |
Supporting Course
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
MATH 1260 | Math Fundamentals for Games | 4 |
Writing Requirement
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
ENGW 3314 | Advanced Writing in the Arts, Media, and Design | 4 |
or ENGW 3315 | Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines |
Major Credit Requirement
89 semester hours required in the major
Program Requirement
133 total semester hours required
Sample Four Years, Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1
ZA Plan of Study Only
Year 1 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
ARTF 1000 | 1 | ARTD 2370 and ARTD 2371 | 5 | ARTF 2223 and ARTF 2224 | 5 | Elective | 4 |
ARTF 1120 | 4 | ARTF 1122 (with optional ARTF 1123) | 4 | Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 |
ARTF 2220 and ARTF 2221 | 5 | ARTF 1124 and ARTF 1125 | 5 | ||||
GAME 2500 | 4 | GAME 1110 | 4 | ||||
ENGW 1111 | 4 | ||||||
18 | 18 | 9 | 8 | ||||
Year 2 | |||||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
ARTD 3470 | 4 | Co-op | Co-op | Elective | 4 | ||
ARTD 3473 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
ARTH 1001 and ARTH 1002 | 4 | ||||||
EEAM 2000 | 1 | ||||||
GAME 2355 or ARTD 2100 | 4 | ||||||
17 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
Year 3 | |||||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
ARTD 3472 | 4 | Co-op | Co-op | Elective | 4 | ||
ARTD 4570 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
ARTH 2212 | 4 | ||||||
Advanced Writing in the Disciplines | 4 | ||||||
16 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
Year 4 | |||||||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
ARTD 4575 | 4 | ARTD 4530 | 4 | ||||
Art history elective | 4 | Game Design or A + D elective | 4 | ||||
Game Design or A + D elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
Intro to Photo or Video Basics | 5 | Elective | 4 | ||||
17 | 16 | ||||||
Total Hours: 135 |