Game Studies prepares students to contribute to the present and future of game design and criticism. The Minor focuses on how interactive technologies can be used to create, distribute, and play digital games—a global industry with a major presence in the Greater Toronto Area.
Courses in the Minor adopt humanistic and social science approaches to studying the evolution of games, the game production industry, the role of games in social transformation, and the diverse communities who make and play games. As they become sophisticated critics of games, students learn fundamental principles and methodologies in the creation and testing of tabletop, role-playing, and digital games and gain practice in the use of game engines.
As one of the only undergraduate programs in North America to focus on both the creation and analysis of games, Game Studies at UTM prepares students for graduate-level study and the game production industry. English and Drama is pleased to offer the Game Studies Minor in collaboration with the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology.
Program of Study (POSt)
Minor Program ERMIN2023 Game Studies (Arts)
Contents
Skills you’ll develop in Game Studies
Course sneak peek
Discover the evolution of immersive narratives and multiverses and explore the ways you can “play” games, film, fiction, theatre, and theme parks in ENG218H5: Interactive Storytelling and Worldmaking. You can also take CCT285H5: Immersive Environment Design to develop some worlds of your own while gaining skills in bitmap/vector graphics and audio/visual production and editing.
In ENG319H5: Sexuality, Race, and Gender in Video Games and Gaming Culture, learn how to discuss and design games that change society, influence how people think, and let players inhabit diverse bodies, stories, and experiences.
Understand how the global game industry operates, from Atari and Activision to Sony and Nintendo, and how technology, law, and the marketplace shape the games you get to play in CCT334H5: History and Theory of Game Production.
Visit the Academic Calendar for a full listing of Game Studies courses and their descriptions.
Program Plan
Make the most of your time at UTM and the many opportunities available for Game Studies students by exploring the Game Studies Program Plan.
The Program Plan was developed in collaboration with the UTM Career Centre and English and Drama.
The Syd Bolton Collection
Students at UTM have access to the Syd Bolton Collection, the largest known collection of video games, game consoles and systems, and game periodicals in Canada, and one of the largest in the world.
With over 14,000 games (and adding more all the time), hundreds of consoles and systems, and over 5,000 issues of game periodicals and books, you’ll have an incredible resource at your fingertips.
Skills You’ll Develop in Game Studies
- Writing, Presentation, and Communication: writing and editing, artistic and creative expression, intercultural communication, public speaking, presenting in class and at game conferences, crafting compelling and accessible analysis and presentations, working independently and collaboratively on design documents
- Design: learn a variety of game engines, multimedia design, asset production, playtesting, iterative design
- Research: archival research at the Syd Bolton Collection, gather ideas and data, evaluate research and arguments, use research to inform criticism and design
- Critical Thinking: analysis of games and writing on games, application of theoretical models through practice and discussion, evaluate evidence and sources, make persuasive arguments
Get in touch
Contact the Undergraduate Advisor for English and Drama, Megan Janssen (she/her), by email at edadvisor.utm@utoronto.ca.