Computer games are a relatively new design area in rapid development. As new technical possibilities develop, and new business areas are added, new target groups and new ways of gaming emerge everywhere. Computer games have long since moved beyond the screen and the cross hairs and into the entire digital life world in the form of interactive environments, digital education programmes and 3D worlds.
Computer games have gone from mere entertainment and now also include educational, informative and social games. The user group is changing, the share of female gamers is growing, and new game types render users physically active and do away with the screen so that the game can be taken into the outdoor environment. As a designer specializing in Game and Interaction Design you will therefore work with many different forms of computer games and learn to integrate entertainment, learning, social interactions and physical activity into the products.
In recent years, the computer game industry has grown into a large industry with many large development companies, but this trend is paralleled by the emergence of smaller companies that work with differentiated products, business models and design solutions.
About the programme
In Game and Interaction Design we work with games on both a theoretical and a practical level – from analysis and design to programming and game production. The programme puts you in close touch with industry and lecturers directly from the computer game industry. In addition, part of the programme takes place under the auspices of Danske Akademi for Interaktiv Digital Underholdning (DADIU; The Danish academy for interactive digital entertainment), which is a consortium of game developers, universities and art schools. Thus, you will typically take part in two DADIU game productions during your studies as well as courses and workshops to the University of Copenhagen and The National Film School of Denmark.
In this area of specialization you acquire design methods in relation to human-computer interaction and user-centred design. You learn to carry out user tests and to design prototypes on the basis of documentation and pitching. You develop skills that enable you to manage a production work flow, and as part of the programme you engage in hands-on work both at the drawing board and on the computer. You learn to design game aspects that reach beyond the gaming consol and into the world around you.
