Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design /Department of Design
/CoAD
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design program is a project-focused, multi-disciplinary degree program, with a focus on game system design, level design, and game assembly. The Game Design program curriculum employs an industry-applicable approach that includes art asset creation and integration, defining narrative, storytelling, and collaborative development practices between artists and programmers. During their time at LTU, game art students take several Integrated Game Studios, which act as a platform for professional practice, bringing together the University's disciplines in order to produce and release games within the curriculum itself. Throughout the program, students are challenged to develop critical thinking skills as they visually communicate concepts, analyze industry trends, and apply design principles and patterns to their work that is encouraged to be focused on their individual talents and interests in the multi-faceted field.
Careers in Game Design
Our program prepares students to work in a range of areas, including game design, project management, storyboarding, 3D modeling, concept art , illustration, animation, motion graphics, game development, app development, art direction, game writing, user experience/user interface design (UX/UI) and more.
Current students and graduates work for local and national companies, including Ford, Jackbox Games, Chimera Labs, Dead Art Games, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Mackevision, Seventy 7, Flyover Games, Quicken Loans, Pluto, FanLabel, Pixo, 3DExcite, and Dreaming Door Studios.
Featured Alumni
Haley Lee
BFA in Game Art, 2020
Haley’s focus on 3D modeling in the program has led her to explore adjacent fields like VFX and Automotive. She is currently working at FCA as a User Experience Intern and was an Intern at Hello Pluto.
Q: Tell us a little about your background.
A: I am a specialist in 3D environment art for games. I create all the environment that you would see in video games such as buildings, trees, and so forth. I grew up in Michigan where I come from a family of engineers. I enjoy playing golf and watching movies and Esports. I am obsessed with cats, but I’m very allergic.
Q: What made you choose to attend Lawrence Tech?
A: I knew I always loved art, but because of the stigma around “starving artist” I was hesitant. I wanted to be able create worlds with no restrictions. Game Art allowed me to have unlimited creative and artistic freedom all with learning hard technical skills that could promise future employment. Alongside learning technical skills, we have the most amazing studio culture in Game Art. Everyone is genuinely nice and easy to make friends with. We are all there to support one another and are welcoming of everyone.
Q: For those who might be interested in Game Art, do you have any advice?
A: You have to work extremely hard. If you want to work for a big AAA company you have to hone your craft. You have to constantly teach yourself outside of class to grow as an artist. This major is extremely fun and collaborative, but you still have to work hard. It is a major that gives what you put in.
Harry
Panourgias
BFA in Game Art, 2019
Harry is currently pursuing his passion of teaching English in Japan while working as a pixel artist for indie games like Other and Oddity. Both games have received critical acclaim through successful Kickstarter campaigns (Other) or originally being a well known fan game (Oddity was “Mother 4”).
Q: Tell us a little about your background.
A: I grew up in Troy, Michigan. Life’s pretty calm around my neighborhood, so I would be outside a lot as a child - there’s a really good mix of nature and suburban life. The tree in my backyard is over a century old, which really caught my imagination as a child - it’s huge! The shadows from all of the trees look really nice during sunset, too. These particular elements made it a location that would later inspire the Game Art I make.
Q: What made you choose to attend Lawrence Tech?
A: LTU had just the right amount of specialization for me. On top of offering Game Art as a specialized major, other elements sealed the deal for me; the faculty is personable, the class sizes are small, and the dorms are comfortable. There’s really a sense of community on campus - and there’s always a sense that there’s someone you can learn something from, both inside and outside of the classroom.
Q: For those who might be interested in Game Art, do you have any advice?
A: Take the Game Design skills you learn, and apply them extracurricularly. There’s a lot of opportunities just waiting for you if you practice your craft often.
Brandon Hurlburt
BFA in Game Art, 2018
Brandon Hurlburt is a 3D Artist, with particular interest in industry workflows and software. Since graduating at LTU he has been learning and adapting to work such as 3D scanning, lighting, rendering, augmented & virtual reality.
Q: Tell us a little about your background.
A: I grew up with video games and thought about pursuing the video games industry ever since middle school. I was always interested in media that had a unique style to its visuals - something about taking real things and manipulating them enough that they look bizarre yet familiar always interested me.
Q: What made you choose to attend Lawrence Tech?
A: During my sophomore year of high school, I was looking for colleges that had a game program that included studies in both for art and programming. I attended one of the summer exploration days at LTU and got a glimpse into a program focused on these studies.
Q: For those who might be interested in Game Art, do you have any advice?
A: Be open to what you can learn/pursue. I drew all my life leading up to my work at LTU and pursued 3D since nearly day one. There are many avenues you can pivot towards while here. Anything from curating illustrations to animation and storyboarding. Dive in early. There is a lot to learn and thankfully there are many resources that are free early on. Take advantage of online tutorials and free programs that the pros use like Blender, Unity and Unreal.
Rachel
Seeger
BFA in Game Art, 2016
Rachel Seeger is the Lead Artist at Dreaming Door Games , an Indie video game company based in Bloomfield Hills. Rachel is currently working with Dreaming Door Games on their first project, Golden Treasure, an interactive narrative game about growing up as a baby dragon.
Q: Tell us a little about your background.
A: I grew up in the small, northern town of Charlevoix, where I fostered a passion for art from a young age.
Q: What made you choose to attend Lawrence Tech?
A: I was drawn to LTU because of its focus on technology along with art, and practicality along with aesthetics. I wanted to make sure that I was learning about the technical aspects of my field, and LTU delivered: the student laptops preloaded with the latest industry software was a tremendous asset to my education
Q: For those who might be interested in Game Art, do you have any advice?
A: My advice to someone contemplating entering the video game industry would be make sure you are truly interested in the craft involved. Many people want to get into the industry simply because they like to play games, and soon find that actually making games really isn't for them. If you are passionate about design, storytelling, world building, and exploring cutting edge technology, then definitely give Game Art a closer look.
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1. J. Spurlin, Level Design // 2. S. Olson and J. Klaus, Poto and Chubs // 3. D. Subjeck, Interstellar Symphony // 4. C. Hughes, Level Design // 5. M. Hartman, 2D Concept Art // 6. H. Panourgioas, Fynnland // 7. T. Kurokawa, Shockball Player
Admissions + Curriculum
Admission into the Game Design program follows the University’s admission criteria. Portfolios are not required for admission.
For specific Game Design program questions, contact the Chair of Design, Philip Plowright, at pplowrigh@ltu.edu.
For general questions about admissions, our programs or the college, please contact Associate Dean, Lilian Crum, at lcrum@ltu.edu or click on the links below.
Total Semester Credit Hours: 120
Featured Faculty
Stephen Mallory
Faculty and Game Studies Researcher
Ahu Yolac
Faculty and Game Studies Researcher
Brett Pennings
Game Developer at Bowlcut Studios
Stephen Mallory
Faculty and Game Studies Researcher
Ahu Yolac
Faculty and Game Studies Researcher
Brett Pennings
Game Developer at Bowlcut Studios
Scholarships
Lectures
Student Work