ISSUE 3 • FALL 2023
Game Software Development:
Not A Game, But Fun All The Same
One of the most popular programs offered in the Computer Science major in the College of Arts and Sciences is, no joke, Game Software Development. This concentration is serious business, said José González-Belmonte , Assistant Professor of Practice in the Math and Computer Science Department. “Making games is very different from playing games.”
Video games have come a long way since the first video game debuted in the 1950s. “Tennis for Two,” sometimes considered to be the first, was a simple tennis game created by physicist William Higinbotham. Thanks to computer technology, game software development has steadily captured the attention of young people. The fall 2022 semester saw the largest class of game software development students, 40, at LTU. Why the growth?
“What’s unique about LTU’s Game Software Development program is that we teach a lot of software engineering skills, skills that are in demand in the auto companies, in banks, in insurance companies, everywhere.”
– José González-Belmonte
González-Belmonte said, “During COVID, everyone was at home playing video games. Gaming companies realized that making games was very profitable, much more profitable than making films and broadcasting. There was and continues to be strong demand for game software developers.”
In 2010, LTU debuted a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Game Software Development. Students specifically learn the programming side of gaming. Game design and the history of game design classes are offered in the College of Architecture and Design.
Game Software Development students pose during their trip to the March ’23 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco
“What’s unique about LTU’s Game Software Development program is that we teach a lot of software engineering skills, skills that are in demand in the auto companies, in banks, in insurance companies, everywhere,” said González-Belmonte. The Detroit area is home to a lot of smaller, independent developers versus Los Angeles or New York.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES, and COMMUNICATION
LTUX, an Anime and Gaming expo, is organized by students from the Game Software Development and Game Design programs.
Game Software Development senior Michael Shaughnessy was dual enrolled in computer science at LTU during his time at Berkeley High School. “I love gaming. I’ve been playing video games most of my life. I was drawn to computers and have an interest in programming. With Game Software Development, I get the best of both worlds,” Shaughnessy said. He’d like to work in a game studio.
For computer scientists, he said, gaming is the sort of industry where your skills are always needed. And LTU prepares students well. “LTUX is an extracurricular expo for artists and game developers. It’s a great experience but you’ve got to put in the work,” he said. “It’s all about practice.” One of his favorite classes was Game Genre Development. “Every two weeks we had to make a game. It’s the most helpful class I’ve had since high school,” Shaughnessy believes. “Along with some coding, you learn teamwork, collaborating with others, taking criticism, and leadership skills.”
Of his instructor and advisor González-Belmonte, Shaughnessy said, “José is only three or four years older than I am. He’s a fantastic friend, very talented and very skilled.”
Maggie Hartman ’23 demonstrates her creation: Witch Switch 2
Maggie Hartman feels the same. Dual enrolled at Macomb Community College while she was at Oxford High School, she completed her AB degree in business but didn’t like it. She wanted to be doing something more creative. She was given a laptop with gaming software on it and recently got the idea of creating games. Hartman decided to learn coding through the Game Software Development program in addition to classes in her Game Design program for a more complete, rounded education in gaming. She graduated in spring 2023 with a BFA in Game Design. As someone who now sees the option to start her own gaming studio one day, Hartman now realizes the value of her business degree combined with her LTU experience.
Hartman has high praise for her professors at LTU. “The encouragement, positivity, and helpful feedback they’ve given me are so appreciated. From José, I’ve gotten absolutely the same wonderful support, the drive to help myself and other students to see their projects through to completion.”
González-Belmonte, who came to the U.S. from Venezuela at age 17, has been “gaming since I was little. What I love about it is the storytelling, solving problems, and the math,” he said. This fall, he began his doctoral program in Computer and Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
by Renée Ahee