The Future of Gaming

Pick up the latest skills and next-gen technologies required for success in game design and development. In your choice of three content tracks—Art, Modeling & Animation for 3D Games, Machine Learning/AI with Python, and Game Programming & Design—you’ll learn to develop, program, design, and publish an original animation or game. Through workshops like Careers in the Serious Game Industry; New Game Art Tools and Techniques; Data Science, Classification, and Analytics; and Unreal or Unity?, you’ll get a solid foundation in game design, animation, 3D technologies, sound design, story-based games, mobile app development, and more. You’ll also get real experience in the latest software and tools such as 3D Studio Max, Unity 3D, Swift, and Android Studio and Emulator, among others.

Game Design Experts

The interactive curriculum, workshops, and simulations at the Game & Technology Academy are taught by Mason college faculty who are uniquely qualified to guide you on your journey toward a career in game design. You’ll get valuable insight from these amazing game professionals and college professors:

Dr. Scott Martin, Founder, Mason Computer Game Design Program; Founding Director, Virginia Serious Game Institute

James Casey, Associate Director, VSGI, Assistant Professor of Game Design

Gregory Grimsby, Assistant Professor of Computer Game Design

Eric Piccione, Assistant Professor of Game Design

Sang Nam, Director, Mason Computer Game Design Program.

These game pros will share their history and expertise in both the development and business sides of this dynamic industry. 

Flexible Scheduling

Make your dream a reality this summer! The Game & Technology Academy offers you two convenient program options: residential and commuter. You can participate in the commuter session in the spring and as many residential sessions in the summer as you like. Here are the options:

This option gives you the flexibility to attend the Game Programming with Unity and C# course over the course of six consecutive Saturdays from 10 AM to 3 PM.

Available for three one-week sessions, this option provides a more immersive experience and offers a taste of college life in the process.

Game Changers

The Game & Technology Academy welcomes hundreds of game technology and design oriented students every year. Our students work together to help each other master tools and techniques, tweak ideas, and offer suggestions and critiques to create the best work possible. You’ll meet people who have a wide variety of skills, some of which are different from your own—and that makes this program a great chance to learn from each other as well as the professors and experts from Mason! 

Your fellow Game & Technology students may be your colleagues in the future, and some will certainly become friends that you’ll keep in touch with long after the program is over.

Virginia Serious Game Institute Visit (Residential Program Only)

There is an entire industry built around the design, production, and distribution of games for various platforms, both in the serious and entertainment sector. On a visit to Mason’s Virginia Serious Game Institute (VSGI), professionals from the games industry will share their knowledge with you about the ins and outs of this unique business—from managing teams to creating distribution channels and cycles to overseeing marketing campaigns.

VSGI provides mentorship and intensive business training to serious game startups. (Serious games are those designed for use in training, rather than for entertainment—for example, medical simulations, scientific exploration, etc.) The main focus of VSGI is to “use game technologies to improve the human condition.” VSGI concentrates on game-related applied research and new game company cultivation. The Institute also trains teachers to bring programming and technology into the classroom and hosts science, technology, engineering and math programs for younger students. This is an unprecedented opportunity to see today’s cutting-edge businesses in action.