Game Art (BA/BS)

Game Art is a fast-growing industry where you take your passion for art and create stunning visuals for digital real-time environments like video games, movies, architectural visualization and more. Game Art covers a wide spectrum of visual aspects, including concept art, asset creation, environment art, character art and animation.

Preparing You for Success

As a game art student, you’ll learn to create optimized 3D content for videogames. Your classes will develop your artistic, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, the kind you’ll need to be successful in your professional career as a game artist. Industry-experienced faculty will guide you through crafting a professional portfolio, and you’ll be in close collaboration with students and faculty in our top-ranked game design program.

By the time you graduate, your experience may include:

  • Hands-on learning with industry-standard software packages
  • Personal and professional growth through game jams and other competitions
  • An internship at a distinguished company working in game art or real-time visualization
  • Opportunities to show your digital artwork to the public at the annual FUSE exhibit

Making Your Mark

The artistic eye and technical skills needed to be a game art professional are in high demand — not only for the video game industry but in any profession that uses visuals in a real-time environment. As a game artist, you’ll have the satisfaction of creating the characters, objects and scenery to build new worlds.

BA/BS Major Requirements

Required Courses - 53 hrs.

  • IM 110: Introduction to Game Development - 3 hrs.
    or IM 140 Introduction to Animation - 3 hrs.
  • ART 101: Drawing 1 - 3 hrs.
  • ART 102: Drawing 2 - 3 hrs.
  • IM 130: Game Art Fundamentals - 3 hrs.
  • IM 150: Fundamentals of Interactive Design - 3 hrs.
  • IM 226: Practicum - 4 hrs.
  • IM 233: 2D for Game Art - 3 hrs.
  • IM 230: Game Art Development - 3 hrs.
  • IM 235: Environment Art - 3 hrs.
  • IM 289: Game Production I - 3 hrs.
  • IM 333: Character Art - 3 hrs.
  • IM 335: Advanced Game Art - 3 hrs.
  • IM 389: Game Production II - 3 hrs.
  • IM 426: Practicum – 4 hrs.
  • IM 459: Game Capstone Project I - 3 hrs.
  • IM 489: Game Capstone Project II - 6 hrs.

Theory & History Requirment (Choose 2) - 6 hrs.

  • IM 191: Appreciating Comics - 3 hrs.
  • IM 243: History of Animation - 3 hrs.
  • IM 355: New Media Theory - 3 hrs.
  • IM 380: Critical Game Studies - 3 hrs.
  • IM 450: Critical Issues in Interactive Media - 3 hrs.
  • CFA 250: Film History - 3 hrs.
  • CFA 320: Film Theory & Criticism - 3 hrs.
  • CIS 300: Computers & Society - 3 hrs.
  • COM 300: Communication Theory
  • COM 386: Media Race & Gender - 3 hrs.
  • COM 393: Small Group Communication - 3 hrs.
  • HIS 352: Introduction to Digital Humanities - 3 hrs.

Total Hours - 59 hrs.

Student Work

Amanda Lardner's Sword and Shield

Amanda Lardner
Sword and Shield
Game Res Prop Project
2022

Gregory Herron's Snowy Night

Gregory Herron
Snowy Night
Game Res Prop Project
2022

Keelan Rodgers' 2D and 3D Figure Sculpt Study

Keelan Rodgers
Ballet
2D and 3D Figure Sculpt Study
2022