Game Studies
The Game Studies Minor focuses on the analysis, history, and theory of games as cultural, artistic, and technological forms as well as on game design, with a strong emphasis on games as a narrative and world-making medium. Courses in the Minor adopt humanistic and social science approaches to studying the evolution of games, the game production industry, games as rhetorical devices, 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.
Honours Bachelor of Arts
Program Plans
Plan your degree with these academic and co-curricular program overviews.
Tip Sheets
Learn more about further education, applying to jobs & more!
- Game Designer
- Game Critic
- Project Manager
- Back-End Developer
- Artist
Admission Requirements
Regional Requirements
Admissions RequirementsLife in Game Studies
Buzz Around Campus
The University of Toronto Mississauga acquired a massive collection of over 14,000 video game titles, 5,000 magazines, and various consoles, known as the Syd Bolton collection. This extensive collection, one of the largest in North America, will be a boon for academic research, course development, and public access, enhancing the study of video game history and its societal impact.
Omar Khan participated in a UTM work-study program, assisting in the development of the new game studies minor and researching the potential for a local observatory. He also contributed to the "Black at UTM" website and highlighted the program's balance between work and study.
A research project by U of T Mississauga student Amrita Maharaj and assistant professor Cosmin Munteanu, aims to develop a new ratings system that will help gamers at opposite ends of the age spectrum find appropriate games that they can play together.
Sample Courses
This course explores the history of interactive storytelling, including digital games, alternate reality, and films.
This course examines the representation of gender, race, and sexuality in digital games.
Students will develop skills in the areas of bitmap/vector graphics, audio/visual production and editing, 2D/3D modeling and animation, and video game design. Students will produce immersive environments while addressing and engaging issues of remix culture and intellectual property.
Other Programs to Consider
English
This program specifically focuses on how literature in English has developed through the centuries, all over the world, and in a rich variety of different forms and modes, from oral recitations to digital media. Students will be introduced to the full range of literary genres and traditions.
Creative Writing
Minor in Creative Writing is designed to allow students to focus on either the literary or dramatic arts, or to integrate their work in both these areas of creative expression.
Communication, Culture, Information & Technology
Communication, Culture Information & Technology (CCIT) is an undergraduate interdisciplinary major program, the curriculum for which provides students with a foundation in the analysis, evaluation and interpretation of communication and digital media using appropriate methodologies. CCIT provides students the opportunity to design a range of communication media and digital artifacts suitable for collaboration, communication, learning, and exploration.