GAME ART & DESIGN PRODUCTION

The Game Art & Design Production program prepares students for entry-level opportunities in the game industry and related fields by combining art, design, and technology in hands-on learning, practices and production experience to create digital media contents. 

The game industry has been steadily growing and evolving for many years. In addition to playable media for console, PC and mobile platforms, real-time interactive technology (game engines) are increasingly used to solve a variety of design and visualization problems for filmmaking, engineering, and architecture. Students will apply professional practices while learning how to create with content creation tools, design levels and game systems, as well as production planning.

The Production Studio is the culminating experience of the Game Art & Design Program. This series of courses spans several semesters and brings together students from different disciplines who work together in small teams to develop 3D games, interactive media projects, or media contents. The Production Studio courses mirror the working environment of professional studios: people with diverse backgrounds and talents collaborating together to meet client demands and production deadlines.

Completing of both Certificate of Achievement in Game Art & Design will give the student the core skills and experience required to learn the basic skills necessary for working with game art related tools, concepts and practices.

1. Gain the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to seek entry level employment in the video game industry and interactive media or game related program at a four-year college/university.
   
2. Gain the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to seek entry level employment in the video game industry and interactive media or game related program at a four-year college/university.
   
3. Build virtual environments and worlds structured for intuitive and navigational user engagement.
   
4. Organize, schedule, budget and manage day-to-day development of a digital game production.
   

DEPT & COURSE NUMBER	TITLE	2018-19 SECTIONS	2019-20 SECTIONS
ART 250	INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL ART	5	5
ART 634	COMPUTER GRAPHICS I: 3D COMPUTER GRAPHICS	2	2

We anticipate 30 projected students or “annual completers” each year (based on enrollment data). 

This program will leverage the combined disciplines of art, animation, game design, and immersive media to produce a student body with diverse arts and digital skills to match 21st century technology and media positions. In response to industry convergences and practices in the field of 3D Animation, AR/VR content creation and game design, LACC is structuring these Certificates of Achievement in Game Art & Design to prepare students for the job market and/or for transfer to a related field at a Bachelor degree level. Given our central location in the heart of Hollywood with neighboring media production houses, proximity to LAUSD high schools with innovative arts and technology programs, and industry guilds, LACC’s GAD program meets industry demands, offers career pathways to high-end digital professions for LA area students, as well as trainings for professionals who need to enhance their skills.             

Providing our students with a strong foundation in hands on game engine technology and 3D design and modeling, we introduce students to the fundamentals of 3D animation, storytelling, and project management before moving on to advanced techniques utilizing motion capture and real-time rendering software. Game design is the stepping stone to immersive media using the same software tools as industry designers and animators. 

Upon completion of this certificate, students will have a transfer ready portfolio for 4-year colleges or skills and production experience for entry level jobs in the field of animation, gaming, XR, VR, or related media productions.  Students will emerge ready to take on entry level positions in a number of new careers in areas that will shortly become mainstream in the AR/VR ecosystem. Areas of job market include but not limited to:

1. Computer Games industry
2. Retail/Online commerce
3. Education
4. Healthcare
5. Defense
6. Engineering
7. Visual Effects and design for film and Television

Given our central location in the heart of Hollywood with neighboring media production houses, proximity to LAUSD high schools with innovative arts and technology programs, and industry guilds, LACC’s GAD program meets industry demands, offers career pathways to high-end digital professions for LA area students, as well as trainings for professionals who need to enhance their skills.             

The use of real-time rendering and interactive augmented reality will be embraced across all industries in the coming years. From healthcare, to city tours, to space travel - any industry that uses a presentation of information will be adopting some form of augmented reality in the coming decade. The software and tools for creating and presenting augmented reality are currently used for creating vide o games and animation as well as television shows. By introducing our students to this technology, we can help them “bridge the gap between being on the outside looking in and being on the inside looking around.”

• 3D Animation is listed as one of the programs to watch for strong work force pipeline forecast (http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/ProgramstoWatch/MoreProgramstoWatch/3DAnimation.aspx)
• Multimedia Artist and Animators 8% growth projection from 73.700 to 79.9000 employment (2016—26)
• Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for multimedia artists and animators as of May 2015 was $63,970. Employment opportunities were expected to grow by 8%, far above the average for all occupations in the country for the decade spanning 2014-2024 (www.bls.gov).
• Demand for 3D graphics is robust, and demand for real-time 3D skills is growing quickly. Between October 2017 and October 2018, more than 315,000 job postings requested 3D graphics skills. The demand for 3D graphics skills during this time was over 55,000 openings greater than the demand for data science-related skills. Demand for 3D graphics skills has grown 42% faster than the market overall. Demand for real-time 3D skills, which are at the technological frontier of 3D graphics, has grown 601% faster than the market overall and now accounts for 10% of all openings calling for 3D graphics, up from 4% in 2013. In total there were 31,339 openings calling for real-time 3D skills between October 2017 and October 2018. 
• Visualizing the Future. BurningGlass Technologies, 2019.
• https://www.burning-glass.com/research-project/visualizing_future_3d_skills_workforce/
• Graduates of certificate and degree programs in electronic game development may pursue work in several fields, including the gaming industry, AR/VR applications and film production. In some cases, students will be able to build a portfolio or participate in a production studio internship.
• The art director’s guild has stated in our advisory meeting that the best thing students can do to enter the field of television and film art direction is to learn real-time rendering and interaction of a game engine.
• Outside of gaming and entertainment, expect the most job growth from immersive technologies in healthcare and medical devices over the next 12 months. 38% of respondents pointed to healthcare and medical devices as ripe sectors for disruption, and education followed closely at 28%.
• Perkins-Coie 2020 AR/VR Survey.
• https://www.perkinscoie.com/images/content/2/3/v4/231654/2020-AR-VR-Survey-v3.pdf
• To name just a few current job opportunities with the most openings appropriate for the recipient of this proposed Certificate in Electronic Game Development:

AR/VR Technician

3D Visual Effects Artist

3D Previsualization Artist

Technical/Creative Mechanical Artist

Media Artist

Animation Artist

Motion Animator/Designer

Visual Designer

Game Designer

3D Artist

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
ART 250	INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL ART	3	SUMMER 1
ART 634	COMPUTER GRAPHICS I: 3D COMPUTER GRAPHICS	3	S1
GAD 101	INTRODUCTION TO GAME DESIGN	3	S1
GAD 102	CONCEPT DESIGN AND VISUAL DEVELOPMENT	3	S1
GAD 103	INTRODUCTION TO GAME TECHNOLOGIES	3	S2
ANIMATN 225	THREE-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTER ANIMATION	3	S2
ART 636	COMPUTER GRAPHICS 2: 3D COMPUTER GRAPHICS	3	S2
GAD 210-1	PRODUCTION STUDIO I	3	SUMMER 2
GAD 104	LEVEL AND ENVIRONMENT DESIGN	3	S3
GAD 203	GAME TECHNOLOGIES AND GAME SYSTEMS	3	S3
GAD 210-2	PRODUCTION STUDIO II	3	S3
GAD 106	GAME PROTOTYPING AND MECHANICS	3	S4
ANIMATN 226	THREE-DIMENSIONAL PREVISUALIZATION AND CAMERA TECHNIQUES	3	S4
GAD 210-3	PRODUCTION STUDIO III	3	S4

No active inventory records need to be made inactive or changed with the approval of this program. This program does not replace any existing program in the college inventory. As an expansion of the digital art courses being offered, this program is related to and shares courses with the certificate of achievement in animation and the graphic design program.

There are currently no community colleges within the district that offer a similar program. There are four community colleges within the greater Los Angeles area (Golden West, Norco College, Moorpark College, Mt. San Antonio) and none within “commuting distance” that offer game related programs. Three are based on game programming and engineering. The game and animation program at Mt. San Antonio College is the closet match to what is proposed for LACC. Game art & design is a relatively new discipline at the college level and has been the purview of 4-year public colleges, expensive private schools, online schools or other not-for-credit workshops. Students in related programs such as animation, art, design have expressed much interest in studying game art. Los Angeles City College is perfectly situated to follow through on the college mission with location, interest, and funding to bring 21st century digital art training to a diverse student body. LACC faculty have been in communication with faculty at Norco College and East Los Angeles college to discuss the program details. Discussions included potential course offerings and general program goals for an art-based game art & design program.

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