Game Design and Development (BA)
Experience and Career Guide
BFAA for students starting Fall 2022 and earlier.
In this Guide
Learn the many ways you can extend your classroom experience to the real world.
- Take Game Design and Development courses and explore other programs of interest through electives.
- Analyze the values of games you currently play with a critical eye, and learn to use critical design to create meaningful tabletop games.
- Join the Design Makers Learning Cluster to extend opportunities for learning and development beyond the classroom.
- Enhance your academic experience at Laurier through professional one-on-one, online and peer-to-peer resources available through Academic Advising and Support.
- Create video games using different game development tools to expand your game design toolkit.
- Participate in game research projects with faculty members through the BGNlab during the school year or over the summer.
- If you’re thinking about applying to graduate school, talk with your professors and visit the Career Centre.
- Design and develop a game with a team during your year-long senior capstone project and release that game to the public.
- Develop your game design portfolio to document and share the games you have created with potential employers.
- Explore potential graduate programs to continue your education.
- Participate in game jams to network with other game designers.
- If you’re applying to graduate school, sign up for a scholarship proposal writing workshop and book a further education application appointment.
As a Game Design and Development student, you can:
- Join student clubs such as the Game Design & Development Students' Association (GDDSA) and build leadership skills through joining an executive team.
- Consider completing your Project Management certification.
- Use what you have learned in class to tell your own stories by designing, developing, and releasing your own video game or tabletop game to add to your game design portfolio.
- Tell your own stories and the stories of others through game design projects and participate in campus, community and corporate experiential learning opportunities such as game jams and research projects with faculty to gain hands-on experience and build your professional portfolio.
- Create an online portfolio and social media profiles to engage with other game designers, create content about games you are designing, and build your professional network.
Outside of your program, there are many co-curricular opportunities for you to participate in.
- Check out the Experience Catalogue for a full list of co-curricular experiences that are currently offered across campus.
- Volunteer with the Students’ Union (e.g., Laurier Orientation, Hawk Walk, EcoHawks, Food Bank, Emergency Response Team, Shinerama).
- Volunteer on campus with the Accessible Learning, Global Engagement, Sustainability Office, Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, WLU Student Publications and more.
- Get involved in the local community by volunteering off campus.
- Apply for on-campus jobs:
- Check Navigator frequently for job postings or contact individual departments directly.
- Search for job opportunities on the Students’ Union website.
- If you meet eligibility criteria, apply for the Laurier Work Study Program or International Student Work Experience Program.
- Attend Job Fairs to network with employers.
- Explore ways to get involved in research.
- Look into StartUp Lab opportunities for support in launching a new venture.
Job/Volunteer Search Tips
- While on-campus opportunities are posted year-round, recruitment often starts early! Start looking in the winter term for opportunities in the following academic year.
- Have your resumé and LinkedIn profile reviewed by Career Centre staff for both on and off-campus opportunities.
- Laurier offers a variety of co-curricular certificates that you can complete during your studies. Earn certificates in topics including academic development, professional development, wellness, leadership and career development.
- Participate in workshops, programming and events offered by the Career Centre, Gendered and Sexual Violence Prevention and Support, Laurier Library, the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and more.
- Engage in the First-Year Leadership Program including Campus Councils and House Council and the Leadership Certificate.
- Connect with Global Engagement to learn about international options available to you including opportunities abroad and language and culture sharing programs.
Design Your Degree
These are a few popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge. See undergraduate options, minors and courses for more information.
Develop Your Knowledge and Skills
As a Laurier student, you will develop the following competencies through your curricular and co-curricular experiences.
Competency Framework
Competencies are categories of transferrable skills that appear on your online Experience Record to help you reflect on what you've learned from your experiences. The competencies include:
- Adaptability and Resiliency
- Collaboration and Teamwork
- Communication
- Creativity and Innovation
- Critical Thinking
- Digital Literacy
- Diversity and Intercultural Understanding
- Functional Knowledge
- Leadership
- Problem Solving
- Professional Attributes
- Self-Awareness
Functional Knowledge
- Develop your design toolkit to create video games and tabletop games. Convey your narrative through game mechanisms and art assets to make games that matter.
- Work within an organizational context to develop a game or simulation that will bring about a specific outcome for an audience.
- Use player-centric design to create pro-social playful experiences designed to engage players in meaningful games while representing diverse points of view.
- Use technical writing to create documentation about your designs for a game development team and combine that with creative writing to create engaging stories.
- Develop your game through iterative playtesting, user research, and the cyclical design process used in engineering.
- Pitch a game idea, design document, game prototype or finished game to funders, game companies, players and the general public.
- Learn how game designers work on teams with programmers, artists and sound designers throughout the game design and development process.
Discover Career Options
All your experiences at Laurier can help you prepare for your future. Attend Career Centre events and workshops or book a career consulting appointment to explore career and further education options.
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Pursuing Further Education
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Employed
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Other
179 Faculty of Human and Social Sciences respondents from the Laurier Graduate Survey conducted by the Career Centre. Graduates were surveyed within 12 months of graduation. Other includes 3% who were travelling, volunteering or out of the workforce and 3% who were looking for employment.
Alumni Careers and Pathways
Sample Further Education Programs Within the First Year After Graduation
- Master’s Degree - Inclusive Design, Information (User Experience Design), English and Film Studies
Sample Jobs Within the First Year After Graduation
- director of game experience
- enrichment instructor
- entrepreneur
- game artist
- game developer
- junior quality assurance associate
- UI/UX web designer
Careers Of Alumni Two to Five Years After Graduation
- app developer
- digital designer
- digital marketing coordinator
- game designer
- project manager
- quality assurance analyst
- support specialist
- technical game analyst
Career Options and Resources
Need some guidance on what you can do with your degree? Discover some career options and find resources to help guide you.
Career and Industry Options
- corporate or non-profit training
- design consulting
- digital media/social media
- education
- entertainment
- entrepreneurship
- esports
- game design
- game creation/development
- healthcare
- interactive event development
- language learning
- library/museum
- marketing
- project management
- quality assurance
- recreation
- technology
- themed entertainment
- visual design/creation
- web development
- writing/content creation
Career Resources
- Brantford Games Network Lab
- International Game Developers Association
- North American Simulation and Gaming Association
- Project Management Institute
- BGNlab YouTube Channel
Laurier Alumni Career Profiles
Learn about career paths of Laurier alumni.
Your Experiences Tell Your Story
Share your story through your Laurier Experience Record. An interactive, shareable and official record of your hands-on experiences and learning opportunities at Laurier – the first of its kind in Canada!
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