Associate of Fine Arts - Game Design

Students who want to focus on their professional goals as game designers can earn an Associate (AFA) degree in Game Design at the New York Film Academy. In this two-year, four-semester program, candidates get a full complement of game design and development training that includes exposure to Playcentric Design™, Agile development, Programming for Non-Programmers, and storytelling studies. Just as important, the program incorporates NYFA’s Game Studio course each semester wherein students lead their own digital game studio with classmates and create a functioning digital game.

Game Studio includes one-to-one mentorship from faculty, industry advisors, and a professional programmer who works with each student team. The program’s strength is in the intensity of hands-on workshops in game design, game narrative, and game analysis– necessary for anyone wishing to work in the commercial game world. Students collaborate with leading game development companies from industry and the world of independent games, providing direct experience with working professionals and leaders in the industry. Internships and externships are formal components of the program. Programming experience is helpful but not a prerequisite for entrance into the Associates Degree in Game Design. Familiarity with programming will smooth the path for a student seeking to build sophisticated games in the NYFA Game Studio class each semester and will boost the students’ job-hire potential in industry.