Are you an avid gamer? Have you found a new love for video games while practicing social distancing? Do you have ideas that you think could help evolve the industry? Have you ever considered turning this hobby into a career?
DigiPen Institute of Technology helps students do just that by teaching them to build a career in game design.Â
As millions of people are at home searching for new forms of entertainment, the gaming industry has experienced even more of a boom. But those at DigiPen are ahead of the curve.Â
As the first institution to offer a bachelor’s degree program in video game development, DigiPen prepares students for the unique challenges of building a career in the gaming world. Their students are taught by seasoned content experts who equip them with knowledge to contribute to emerging technologies in the industry.Â
With campuses in Singapore, Spain, and its main campus in Redmond, Washington (right outside of Seattle), DigiPen has been consistently ranked as a top five video game design school by The Princeton Review for the last 11 years. The institution currently offers nine undergraduate and two graduate degree programs, including digital art and animation, computer engineering, game design, music and sound design, and other computer science specializations. And with a student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1, their students receive individual mentorship and guidance along the way regardless of the path they choose.
It’s no secret that as the video game industry continues to see success, DigiPen graduates do as well. Alumni enter into the workforce with the highest median salary among Washington State Universities and at the top 1% across the United States. Grads have been hired at over 400 top companies like Microsoft, Nintendo, Disney, and Amazon while some even decide to branch out and start their own businesses.Â
No need to worry if you’re not sure you’ll want to work in the gaming industry forever. DigiPen’s project-based approach creates alumni who are prepared for work environments that don’t just stop in gaming. Their alumni are doing it all. Some of them have applied their talents to a wide spectrum of pursuits in technology, business, simulation, TV and film entertainment, and even aerospace!
Yet, DigiPen’s connections to hundreds of video game and technology companies don’t just benefit students after graduation — it begins their very first days on campus. The institution’s ties with major tech companies provide them the luxury of incorporating these relationships into curriculum advisory, guest lectures with industry leaders, and student internship opportunities. From the very beginning DigiPen students are given hands-on experience that provides them with the tools to become problem solvers and innovators through real-world projects. Their students’ work continues to garner applause both in and outside of the classroom as their games, films, and papers have received over 450 awards and honors as well as international recognition at festivals, competitions, and conferences.Â
As the world becomes more digitized, DigiPen students will be prepared, and despite the current pandemic, their 2020 graduates are getting some really cool jobs. You could be one of them. Interested in applying or learning more? Click here for more information.
