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River_Rat_459
06-24-2011, 19:21
WVU to Offer 'Serious Gaming' Certificate Program
Posted Friday, June 24, 2011 ; 02:42 PM

Professors hope it becomes a full fledged major.
MORGANTOWN -- Starting this fall, computer science students at West Virginia University will have the chance to earn a graduate certificate in interactive technologies and serious gaming, WVU officials announced Friday.

“Notice it’s called serious gaming,” said Tim Menzies, associate professor in computer science and electrical engineering. “We’re serious. This is the future of human interaction of all societies.”

The program will include courses in graphics, databases and artificial intelligence. Students will also take course from the English department on multimedia writing and digital humanities. As their final project, students will have to make their own game.

“You have to be good at physics if you want to model how hair moves or how a piece of fabric moves in a game,” she said. “You need to know partial differential equations. Students who develop games come out with solid skills applicable in a lot of areas,” said Frances Van Scoy, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering.

“Every peer university of our size has some major initiative in computer gaming,” Sandy Baldwin, associate professor of English said. “In some cases, they offer certificate programs like this one. In other cases, they have major programs. In the long run, we hope to build this certificate program into something bigger, perhaps an actual major.”
SOURCE: http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=102082

MaximusR3
06-24-2011, 21:18
i feel like them referring to it as "Serious Gaming" over something like say, "Video Game Design" or "Interactive Entertainment Studies" makes it sound like more of a joke than something serious. Like changing an EMT certification to "Helping people not die, and other do-good-ery" certificate. Sure it still conveys the same thing but it just sounds silly and takes the "serious" out of it

tw0sh0t2112
06-25-2011, 06:59
Perhaps within that industry, it's considered prestigious and looked upon as a potiential positive ROI for hiring the graduate. Where a different industry completely would be like, "really, video games? .... Have a nice day sir, my secretary will validate your parking pass.. NEXT!".

jack
06-25-2011, 17:42
Pass, this is the equitant of a multi-media degree. Which is a jack-of-all trades degree and master of none type degree. If you want game design, computer animation and programming go to a school that has an established program or programs and will give you exactly that. Not a start up program in a traditional school, that is basically throwing shit on a wall to see is it is gonna stick.All because they want a peice of that fat money cake they see passing them by.