CSC News

Game Development Program Ranked #1 in NC

According to the 2020 Game Design School Rankings by the Animation Career Review, NC State’s Game Development Program in the Department of Computer Science has been ranked #1 in North Carolina and #7 in the South. Additionally, NC State was ranked among the top 25% of all schools nationally. 

After considering over 130 different schools with game design programs across the United States, the Animation Career Review ranked programs through surveys and gathering information based on criteria including academic reputation, admission selectivity, depth and breadth of the program, value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness, and geographic location.

The NC State Computer Science Department began offering a concentration in Video Game Development in 2008. Since then, the program has developed into one of the best in the nation. While students focus on the development of video games and software engineering processes, the program also allows students to take non-computer science electives, which will aid in their holistic development as well-rounded students with multifaceted skill sets.

Dr. David Roberts, Associate Professor of Computer Science at NC State and the concentration’s director, commented on the many benefits of the interdisciplinary program.

“I think it’s critically important that students are well-rounded. Computer science as a discipline has expanded over the last 20 years to touch virtually every sector of the economy in some way…The opportunity for our students to get training in the deeply technical elements of video game development, but also exposure and training in the visual, psychological, and narratological aspects of game design creates well-rounded work-force participants.”

Dr. Arnav Jhala, Associate Professor Computer Science at NC State, commended the resources and opportunities offered to students by NC State.

“I think one of our strengths is that we are one of the big research universities in the field. The access to cutting-edge research allows us to look ahead to the problems that the industry will be facing and makes us unique…We want to make sure students have all the opportunities to be successful.”

Students in the Video Game Development Concentration at NC State can successfully advance in the field of computer science while gaining a multi-disciplinary view of game development.

~snyder~