Game on

Video gaming is an extremely popular source of entertainment for people worldwide. And at Michigan State University, Spartans aren’t just playing the game — they’re creating it.

MSU's College of Communication Arts and Sciences is home to the only program in game design and development in the Big Ten ranked in the top 10 by Princeton Review. The Game Design and Development Program offers a mix of disciplines, and faculty and students represent a range of backgrounds, including designers, artists and programmers.

Students and faculty in GameDev@MSU and the Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab work with the latest technology to conduct research, design prototypes and techniques, create award-winning games and advance research on the social and individual effects of digital games.

“The philosophy of our program at MSU is to bring students in and give them real-world practice on projects,” says Brian Winn, professor of media and information. “We want them to actually be building things that go out in the world and have an impact beyond just the grades that they get.”

Video game footage courtesy of and designed by students in the MSU Game Design and Development Program.