Curriculum for Game Production Management Major

Learn the ins and outs of game production and how to manage it from industry experts with years of experience through the Game Production Management major.

Game Production Management Curriculum

The Bachelor of Science in Game Production Management is designed for the student who is passionate about both business and creative media. It will provide a student with the opportunity to have a business core that includes integrated courses in business, marketing, corporate social responsibility and international business (with an emphasis on the global economy), as well as courses in quantitative methods, accounting, finance, economics, and business law. Students will be able to take additional business courses that include Project Management, Organizational Management and electives from business and marketing offerings as well as 18 or more credits in a creative discipline including Broadcast Media Production, Professional Writing, Filmmaking, and Graphic Design & Visual Communication.

Learning Outcomes for Game Production Management

First Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Second Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Third Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
- BUS 310 International Bus. and Macroeconomics
- EGD 320 Game Studio II
- XXX General Elective
- COR 303 Core Foundations: Connecting Past and Present
- COR 304 Digital Methods
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
- CCC 410 College Capstone
- LEG 120 Business Law
- FIN 240 Financial Management I
- XXX General Elective
Spring Semester
- EGD 420 Game Studio III
- SCI XXX Natural Science w/Lab
- XXX General Elective
- XXX General Elective

Students will discover and develop the entrepreneurial mindset that is critical to succeed in today's dynamic business environment so that they will be able to imagine, create, identify, assess, and act on business opportunities in a variety of contexts and organizations. Through real-world examples and hand-ons activities, students will embrace an entrepreneurial and strength-based mindsets that will facilitate their understanding of the major functions of business and the relationships between them, as well as the importance of self-inquiry and teamwork.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Game History is an integrated, cross-disciplinary hands-on history class where students actively research the evolution and history of games through the lenses of design, art, technology, business, society and culture. Working with resources from the Game History Teaching Collection, and from the perspective of their discipline as a game developer, students will play, study and research historical to contemporary games. In this way, students will discover the nexus of relationships driving game development.

Prerequisites	Game Design, Game Art, Game Production Management or Game Programming students only. Or receive permission of the Dean.
Credits	3

In Introduction to the Game Industry, students will shift their perspectives from those of a consumer to those of a business professional. Students will learn about the current state of the games industry, including prominent technologies, genres, and business practices and also explore of how we got here. Given the rapid pace at which the game industry evolves, this course will also draw heavily on current events for critical discussion and analysis.

Prerequisites	GMBP Major or Permission of the Program Director
Credits	3

Why go to college? What does it mean to be educated? In this course you'll begin to answer these questions. We'll explore the academic expectations of higher education, college as a diverse community, and the significance of education around the world. By examining how these issues are negotiated and implemented at Champlain and elsewhere, you'll gain perspective on your own education and a deeper understanding of the ways that the college experience can be both liberating and transformative.

Prerequisites	Take Cor-102 concurrently.
Credits	3

Inquiry is about learning how to ask the right kinds of questions, and figuring out how to answer those questions through discussion and reflection. This course introduces you to the types of inquiry necessary to succeed at Champlain and beyond. You will explore the intersections of reading, writing, and thinking by focusing on a specific topic or theme. You will approach that focus through the interrogation of relevant texts and analysis that draws upon multiple analytical frameworks. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take COR-101 concurrently.
Credits	3

Business decisions begin with a fundamental understanding of the marketplace. From target market to competition,globalization to industry analysis, businesses must evaluate the marketing, organizational management, and international implications of decision-making. Students explore the behavioral and business decision-making process for marketing and management as they are introduced to these strategic processes critical to business success. Students will learn how to build and function within successful teams as they engage with Vermont-based businesses to analyze and recommend solutions to real-world business challenges and opportunities.

Prerequisites	BUS-110 or permisison of Assistant Dean
Credits	3

Every professional needs to be able to communicate effectively and analyze the communication of others. In this course, you will enhance your own skills in these areas by learning successful strategies for overcoming communication barriers in interpersonal, small group, public speaking, and computer-mediated settings. You will also apply basic communication theories to improve your ability to get your message across, persuade others and improve work and personal relationships.

Prerequisites	You may not enroll in this course if you have already taken COM-130.
Credits	3

Students will learn about team interactions, software project management processes, tools, and technologies, through observation, reflection, role-play and hands-on software project management. Students are introduced to project management as a discipline, compare various software project management methodologies, discover and reflect on individual strengths and practices, and apply the Agile methodology to game development using Scrum, including day-to-day techniques to lead a team to success without waste, technical debt or crunchtime.

Prerequisites	For Game Production Management Students only or by permission of SSB Associate Dean. Complete EGD-100.
Credits	3

What makes an argument good or bad? What counts as evidence in our post-truth world? How can you understand and assess the truth value of a claim when you're not an expert? In this course you'll learn rhetorical strategies about how to examine arguments and types of evidence in different disciplines and fields of study. To help learn these strategies, you will do close readings of texts from a variety of disciplines in the liberal arts and sciences, popular culture, and social media.

Prerequisites	Take COR-104 concurrently.
Credits	3

This course introduces you to interdisciplinary inquiry using applied, project-based, and/or experiential methods. Regardless of the specific course focus, you'll have opportunities for making and doing interdisciplinary knowledge creation through a variety of approaches and activities. You will collaborate with other students, iterate on ideas, and work to develop a project. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take Cor-103 concurrently.
Credits	3

Students will learn the fundamental principles of financial transaction recording and how they impact financial statements; the relationship among the financial statements; and how to use accounting information in the managerial decision-making process. By applying these principles in real-world contexts, students will gain insight into how accounting information influences organization management in the decision making process.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Introduces the skills of project management to define a project's scope, specifications and assumptions, and develop a work breakdown structure using various methodologies. Students gain an understanding of the value of time lines and Gantt charts and utilize a leading project management software application.

Prerequisites	Must complete 30 credits before taking this course.
Credits	3

Teaches a statistical approach to decision making under uncertainty. Topics are descriptive statistics, probability distributions, inferential statistics, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, linear regression and correlation.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Science holds an elevated place in society. The knowledge and meaning that science makes are seen as having a particular and special value. This course explores knowledge and meaning making in order to allow a thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, science as a way of knowing, and then engages with the methods and theories of the sciences themselves, to understand the analytical, creative, and generative possibilities of science.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

While each section of COR 202 addresses a different problem, issue, or topic, they all focus on interdisciplinary research. You will collect, analyze, and assess information from different disciplines in order to recognize patterns, contextualize arguments and synthesize ideas while collaborating on a project. Emphasis will be placed on helping you translate and apply what you learn about interdisciplinary research to other professional contexts. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

This course explores the critical intersection of environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability, offering students an overview of sustainable business practices. Students will examine both the challenges and opportunities of adopting sustainability in various business contexts and learn to develop innovative solutions that address global sustainability issues, enhance corporate social responsibility, and drive business success in the long term. Through theoretical and hands-on exploration with sustainability-minded companies, students are equipped with the tools and mindset necessary to become informed leaders who are ready to influence positive change and sustainability in business environments.

Prerequisites	Take 30 credits.
Credits	3

In Game Studio I, students from all of the degrees of the Game Studio work together in small, multidisciplinary teams to rapidly conceptualize, plan and prototype a variety of 2D game prototypes. Students explore development for both PC and mobile technology, while learning collaborative skills in communication, agile project management techniques, and version control.

Prerequisites

All - GDES, GMRT, GPMG, GMSD, GPRO, INAR only Game Design majors, complete GMD-200 and GMD-210 with grade C or higher. Game Art majors, complete GAA-205 with grade C or higher. Game Programming majors, complete CSI-240 with grade C or higher. Game Production Management majors, complete MGT-140 with minimum grade of C. Game Sound Design majors, complete SON-120 with minimum grade of C. Interactive Narrative majors, complete INN-200 with a minimum grade of C.

Credits

In the Creative Portfolio Tools course, students explore and develop a variety of portfolio tools to assist in a successful launch of their careers in the creative industry. These include websites, presenting portfolio, creating a personal image, business cards, cover letters and resumes, developing reels and other video based promotions, and using social media and networking. The course is modular and self paced, allowing students to work on materials specific to their area of employment, and their needs for gaining internships and/or employment.

Prerequisites
Credits	1

This course provides insight into consumer behavior, and how consumers engage in the decision making process. This includes an in-depth study of the internal, external, and situational influences on consumer behavior such as culture, learning, personality and lifestyle, values and motivations. Students will learn to assess current brands' marketing strategies with respect to consumer behavior and develop an understanding of the impact consumerism has on various global populations.

Prerequisites	Complete BUS-120 or MKT-110.
Credits	3

Culture impacts everything we do, experience, and learn, but what is culture? Where does it come from, how does it form, and why does it have such a wide and deep impact on people's lives? This course explores culture as a system of meaning and meaning-making in order to allow for a more thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, cultural texts and media using different methodological approaches.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

In this course, you will go in depth about a theoretical perspective that asks you to interrogate systems of power and power relationships. You will learn about the history of that perspective, including how it too was shaped by multiple contexts and compares with other viewpoints. You will use that perspective to analyze a specific topic, collection of texts, or cultural phenomena. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

This course covers the basic microeconomic theories within a business context as they apply to markets, analysis of cost, producer and consumer behaviors, industrial organization, strategic thinking, and pricing strategies. These economic concepts will be continually applied to current events, policy issues, and business situations.

Prerequisites	Take 30 credits
Credits	3

Students use basic data analysis to find meaning in data through data cleaning, analysis and visualization. Students will learn Excel and other contemporary tools, spreadsheet manipulation, data cleaning and other data analytic techniques. Students will produce the kind of visual, written and verbal information that helps communicate results of data analysis to evaluate and optimize decision making.

Prerequisites	Complete 15 credits
Credits	3

An individually supervised experience in a selected profit or nonprofit organization. Provides opportunity for career exploration, and to observe and develop technical, interpersonal and conceptual skills. Specific experiences are developed for each workplace in conjunction with a site supervisor. In addition to working a minimum of 8 to 10 hours per week students will discuss and evaluate their experiences. Note: Internships must be secured prior to the start of the course.

Prerequisites	Must have completed at least 18 credits of business requirements or have permission of the program director.
Credits	3

Where we are shapes how we understand ourselves and each other. In this course, we will dig into the relationship between place and identity. We will learn how to think spatially, recognizing how one's identity is situated within and constructed through movement through different spaces--be they natural and built environments, rural and urban, or actual and virtual. COR 301 will help us understand the complex meanings of identity in a world defined by movement and change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Field methods are a collection of practices used in the sciences, arts, and humanities to understand phenomena in situ or as it is happening in a specific time and place. In this course, we will apply one or more field methods to research a topic, theme, or question that varies by section. We will learn practices associated with research in the field including but not limited to participant observation, data collection, and experimentation in order to navigate an uncontrolled environment. We will also examine the power dynamics between the researcher, informant, and subject matter to help us understand how, if not practiced ethically, field methods can create or reinforce biases rather than helping us learn with and make sense of the world around us. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-three

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

To understand today's global economy students will analyze country-specific socio-cultural, economic, political, and legal forces, as well as currency exchange rate mechanisms, tax systems, and other broad financial controls. Students will apply theories and strategies of international business and related macroeconomic principles to real-world issues and cases by conducting country risk assessments and developing foreign market entry strategies. Students will be challenged to identify their own sense of cultural identity through comparisons with differing country-level and individual cultural perspectives and recognize the implications for conducting business in varied cultural contexts.

Prerequisites	Take 30 credits and ECN-255
Credits	3

In Game Studio II, students from all of the degrees of the Game Studio work together in large, multidisciplinary teams to rapidly conceptualize, pitch, plan and develop a 3D game. Students utilize the latest in game technology, while perfecting their collaborative, communication skills, and agile project management techniques.

Prerequisites	GDES.BS, GART.BS, GPRO.BS, GPMG.BS, GMSD.BS, GMBP.BS only. EGD-220, minimum grade of C. Game Design Students: EGD-300, minimum grade of C Game Art Students: EGD-235, minimum grade of C Game Programming: GPR-250, minimum grade of C Game Sound Design: SON-300, minimum grade of C Game Business & Publishing: GBP-200, minimum grade of C
Credits	3

By learning from the past, we can make sense of the present and prepare for the future. In this course, we will learn how the 21st century has been and continues to be shaped by past social practices, ethical frameworks, power relations, and discourses. COR 303 is a course about how we know what we know about the past, and the ways different narratives about the past shape the present. Making connections between past and present will help us better understand how to live and make decisions in a globalized world defined by constant change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Digital methods are widely used forms of inquiry that employ technological tools to interrogate research questions important to the humanities and sciences (including the social sciences). Some examples include digital archiving, data mining, and story mapping. In this course, we will use one or more digital methods or tools to research a topic, theme or question that varies by section, with the express purpose of critiquing and reflecting on its application. This includes an examination of the values, flaws, and impacts of the methods or tools we are using, paying particular attention to their ethical implications and power dynamics. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-three

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

The college capstone is an opportunity for students to pursue a self-directed experience in their professional program that intentionally integrates their liberal learning in the Core curriculum with their program learning. In addition to the substantive professional-based hands-on project in this class, the capstone will include a professional ethics component and a self-evaluation/self-reflection component.

Prerequisites	Must complete COR-310, COR-320, and two sections of COR-330 All Game majors (EGPR.BS, GDES.BS, GART.BS must also complete EGD-320 with a minimum grade of C.
Credits	5

An overview of the entire legal system, with an emphasis on contract rights. The essential elements of a contract, the breach of contracts and the remedies for breach are discussed. Business and consumer laws, including white-collar crime, landlord-tenant rights, real property interests and administrative law are presented.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

This is a first course in corporate finance. The course is designed to introduce students to the concepts and techniques necessary to analyze and implement optimal investment decisions. The course covers the effect of time and uncertainty on decision making. Topics include discounting techniques and applications, stock and bond valuation, diversification and portfolio choice, and capital budgeting.

Prerequisites	Take ACC-135
Credits	3

In EGD 420, Game Studio III, seniors successful in pitching their games during the college capstone in the Fall semester continue into full production. Forming large production teams, games are taken to the perfect polished state of gold master, ready for publication. Academic emphasis for the class is focused on working successfully in a professional studio environment, preparing for entrance into the job market, and taking personal craft to the next level.

Prerequisites	CCC-410EGD with a minimum grade of C or better. GDES, GMRT, GMSD, GPMG, GPRO, GMBP, and INAR only.
Credits	5

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