University at Buffalo (UB)
Certificate in Game Studies
Students earning the Game Studies Certificate learn about games from a variety of perspectives, from how to make them to how to understand their role in society.
Certificate Requirements
The Game Studies Certificate requires a total of 9 courses, including prerequisites (approximately 36 credits). Many of these prerequisites overlap with requirements for other majors including Computer Science, Art, and Media Study.:
Prerequisites (2 courses):
These foundational courses give students a background in the production skills and theoretical frameworks that will be used for later courses in the certificate. Generally these courses are at the 100 to 200 level. While equivalent courses or experience can be substituted for the prerequisites, students generally choose one course from each of these categories a) DMS 110 Programming for Digital Art, CSE 115 Introduction to Computer Science I, DMS 121 Basic Digital Arts, or ART 303 Introduction to Digital Art, and b) ART 140 Time Based Concepts, DMS 259 Introduction to Media Analysis or DMS 220 Machines, Codes and Cultures.
Required Courses (pick 3 of 4 options):
- DMS 448 Games, Gender, and Society,
- DMS 462 Game Design
- Upper-level class focusing on designed play or a related topic, such as ART 425 Designed Play, DMS 457 Locative Media, DMS 463 Electronic Literature, or ART 473 Performative Action.
- ART 499 or DMS 499 Independent Study (Note: This option is a capstone project, yielding a game or research paper, and if selected it must be taken after the other courses.)
Electives (4 courses):
These courses are drawn from the 200 level to the 400 level. A partial list of electives for the Game Studies Certificate is available in the course catalog, but students may petition to count any course from any department that focuses on the production or study of games. As approval of new courses as electives is not guaranteed, students should submit any potential electives to the department’s academic advisor before the beginning of the semester.
Special Note For Media Study Majors:
Those using the Game Studies Certificate as the required outside concentration to accompany the Media Study major must have 6 courses from the Required Courses and Electives categories that do not overlap between the major and the certificate. Further, the Advanced Production course for Media Study must not be used as part of the Game Study requirements.
