The lights are on
The University of Texas at Austin announced today that it will be starting a video game program in the fall of 2014. The Denius-Sams Gaming Academy will focus on the leadership aspects of development and includes two industry luminaries on faculty.
The program will include Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Epic Mickey) and Paul Sams, chief operating officer at Blizzard and one of the minds behind Battle.net. Spector and Sams will both offer their experience as part-time faculty, and Spector will steer curriculum development. His recent talk at GDC had a pedagogical flare that should fit well in the classroom.
The purpose of the program is to fill a niche currently unserved by the other video game programs in the country. By strengthening higher level leadership and production, the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy hopes to bolster the industry's economic contribution to Texas. Especially as costs are on the rise, effective leadership and management is crucial for efficiency.
Students of the program will receive a postbaccalaureate certificate at the conclusion of the one year program. During that time, they will work in teams to build a game. Admission will be extremely competitive with a class of 20, each of whom will receive a $10,000 stipend for expenses. Tuition is also waived.
The full press release is on page two.
I wish him the best of luck.
I'd love to attend but when I hear news of Insurmountable debt and struggling developers (which are always imminent) I kinda get deterred to train for the gaming gig.
Warren Spector is the coolest name ever!
Wonder what sort of requirements they'll have to get in. This really piques my interest.
Very cool. Since I already have my B.S in Physics, having a postbaccalaureate certificate sounds nice. I might see if my work can give me some time off for this next fall. I might as well apply.
Frankly, this is what the industry and those academics and scholars who are studying video games could use right now.
Someone who can actually speak to the public, address and understand their concerns with the industry. Free from the echo chamber (it's really pathetic that *academia* could ever legitimately become a place for someone seeking to escape an echo chamber....), his voice might actually be heard, and heeded, by those who are entering the industry and those who can socially or legislatively alter it.
I would love to hear more about the requirements for the program.
i'm only in community college now i feel worthless