UM’s Game Studies and Design minor offers students a unique opportunity to explore academically the interdisciplinary concepts involved in game studies and design from a liberal-arts perspective. Students choosing this minor will be able to select classes from a wide variety of disciplines including English, marketing, mathematics, philosophy and sociology, all of which play pivotal roles in the design and composition of the vast majority of games throughout history. Students who pursue the minor study a range of games such as card games, board games, alternate reality games, serious games, and video games.
A minor in Game Studies and Design (GSD) consists of 21 credit hours. The following five courses are required of all students in order to successfully complete the minor: GSD 210 - History of Games , GSD 225 - Survey of Modern Games , GSD 301 - Game Design Workshop I , GSD 302 - Game Design Workshop II , and MATH 202 - Mathematics of Games .
Students choosing the minor will also select two courses from the following: ART 132 - Three-Dimensional Design/Tools & Materials , ENG 361 - Creative Writing , ENG 489 (Technical Writing for Games only), GEOG 303 - Selected Topics in Regional Geography , MK 351 - Principles of Marketing , MATH 295 (Mathematics of Chess Only), THEA 314 - Fundamentals of Theatre Design , THEA 318 - Costume Design I , any GSD 295 - Special Topics course, any GSD 395 - Special Topics course (including, but not limited to, English: Children’s Literature of Games, English: Technical Writing for Games, Philosophy: The Aesthetics of Games and the Ethics of Gaming, and Sociology: Sociology of Games). GSD 295 and GSD 395 may be repeated if the special topics are different.
Undergraduate Research in Game Studies and Design is also available on an individual basis. For more information, contact Dr. Cathlena Martin at cmartin16@montevallo.edu or games@montevallo.edu.