Troy,
NY,
United States
Type
Private
Degrees offered
Bachelor's Degree
MSc in Critical Game Design in Troy, NY United States | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
|
Troy, NY United States
The Master of Science in Critical Game Design emphasizes games' potential to drive change across industries, academia, and society through an applied thesis project, typically manifested as a critically engaged game prototype. Students will gain hands-on development skills while learning to integrate analytical perspectives directly into innovative game creation.
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Qualification
Master's Degree
Languages
English
Delivery Mode
On-Campus
Tuition (2026)
USD
64,400
Attendance
Full-time
Full-time Duration
12 months
Games have become one of the major entertainment forms of the 21st century. However, games also have tremendous transformative power as forms of artistic expression, as social spaces, as platforms for learning, and as tools for critical inquiry. Through simulation, interactivity and narrative, games can provide new ways to portray and to grapple with complex cultural, environmental, social and ethical questions. Terms such as “serious games”, “impact games”, “games for change”, and “games for learning” all point to a rapidly evolving understanding of the nature of games and interactivity in addition to entertainment.
The MS in Critical Game Design is designed to produce and graduate entrepreneurial, critical-theory savvy game developers who work to change the face of games research and the games industry.
“Critical Game Design” at RPI derives from the Department of Games and Experiential Media in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, with an emphasis on reflective self-assessment, the importance of subjective experience, and the social power of interpretation. Drawing on our multidisciplinary faculty’s expertise, spanning arts practice, media studies, science and technology studies, computer science, and cognitive science, our curriculum presents a unique fusion of critical, reflective, and historical approaches with game design practice combined with technological innovation.
Destination of Study
Subjects of Study
Outcomes of the Graduate Curriculum
Students who successfully complete this program will be able to:
- Apply insights from critical studies directly to the engaged production of new types of game designs
- Be well positioned to enter either the games industry or independent game development spaces, or to continue their education at the doctoral level
Graduation Requirements
- Thirty (30) credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree
- At least half of the total credit hours must contain the course numbers 6000-7999
- Must be registered for at least two terms and complete a minimum of 24 credit hours of resident instruction
- Individual course requirements can be waived or substituted - in exceptional circumstances - by the Department without decreasing the total number of credits required for the degree
Language Requirements
English
IELTS 6.5
Qualification Requirements
GRADUATE APPLICATION
Complete the online application for full- or part-time graduate degree programs.
Applicants may apply only to one degree program per term. Multiple applications for one term are not permitted.
NONREFUNDABLE APPLICATION PROCESSING FEE OF $75
The application processing fee must be paid electronically after submitting your application.
The application fee is waived for Rensselaer alumni, current Rensselaer students (matriculating and non-matriculating), employees, and employee spouses.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Your Personal Statement should address your academic and research interests, and future career goals as they relate to the graduate program to which you are applying. The statement should include relevant academic/research, professional, and personal experiences that influenced your decision to apply to the graduate program.
The Architectural Sciences, M.S., program with a concentration in Built Ecologies requires an additional and separate Research Proposal describing your research goals and academic plan. The Research Proposal should describe your intended area of research and its broader significance, explaining why this area of inquiry matters. The statement should also address how your research interests align with the work being conducted at CASE, referencing any specific CASE projects that have inspired you and how they connect to your proposed research.
RESUME OR CURRICULUM VITAE
Your resume should include details about your education, employment, and internship history, as well as any pertinent research experience. International students in the U.S. on OPT or CPT should include details about their current activities.
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
You will be required to enter two recommenders on the online application. Recommendations should be from your academic advisor(s), professors, research mentors, etc., who can provide an assessment of your likelihood of success at the graduate level in your field of study.
PORTFOLIO, IF REQUIRED BY DEPARTMENT
Architecture, Built Ecologies, and Electronic Arts only.
Critical Game Design M.S./Ph.D. requires examples of prior work (e.g.: portfolio, project samples).
TRANSCRIPTS AND DEGREES
Transcripts and Degrees must be in English (all post-secondary education, including transcript keys).
Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded to your graduate application. The minimum requirement for admission consideration is the completion and award of a four year U.S. bachelor's degree, or its equivalent, by the time of planned enrollment.
GRE/GMAT SCORES
Required for Management, Ph.D.
Optional for all other degree programs. Strongly recommended for all Computer Science and Cognitive Science programs. The GRE Institution code is 2757.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (ONLY)
Applicants possessing a valid Green Card will be considered as a domestic student for purposes of admission and financial aid.
The TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or PTE is required of all international applicants whose native language is not English.
Tuition
USD
64,400
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