Online Associates in Video Game Design Degrees

Associates in Video Game Design Degrees Online can provide you with the fundamentals of game design, as well as the many steps it takes to create a game from scratch. Through hands-on learning, group projects, and the use of technology, earning your associates in video game design degree may provide you with the knowledge you need to make dynamic worlds, memorable characters, and story lines that rival those of movies.

Associates in Video Game Design Degrees Online

Through coursework focused on developing strong technical skills, learning the basics of each of the many steps of video game development, leveraging the benefits of online learning, and preparing you for the next steps, pursuing your video game design degree online may provide you with the foundation in this exciting and innovative field.

Fun Fact:

Steve Wozniak submitted so many high scores in Tetris to Nintendo Power that he had to submit them as “Evets Kainzow” so they’d print them.

Earning Your Online Associates in Video Game Design Degree

Revenue generated from video games continues to grow. And, it’s expected to continue rising over the next couple years.  Plus, video games rely on innovative technology to continue impressing players with more realistic graphics and intricate storylines.  This makes Associates in Video Game Design Degrees one of the most exciting degree options available.

By combining theoretical and hands-on, technology-based laboratory experiences, most associates in video game design degrees online emphasize the application of knowledge to video game development and design. This can include both the artistic side, such as character development, game concepts, and storyline creation, and the technical side, such as programming and programming languages, coding, game mechanics, and user testing.

Common Coursework

Earning your Associates in Video Game Design Degrees online may provide you with a foundation of knowledge in the behind-the-scenes areas it takes to develop video games. To cover the basics, most associates degree programs provide a wide-variety of courses. These courses may include:

  • XHTML/ JavaScript: Video game designers need to understand the fundamentals of coding to create characters, storylines, artificial intelligence, and a realistic environment.
  • Digital Graphics for Gaming: How many times have you or your friends said, “Wow, look at those video game graphics?”
  • Introduction to Game Development: During this introductory course, students may learn the basics of the each step it takes to create and design video games.
  • 3D Modeling: In this course, students will be introduced to the concepts of real-time rendering specs, polygons, vertices, UV mapping, simple texture techniques, digital photography and paint, and unwrapping.
  • Game Prototyping: Through Adobe Flash, students may learn interactive game processing using Action Scripting, game animation techniques, and third-party gaming tools.
  • Intermediate Game Programming: Through C++, students are taught intermediate processing, and introduced to creating, editing, and updating data files.
  • Storyboard and Design: This course focuses on teaching students the concepts and techniques of visual storytelling through storyboard rendering.
  • Game Engines: Students are given an understanding of how different game engines function and they may produce simple games with three different game engines.
  • Mobile UI and UX: To learn the fundamentals of UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience), students are taught digital imaging, file structures, and layer organization for changing on demand and within size limitations.
  • History of Gaming: This course covers the development of games from ancient board games to modern consoles and how humans interact through games.

These courses are designed to teach you the fundamentals of video game design. Most online Associates in Video Game Design Degree programs focus on preparing you for the challenges of innovative game design and 3D technology.

Understanding and having experience with operating technology is especially important because designing a video game is reliant on technical skills.  That’s why most programs also focus on developing that proficiency in technology and providing students the hands-on experience that may help them as they pursue a role as a video game designer.

Fundamentals of an Associates in Video Game Design Degrees Online Program

Most Associates in Video Game Design Degrees Online Programs focus on providing you with a basic understanding of the building blocks. Hence you might get an opportunity to develop such skills and knowledge as:i

  • Artistic
  • Team Coordination
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Programming
  • Operations Analysis

Most programs focus on providing you with these skills through the different courses listed above, plus many others. Through group projects, hands-on learning, and the use of technology, students are taught the technical skills and the importance of teamwork in video game design.

Process of Developing a Video Game

Revenue generated from video games continues to rise, especially on mobile devices. As the complexity of game design continues to increase, and as the technology used to play and develop the games continues to advance, most video game developers and studios have put more emphasis on planning and preproduction. This is also true because of all the costs associated with video game development. But there are many other steps involved besides preproduction. The steps to create a video game are:

  • Pre-Production: This can include a wide variety of aspects, but is focused on presenting the overall storyline, concept, and pitch to a video game design studio.
  • Creating the Characters: This includes creating characters, putting them in motion, and animating the world.
  • Coding: This aspect of game design is one most players never see, but it controls the whole world.
  • Post-Production: This step includes testing alpha and beta versions of the game to find mistakes and room for improvement.
  • Release and Marketing: Finally, the game is complete, but that doesn’t mean the job is over. Now there are demos and trailers, plus other marketing events.

Benefits of Earning Associates in Video Game Design Degrees Online

Knowing and understanding how a video game is developed is the emphasis of online video game design associates degrees. Most associates degree programs provide students with a basic understanding of each of the different steps listed above.

Because video game design is so reliant on technology and effective online communication, the opportunity to develop those skills while earning your associates degree may benefit you. Choosing to earn a video game design degree online can help develop some skills that are common to video game designers.

These skills include:i

  • The Use of Technology
  • Freedom
  • Online Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Independence
  • Dependability

Next Steps After Earning Your Associates in Video Game Design Degree Online

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 6% increase in the number of jobs for Multimedia Artists and Animators from 2014 to 2024.ii That’s because of the continued rise in revenue generated from video games. For instance, the research firm Newzoo expects total video game revenue to reach $113 billion in the year 2018.

While most employers seek a bachelors degree, they are more focused on technical skills and a strong portfolio.iii Some students choose to pursue a bachelors degree after earning their associates degree in video game design, but it isn’t always necessary. In fact, according to O*NET, 19% of video game designers have an associates degree.i

Fun Fact:

Popeye was supposed to be the star of Donkey Kong, but Nintendo couldn't get the rights to the character.

Learn More About Associates in Video Game Design Degrees

There are many options available to you when it comes to earning your Associates in Video Game Design Degree Online. Click on any of our sponsored listings on this page to learn more about individual schools and their programs.


[i] onetonline.org/link/summary/15-1199.11?redir=15-1099.13 [ii] bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/multimedia-artists-and-animators.htm#tab-6 [iii] bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/multimedia-artists-and-animators.htm#tab-4