Although video games were created in the name of fun, recent studies are analyzing the positive and negative effects of video games. WITF’s Smart Talk recently explored the topic of what impact video games have and interviewed Dr. Sa Liu, Assistant Professor of Interactive Media Studies at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. Listen to the segment here: https://www.witf.org/2022/09/23/what-kind-of-impact-do-video-games-have/
Harrisburg University offers a Purposeful Games Design (PGD) concentration, which provides an opportunity to focus on creating games that serve a broader purpose than pure entertainment. Students who take this concentration will lead the way in learning creative and innovative ways to deliver purposeful content through creating engaging games designed with a specific goal for player audiences of all ages. In conjunction with the skills required to make video games more generally, purposeful games require an additional focus of study on the different contexts and aims of a specific project, as the purpose (meaning, message or goal) is the guiding design principle of the game. Combined with foundation courses in games studies and design, this concentration focuses on the different types of purposeful games, the different contexts and design requirements to create games for specific audiences and the development of the ability to evaluate the effectiveness in communicating the purpose of a game while maintaining a level of fun and engagement for the player. More information on the program is found here https://www.harrisburgu.edu/programs/bs-interactive-media/.
ABOUT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY
Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Harrisburg University is a private nonprofit university offering bachelor’s and graduate degree programs in science, technology, and math fields. For more information on the University’s affordable demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, call 717-901-5146 or email, Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Follow on Twitter (@HarrisburgU) and Facebook (Facebook.com/HarrisburgU).
