Bachelor of Arts in Video Game Studies
This program teaches students interdisciplinary approaches to the study of video games. It emphasizes the flexible adoption of different methodologies, teaching students to think critically, creatively, and comparatively about disciplinary approaches to the media. Student learning is organized into three fields of study: (A) principles of design, (B) theories of value, and (C) social and historical impact. This major prepares students for career pathways in many video-game related fields, from those involving design and development to those involving communication in and around games, processes of gamification, analysis of game and gaming culture, education, and more. The interdisciplinary emphasis enables students to adapt to ongoing shifts in an employment landscape driven by technological transformation.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Identify and evaluate elements, principles and techniques in game design. (Field I)
- Analyze or interpret video games as aesthetic forms, constructed narratives, or designed interactive engagements, drawing on research and literary or other disciplinary theories in Video Game Studies. (Field II)
- Describe aspects of the social, political, ideological or other historical contexts of video games or gaming practices and use appropriate methodology to analyze the impact of games on communities with an emphasis on social justice.
- Compare, contrast, evaluate, and draw conclusions about the relative methods and goals of studying video games from different disciplinary perspectives.
Video Game Studies (B.A.) – 24 units minimum
- 15 Units must be completed at the upper-division level.
Core (12 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| VGS 100/CWL 180 | Introduction to Videogames: A Comparative Perspective | 3 |
| VGS 300 | Comparative Analysis of Video Games | 3 |
| HUM 300GW | Reading and Writing Across Creative Forms - GWAR | 3 |
| VGS 600 | Senior Seminar: Research Projects in Video Game Studies | 3 |
Electives (12 units minimum)
Select at least one course per area below:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Field I: Design and Development | ||
| BECA 340 | Media Aesthetics I | 3 |
| BECA 352 | Esports Studio Tournament and Event Production | 3 |
| BECA 374 | Writing for Video Games | 3 |
| BECA/MUS 434 | Introduction to Sound for Games | 3 |
| BECA 454 | Live Streaming and Content Creation for Esports | 3 |
| BECA 536 | Creativity and Design Thinking in Electronic Media | 3 |
| CINE 414 | Exploring Sound Design for Cinema | 3 |
| CINE 440 | Animation and Video Game Pre-Production | 3 |
| CINE 658 | Creating Story Worlds | 3 |
| CINE 660 | 3D Computer Animation | 3 |
| CSC 631 | Multiplayer Game Development | 3 |
| DES 252 | Rethinking Digital Visual Media: History, Technology, and Content | 3 |
| DES 367 | Introduction to Game Design | 3 |
| Field II: Interpretation and Theory | ||
| BECA 321 | Critical Study of Popular Culture | 3 |
| BECA 340 | Media Aesthetics I | 3 |
| BECA 374 | Writing for Video Games | 3 |
| CINE 336 | Video Game Culture | 3 |
| CINE 560 | Digital Domains: History and Aesthetics of Computer Animation | 3 |
| VGS 270 | Fantasy and Fiction: Exploring Parallel Worlds | 3 |
| VGS/ENG/CWL 275 | Reading Video Games | 3 |
| VGS/CWL 380 | Thinking with Video Games | 3 |
| WGS 582 | Gaming from the Margins | 3 |
| Field III: Games and Society | ||
| BECA 321 | Critical Study of Popular Culture | 3 |
| BECA 422 | Media and Society | 3 |
| CINE 336 | Video Game Culture | 3 |
| CINE 560 | Digital Domains: History and Aesthetics of Computer Animation | 3 |
| COMM 595 | Games, Communication, and Culture | 4 |
| COMM 665 | Qualitative Interviewing in Communication: Methods, Practices, and Ethics | 4 |
| HUM 320 | Music, Ideas, and Culture | 3 |
| HUM/CWL 423 | Going Medieval: Medieval Literature and Contemporary Adaptations | 3 |
| HUM/CWL 426/ENG 616 | Orientalism in Literature and Society | 3 |
| VGS/CWL 380 | Thinking with Video Games | 3 |
| WGS 304 | Gender and Popular Culture | 3 |
| WGS 582 | Gaming from the Margins | 3 |
General Education Requirements
| Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Composition | LD | 3 | 1A |
| Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | 1B |
| Oral Communication | LD | 3 | 1C |
| Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | 2 |
| Arts | LD | 3 | 3A |
| Humanities | LD | 3 | 3B |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences* | LD | 6 | 4 |
| Physical Science | LD | 3 | 5A |
| Biological Science | LD | 3 | 5B |
| Laboratory | LD | 1 | 5C |
| Ethnic Studies | LD or UD | 3 | 6 |
| Science or Math/Quantitative Reasoning | UD | 3 | 5UD or 2UD |
| Arts or Humanities | UD | 3 | 3UD |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | UD | 3 | 4UD |
| *Students will fulfill USH through their Area 4 courses | |||
| SF State Studies | |||
| Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective. | |||
| American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM |
| Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action | LD or UD | 3 | ESCA |
| Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP |
| Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ |
| American Institutions | |||
| US and California Government | LD or UD | 3 | USG/CSLG |
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T).
Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.
An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area 3 and 3 units in lower-division GE area 4 until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.
Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.
Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.
A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:
- How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.
Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes, options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet GE Areas 1A/A2, 1B/A3, 1C/A1, and 2/B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (1B/A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the 1B/A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.