Game Art
What’s the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Game Art program at UArts about?
- We seek to develop thinkers who can express themselves through media. In Game Art, our media are 2D and 3D graphics and immersive and interactive technologies.
- We use the tools of game design and gamification to develop visionary leaders in fields as diverse as city planning, medical visualization and Virtual Tourism.
- UArts is the perfect place to develop the Game Artist of the future. Games are a synthesis of film, theater, graphics, music, animation, and fine art skills. We can leverage the other competencies developed in our university’s 140-year history to create the Renaissance Artist for the world of new media.
- We mold fine artists capable of multimedia installations in galleries, visualization at the forefront of technology, or developing unique, expressive indie games for the app store. The possibilities are limitless.
Students immerse themselves in the foundations of game art: Drawing, 3D Design and Concept Development. Learn to enhance your models and environments with convincing textures, lighting and visual effects.
Game Art is a synthesis of storytelling, graphics, sound & music, cinema & theater, animation, and fine art skills. With its rich multidisciplinary history, UArts is the perfect environment to mold the Game Artist of the future.
— Erik Van Horn, Program Director
Game Art
Click the images below to read more.
Erik VanHorn
Game Art
Digital Art Director, 'Magic: The Gathering'; Disney Animation Studios
Jeremy Maas
Game Art
Designer of applications, games and experiences
Rob Shields
Game Art
Game designer, illustrator and comics artist
Jason Corbett
BFA '15
Member of the winning team of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's 2017 Hackathon
Sample Courses in the Game Art Major
First Year
Drawing: Objects & Space
Drawing: Natural Forms & The Human Figure
Image/Time
Color
Object/Environment
Body as Form
Second Year
Introduction to Design
Computer Art Studio
Programming for Creatives
Virtual 3D Environments I
Introduction to Computer Animation
Third Year
3D I: Introduction
3D II: Advanced Modeling and Lighting
3D III: Advanced Character Animation
Game Concepts
Virtual 3D Environments II
Professional Practices
Fourth Year
Senior Studio
Design Internship
About the Curriculum
The Game Art program utilizes a cross-college, interdisciplinary framework to create skillful virtual 3D artists who can create compelling, complex digital worlds from concept through realization. Our approach balances the development of the artist’s creative voice with in-depth, systematic, progressive technical instruction. Students are exposed to broad historical contexts in order to develop rich aesthetics that push the boundaries of imagination. By emphasizing the artistic components of immersive media creation, we are able to re-think and re-frame the visualization of game worlds and experiences. Students will be prepared to be effective creative partners, whether serving as part of a small indie-game development team or working on a large AAA title.
Students who complete the Game Art program will demonstrate ability to:
- Utilize 3D-game development tools and systems to produce technically competent works of art;
- Imagine and express creative, innovative, visually engaging virtual worlds and characters;
- Participate and collaborate successfully as effective members of creative development teams;
- Develop meaningful 3D virtual objects, characters and worlds across a wide range of aesthetic styles, while adapting to rapid changes in industry.
To earn the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Game Art, students will complete a total of 126 credits as follows:
- 39 credits in the Game Art Major
- 18 credits in College of Art, Media & Design Core Studies
- 6 credits in School of Design Core
- 4.5 credits in Creative Practices and Collaborative Studio
- 12 credits in Art History
- 30 credits in the Liberal Arts
- 16.5 credits in Free Electives
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