By

Richard Lapan, Ph.D

A parent of a graduating 12th grader, who is now deciding on whether or not to major in game development, asked us to look into their student’s major and provide them more information on things to consider. They sent us the names of the top colleges their student has applied to. We used two of the 6 Keys of College Fit (www.collegeunmazed.com) to gather data that would help the student make a more informed decision. Student Outcomes focuses student and family attention on data related to important markers of student success and satisfaction such as retention and graduation rates, and alumni earnings. Career Match connects college majors, and courses of study, to success and satisfaction pursuing different career pathways.  

Revenues from computer gaming companies exceeded $200 billion dollars in 2022. Incredible growth has helped fuel interest in and demand for game developers. Many colleges now offer majors in interactive media and game development. This school year many students and their families will be faced with making a difficult decision to attend a college specifically to major in game development. It is a high stakes decision to specialize in college for entry into a rapidly evolving career where skills and portfolios outweigh college credentials. In the face of such uncertainty, how can we flip the decision making odds in students’ favor?

Reviewing available data from the 5 colleges this student has applied to quickly revealed that colleges are not at all alike in the Student Outcome and Career Match information they provide. Variability across colleges is huge. A couple of the colleges provide some information, whereas others leave students and their families almost completely in the dark. Below, we focus on the one college with the best data to help answer the career outcomes question. This college provided data on 2022 graduates for all undergraduate programs.

Of the five colleges the student has applied to, the one with the best data also has a long-established interactive media and game development program. There are two related, but, in some very important aspects, separate majors. Students can earn a BA in a less technical track or a BS in a more technical course of study (almost a double major in computer science). Retention and graduation rate outcomes are very good in either the BA or BS programs, matching the college’s outcomes for all their undergraduates – which far exceeds national averages. Also, the BS track has a 4 plus 1 option. Students can earn a Masters’ degree with one additional year of study after earning their BS degree.

Graduates from the BA and BS tracks make post-college choices similar to undergraduates across all majors. Sixty-two percent of all 2022 graduates of this college were employed. Twenty-five percent were in graduate school. If pursuing a graduate degree, a high percentage of students stayed at the college to earn their graduate degree. Students applying elsewhere for graduate study gained acceptance to many of the highest ranked universities in the United States.  

Differences between the BA and BS game development majors became evident when comparing outcomes for graduates. Game developers from the BA track earn, on average, $28,000 a year less than graduates from the BS game development major. The average salary for BA graduates of the game development program is $49,100 versus $77,243 for the BS game development students. Earnings for the BS graduates are, on average, the same as for all undergraduates (across all majors) who graduated from the college. Of note, BA game development students earn substantially less on average than graduates of the college across all majors.

Further differences between BA and BS graduates can be seen in the types of companies where they find employment. Many BA students find employment in studio companies that appear to fit the intention and purpose of their major. As well, BS students also find employment in similar fitting studio companies. However, in addition to studio companies, BS students are also employed by leading tech companies like Raytheon and Microsoft.

While commending this college for collecting such useful outcome data and putting it into an easy to interpret dashboard format, this still isn’t enough information to help a young person and their family make a truly informed decision. We’d recommend the student research companies named by the college as having hired 2022 BA and BS graduates. It would be invaluable for the 12th grader to speak with a graduate now working for a studio company that develops computer games, as well as a BS graduate who chose to take their skills and find employment in the broader tech world. It would be very instructive for our current 12th grader to interview one of the BS game development graduates who took their technical training and transferred their talents to a career pathway they never would have imagined themselves doing as a high school senior.

Difficult issues faced by graduates of specialty majors are not new. Many colleges have long offered specialty tracks in majors such as set design, costume design, and stage and sound management. Sometimes, there are extra tuition fees required to major in these unique niches. The career challenges for their graduates should not be minimized. I know a set and theater stage design student who became an architect and a costume design student who went to law school before becoming a highly successful corporate attorney. There are many stories like these where young people transfer their considerable talents and passions to areas that may be related, or wholly unrelated, to what their specialty college major was.

Leading by example, in my next blog I’ll interview at least one graduate of a specialty major, such as game development. We’ll tell you their story of how they dealt with the rigors of making it in a competitive profession where it is essential that you have an ability to persevere to overcome obstacles and find your place within high powered, collaborative, interdisciplinary work teams. And, I’ll hopefully share feedback about this blog from the student and family who are in the midst of deciding!

Let’s keep the conversation going. Keep sending me your questions. With your permission, I’ll share some of what you send me. If you want me to look into a particular college you, or your students, are interested in, let me know and I’ll take a look. You can reach me at rlapan@collegeunmazed.com.