There are many schools that offer Gaming majors, so the fact that NYU has just introduced a Masters in Game Design isn’t the biggest news you will hear today. Majoring in Video Games is always that little fantasy we keep in the back of our heads, but very few pursue it, and let’s be honest, those kids probably aren’t getting laid very often. NYU though, in the city that always seems to kick it up a notch, isn’t just offering design. They are offering the chance to become a gaming critic. That means college credit, and progress towards graduation, just for playing a stuff load of Video Games.
You couldn’t make this up if you tried. The Masters program doesn’t just allow to design games, or program games, or any of the other stuff you would never want to be involved with. Through this program, and I quote, “A student will be well-prepared to become a game journalist or critic, a theorist or researcher, or a scholar or historian.” Essentially you will be writing essays on the influence of Super Mario Brothers on Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon, or the evolution of the 1st person shooter in the 21st century. My guess is it’s going to involved a lot of late night Call of Duty, but instead of crying yourself to sleep because you’re behind 2 months on homework, you’ll be more prepared than ever before. You’ll be studying in front of your 40-inch flat screen and buying your textbooks at Gamestop. Amazing.
The more I dive into this, the more I want to go back to school. NYU actually has a “Game Center” and it is home to one of the largest collections of Video Games in the world. It also plays host to an entire semester schedule of exhibitions, lectures, and, wait for it, tournaments. Do they mean to say that you can actually attend a university sanctioned Madden tournament, possibly for extra credit? They absolutely do. Basically this program offers you everything you need to do exactly what you do now, while in a career position. I wonder if you have to bring a gram of weed and a bag of Doritos to class every day. Think about it, socialites. This could be the career path for you.
