The University of Southern California has announced the introduction of a bachelor’s program in video game development. With the advent of sophisticated games such as MMOs and the merging of commercial interests with virtual reality, it is possible that USC did this as an academic exercise rather than a place to park its football players.
Other mainstream universities have similar programs, among them Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech and Southern Methodist University. The game industry has cracked the seven billion dollar mark in annual revenue. More important from an academic point of view perhaps, is the prospect of applying game theory, analysis and development skills to cultural or economic environments that are not strictly about games. Major game producer Electronic Arts has helped to underwrite the USC program simply because of its focus on non-commercial applications.
It’s a fair guess that the skills and analytical tools one might develop in a video game liberal arts degree program will be increasingly applicable in commercial online applications. The Internet has become a major commercial marketplace, one that functions more efficiently as the...