Aaron Clark, (919) 515-1771
Lauren Gregg, News Services, (919) 515-3470
March 14, 2008
Many high school students spend hours playing their favorite Xbox, Wii or Playstation games. So researchers at North Carolina State University are working to turn that love of gaming into a viable career option by developing a game art and design curriculum that can be used to prepare students for careers in the industry.
Dr. Aaron Clark, associate professor of mathematics, science, and technology education at NC State, is working with North Carolina community colleges, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and local education agencies to develop this two-level curriculum which will allow high school students to make a smooth transition to community college and university degree programs in game art and design. The classes will be offered to high school students as free electives.
"When we first started, we were really concerned with what people would think of teaching gaming in public schools," Clark says. "However, if you look at the curriculum you will see that the students are not just playing games, they have to understand programming, logic, design, physics and math, for example, just to comprehend all the facets of gaming."
In the first level of the curriculum, students study the history of gaming, how to develop games, logic and other basics associated with creating a game. At the end of that level, students create a simple two-dimensional computer game that is critiqued by their peers in the classroom. The second level of the curriculum is still being developed but will delve into advanced study areas and 3-D games, with students creating their own 3-D games at the end of the program.
"They have to understand story boarding, story telling and understand the simple audio and visualization components of games," Clark says.
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The curriculum is good for students in many different ways, Clark says. It sparks their interests and keeps them engaged; supports other areas of academics such as math, history, art and physics; and teaches program-solving and analytical skills.
"The most important thing is that the curriculum attracts this generation's interests," Clark says. "We have a pretty high dropout rate in North Carolina and I think this may be one area that can help keep kids in school."
Clark says the booming gaming industry in North Carolina is very lucrative, with entry-level salaries around $50,000. Some of these entry-level positions do not require a four-year or graduate degree.
"There are so many gaming companies across the state that they are bringing in workers from outside and not using local North Carolinians," he says. "This curriculum is designed to help meet the need and supply the demand of entry-level employees in the state's gaming industry."
The first level of the curriculum, game art and design I, is being piloted in two Guilford County high schools, Page High School and Weaver Academy.
"The students absolutely love this class and it gives us a hook for keeping them in school," says Phyllis Jones a teacher participating in the pilot at Page High School. "Students have no fun in school anymore because we are killing them with testing and with hearing lectures for seven hours a day. Gaming gives them something they love to do and, at the same time, teaches them math, creativity, problem solving and lots of other skills."
"I've always wanted to get into this field and there hasn't been a class before about it," says Keith Burns, a junior at Page High School. "We don't just learn the fun side of gaming, but also the hard side of designing and building the games. This class helps you get ready to work in the gaming industry."
Clark and colleagues are currently putting together the second level of the curriculum to be piloted next year; officials hope to have approval for the entire curriculum from the N.C. State Board of Education by 2010.
Pending approval from the state board, the curriculum will be available to school systems who want to use it; Clark and his team will provide training for teachers who want to utilize it in their classrooms.
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NC State University News Services (919) 515-3470 or newstips@ncsu.edu