MSU kicks video games up a degree

No doubt more than a few agitated parents have accused their college-age children of studying more PlayStation than history in this era of video game mania. Now, Michigan State University students really can ditch history and get a degree in gaming.

MSU will launch a master's degree in "serious" game design in the fall. Building on the school's undergrad video game design specialization started in 2005, the master's program claims to the first in the nation to focus on serious games -- those for education, training or presenting a message -- rather than purely entertainment.

The master's program aims to train students for a growing niche in the game design field. Everyone from educators to executives is now often turning to video games as a way to teach lessons and train workers.

Concepts for serious games range from programs that allow emergency workers to practice making real-time lifesaving decisions, to a video game that makes it fun for fifth-grade girls to learn about self-esteem and maintaining a healthy body.

"Serious games are designed for a purpose beyond entertainment but for areas such as learning, health or social change," said Carrier Heeter, the MSU professor leading the program. "But the games still need to be fun; otherwise, no one will play them."

Games good teaching tools

Serious games are gaining popularity for several reasons.

One is that kids who grew up playing Pac-Man and Pong are now reaching their 30s and 40s. They are more likely to think of video games as innovative, rather than a distraction.

Another reason is that video games are good teaching tools, Heeter said. Games are sequential, teach patterns and offer progressive levels of challenge.

"Any video game you play, you're learning," she said. "It's just with most games you're learning fiction or inconsequential information."

For the master's program, MSU is seeking more than computer science majors. The program hopes to enroll those with varied educational and career backgrounds -- including those with experience in psychology, education, advertising and politics.

MSU wants to not only teach programmers about developing content-specific games, but also to educate content experts about game design.

The deadline for applications to the program is April 1. An application is available at seriousgames.msu.edu.

"One thing that has been lacking among serious game designers is people who understand the big picture," Heeter said.

"At the same time, you can't have a content expert that is clueless about how to make a great video game."

Designers can't forget fun

MSU pushed earnestly into game design two years ago, when the school established the undergrad game design specialization and the Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab.

Undergrad students in that specialization already have developed serious games, assistant professor Brian Magerko said.

They are developing a Sims-like role playing game for the Food Safety Policy Center at MSU. That game will teach day care workers about disease prevention techniques.

Outside the university, others have developed serious games that help field medics make snap diagnoses in a triage and allow college deans to manage imaginary crises.

"These games don't necessarily teach you how to handle a scalpel or a fireman's hose," Magerko said. "But they do help train for anything that requires complex decision making."

When it comes to serious gaming, designers must not forget the fun, said Ben Noel, executive director of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy at Central Florida University.

"We think of serious games as 90 percent entertainment value, 10 percent subject matter," said Noel, who added that he and his students have developed several serious games within their overall curriculum.

"If it's just something where the education world wants to teach in a different way, it won't be fun and developers won't line up to design it."

Job prospects mixed

While MSU is the first program to focus just on serious gaming, several other schools, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech and University of Southern California, have noted game design curriculums.

Many schools are adding or expanding such programs because students are demanding to learn about the game design field.

The job prospects for those gaining formal education in gaming are mixed, said Jason Della Rocca, executive director for the New Jersey-based International Game Design Association.

On one hand, game makers now employ 200-person teams and spend $10 million to $30 million to create the latest blockbusters.

"Back in the day, high school dropouts that knew code could design games," Della Rocca said. Since then, "the industry has grown by leaps and bounds and is turning to formal education to fill its need for workers."

On the other hand, game design is a glamour field that tends to attract more interest than jobs.

To land a job at a video design company like Electronic Arts, a designer must have a strong portfolio, Della Rocca said.

The interest in serious games could provide additional outlets for those with design talent.

"The game environment is a powerful learning tool and today's managers are likely to be gamers willing to approve of such projects," Della Rocca said.

You can reach Eric Morath at (313) 222-2504 or emorath@detnews.com">emorath@detnews.com.