From the creation of battle systems or destructible environments to virtual worlds where players interact online with each other around the globe, programmers are vital to the future of gaming. At The Art Institute of California—Los Angeles, a campus of Argosy University, students are introduced not only to coding through theory and textbooks, students can receive hands-on, real-time, real-life practice. Working closely with technical artists and game designers, game programming students have a testing ground for the incubation of new ideas, development of new techniques and experimentation with advanced concepts.

Intensely hands-on, this program exposes students to the process of game design from the germination of basic artistic concepts and game play strategies to the building of assets and characters, and is designed to provide the engineering tools necessary for creative problem solving and meeting the challenges of interactive play, artificial intelligence and evolving virtual worlds.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
To receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Game Programming, students must: receive a passing grade or credit for all required coursework; earn a minimum of 180 quarter credits; achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher; meet portfolio or other requirements as outlined by the program; and satisfy all financial obligations to The Art Institute.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates should be able to:
? Demonstrate an understanding of basic design showing a solid foundation of the principles of game design according to professional industry standards.
? Apply the process of game asset creation for use in industry standard engines through all stages of the production pipeline.
? Demonstrate the managerial and developmental aspects of the game production pipeline.
? Use coding skills in object-oriented, 3-D scripting, shell scripting, console programming and game engine scripting languages.
? Be prepared for the developing challenges of online gaming environments.
? Demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills and work as a team member within the field.
? Demonstrate the requisite presentation, interviewing, resume-building and game business knowledge critical to seeking an entry level programming position in the industry.