START DATES FOR NEW YORK CITY & UNIVERSAL STUDIOS:
September 2010, January 2011
The Approach:
The Narrative Design Program is not a traditional school. On day one of the program, our students are in the business of making games, which includes everything from private consultations with A-list video game personalities, to designing a video game from the ground up. Our program is like a bridge into the video game industry, not the dull, cookie-cutter approaches that other institutions currently offer.The Deliverables:
Upon graduation from our Game Design Program, students will have an expansive video game portfolio which includes:FIRST YEAR:
- Game Design Document: Students produce at least one "shovel ready" game design document; the creative blue print of a video game.
- Their First Video Game Credit: As part of the curriculum, students develop a real working video game. Whether for PC, mobile platforms, or the Internet, this first video game credit goes a long way towards launching a career in the video game industry.
- Video Game Script Portfolio: Writing students graduate with an extensive portfolio that shows off their ability to write in a wide range of video game genres.
- Art Portfolio: Art and Animation students graduate with a professional portfolio that is ready to be shown to video game publishers and developers.
- Mobile Game: Programming students graduate with a fully functional, interactive game for the platform of their choice. Our program is a collaborative environment, so story, design and art are all produced by fellow students.
- Game Writing Concentration: Two, fully developed, 20-30 page game design documents. An additional 30 pages of sample game scripts.
- Art & Animation Concentration: A reel of no less than 10 minutes of fully rendered, professional-quality game animation. An additional portfolio of game art.
- Programming Concentration: A fully functional game developed by the programmer for the platform of his/her choosing. (This game is independent of the collaborative thesis project.)
- Project Management Concentration: A post-mortem on no less than 5 AAA-status video games. (Approx. 50 pages of work.)
- Collaborative Thesis Project: In addition to their concentration-specific thesis assignments, students must form thesis teams of four to create, develop and execute a fully-functional video game for mobile, console, PC or internet.
FIRST YEAR CLASSES
- Narrative Design Workshop
Students learn to write and develop Game Design Documents (the "vision" document that guides every game's development), and how to create stories for an interactive medium that presents players with multiple objectives and endless possible outcomes. The class begins with a general study of drama, reaching back to Aristotle's Poetics, then journeys through the great plays and screenplays of the past, until eventually reaching the specifics of video game drama. This class is a creative workshop, but it will also deal with the unique obstacles presented by the technical limitations (and possibilities) of video game design. - Game Development Workshop
Delves deep into the mechanics of what makes a game fun. Students begin with "paper designs", creating games along the lines of Dungeons and Dragons. Once a foundation of game development is established, students collaborate to develop an actual playable game that will be the culmination of their yearlong studies. - Video Game Analysis
As its name implies, the focus of this class is the study and deconstruction of video games. Each week focuses on one game, ranging from early Atari titles to the biggest hit games of the past few years. The game is played in class, with the instructor leading a discussion about what works and what doesn't work about the game. Every game genre will be deconstructed: first person shooter, role playing games, massively multiplayer on-line game. Video game franchises will also be discussed, with special attention paid to franchises that exist in multiple mediums (Chronicles of Riddick, Lara Croft.) - Video Game Industry Class
Even more so than Hollywood, the video game industry is a collaborative beast. No matter what your specific job is at a video game company, everyone is expected to take part in the creative development of the game. This class introduces students to the myriad of players who help bring a game to life. They also learn about the structure of the video game industry, as well as important workshops such as "How to Take a Successful Meeting."
- Introduction to 3-D Art
Students will learn how to set up and optimize the Maya interface for enhanced productivity. Using polygon tools, students learn hands on polygonal modeling. Students learn the polygon sub-D workflow and create a model demonstrating their understanding of this technique. Students learn organic and non-organic nurbs modeling and create a character model demonstrating their understanding of this technique. Students have life drawing classes with live models in order to understand anatomy and movement. - Introduction to 3-D Animation
Students learn how to present their ideas in storyboard form. Students study animated movies from early Disney through Shrek to fully understand the range and applicability of animation and what makes great work. Students learn how to keyframe and animate their animation using the timeline, graph editor, dope sheet, and trax editor. This section includes creating characters speaking and syncing mouth movement with recorded speech and walk cycles. Students learn how to use Raytracing, Mental Ray and the Maya renderer as well as creating High Dynamic Range images for architectural and high-end output. - Introduction to Game Programming
All students take this one year course designed to give an introduction to all the facets of programming a video game, from the software tools used across the industry, to the game engine itself (a complicated piece of software that literally runs every element of a video game). - Evening Lecture Series
Our Master-in-Residence, A-list game writer Flint Dille (Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay; Ghostbusters) hosts this master class that brings the biggest names in games and entertainment to the New York Film Academy. Past guests of Flint include Frank Miller (Sin City) and Vin Diesel (Chronicles of Riddick). - Internships
This is step one in job placement and on-the-job training. Internships are highly recommended for all students. Whether they intern at a game developer, a publisher, or an agency, this hands on experience is one of the most valuable lessons any aspiring game designer can receive.
SECOND YEAR CLASSES
- Advanced Narrative Design Workshop
Students who select "Game Writing" as their concentration for the second year have 2 three-hour classes per week, and a four-hour supervised writing lab once a week. The primary focus of this class is the planning, preparation, and execution of the student’s concentration-specific thesis projects. The supervised writing lab can also be used to work on their collaborative thesis project. - Advanced 3-D Art and Animation Workshop
Students who select "Art & Animation" as their concentration for the second year have 2 three-hour classes per week, and a four-hour supervised animation lab once a week. The primary focus of this class is the planning, preparation, and execution of the student’s concentration-specific thesis projects. The supervised animation lab can also be used to work on their collaborative thesis project. - Advanced Game Programming Workshop
Students who select "Programming" as their concentration for the second year have 2 three-hour classes per week, and a four-hour supervised programming lab once a week. The primary focus of this class is the planning, preparation, and execution of the student’s concentration-specific thesis projects. The supervised programming lab can also be used to work on their collaborative thesis project. - Advanced Project Management Workshop
Students who select "Project Management" as their concentration for the second year have 2 three-hour classes per week, and a four-hour supervised producing lab once a week. The primary focus of this class is the planning, preparation, and execution of the student’s concentration-specific thesis projects. The supervised producing lab can also be used to work on their collaborative thesis project.
- Advanced Game Development Workshop
All students take part in this class, which meets three times a week for three hours at a time. In this class, students form their thesis teams (writer, animator, programmer, project manager) that they will work with for the rest of the year. Thesis teams workshop every step of their game in this class, from initial concept document to final locked game. - Video Game Industry Class: Advanced Topics Colloquium
A more in depth look at all the angles of the Video Game Industry in a more intimate, panel discussion format. Mock meetings, on-site visits, and industry professionals prepare students for the day after graduation. - Evening Lecture Series
Our Master-in-Residence, A-list game writer Flint Dille (Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay; Ghostbusters) hosts this master class that brings the biggest names in games and entertainment to the New York Film Academy. Past guests of Flint include Frank Miller (Sin City) and Vin Diesel (Chronicles of Riddick). - Internships
This is step one in job placement and on-the-job training. Internships are highly recommended for all students. Whether they intern at a game developer, a publisher, or an agency, this hands on experience is one of the most valuable lessons any aspiring game designer can receive. Second year students must intern for a minimum of 12 weeks.
