The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.
Courtlyn
Promotion and Events Specialist
Unlock future-ready skills to build a career in game design
Download Brochure
February 14, 2024
6 months, online
15–20 hours per week
Our participants tell us that taking this program together with their colleagues helps to share common language and accelerate impact.
We hope you find the same. Special pricing is available for groups.
The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.
Courtlyn
Promotion and Events Specialist
Explore financing options available for this program.
Learn more
Prerequisites: Participants should have experience with basic coding concepts. Some assignments require the use of the Unity game engine (C#). Links to tutorials in Unity are provided.
The worldwide games market is poised for growth on all fronts. With smartphones making games more accessible and innovative applications emerging in fields such as education and training, the global gaming market is projected to reach $340 billion by 2027. Tabletop games are enjoying a renaissance of their own, with the market expected to reach $30.93 billion by 2028 — more than twice its current value.
With this growth comes a demand for game design professionals who have a more sophisticated understanding of the field. Today’s designers must not only be able to design, develop, and launch games that foster connection and resonate with a diverse audience — they must also know how to scope projects, manage products, and work effectively with teams.
If you are looking to break into game design or advance in the field, the Professional Certificate in Game Design from MIT xPRO will give you the knowledge and skills you need to navigate the challenges of today’s game industry and prepare you to create games for the future.
The value of the global gaming market by 2027
The average salary for lead game designers in the U.S.
in fields such as information technology (IT), information technology-enabled services (ITeS), technology, or game development who are aiming to start a career in game design by demonstrating their capabilities through a program designed by renowned faculty from the MIT Game Lab
looking to expand their career opportunities by gaining exposure to game design as a way to advance in a fast-growing field
such as graphic or UX designers, sound engineers, production artists, or art directors who have a passion for games of any type and wish to build upon their creative backgrounds to break into the game design industry
Distinguish yourself with a certificate from MIT xPRO, and earn 36 continuing education units (CEUs)
Gain insights from MIT Game Lab instructors and industry experts
Compile a Game Diary, a portfolio of your work you can share with potential employers
Complete a capstone project by applying your knowledge and skills to develop a functional game
Receive one-on-one career support from Emeritus and introductions to hiring partners for eligible participants
This program is organized into four parts, all focused on the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in today’s game design market.
Learn the fundamentals of game design, learn how to analyze game mechanics and complex game systems, and re-create a game prototype in Tabletopia.
Explore the intricacies of game design, including ideation methodologies, playtesting cycles, and prototyping, and learn how to design a game for impact.
Learn strategies for navigating the nuances of today’s market. Then, discover industry best practices that will help you confront common design challenges.
Hear industry perspectives on starting a business, game development, and sound design. Then, prepare a pitch and put your learning into practice by designing a game in a final capstone project.
Learn the fundamentals of game design, learn how to analyze game mechanics and complex game systems, and re-create a game prototype in Tabletopia.
Learn strategies for navigating the nuances of today’s market. Then, discover industry best practices that will help you confront common design challenges.
Explore the intricacies of game design, including ideation methodologies, playtesting cycles, and prototyping, and learn how to design a game for impact.
Hear industry perspectives on starting a business, game development, and sound design. Then, prepare a pitch and put your learning into practice by designing a game in a final capstone project.
Game designers or those in a related role need both hard and soft skills to succeed. This program offers you guidance for navigating your career path, from crafting your elevator pitch to perfecting your interview skills. These services are provided by Emeritus, our learning collaborator for this program. The program support team includes program leaders who will help you reach your learning goals. The primary goal is to give you the skills necessary to be prepared for a job in this field; however, job placement is not guaranteed.
Career guidance in this program includes:
Exercises specific to building your game design career include:
Philip Tan
Mikael Jakobsson
Philip Tan
Research Scientist, MIT Game Lab
Philip Tan teaches courses in game design and production at MIT. His research translates the joy of expert challenge in scientific, professional, and competitive fields into playful forms that are accessible to anyone. For six years, he served as the executive director of the US operations of the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab, a game research initiative. Philip has conducted research and development on projects with Blizzard Entertainment, Bose Corporation, Raytheon BBN, Fire Hose Games, and the Museum of Science in Boston.
In addition to his research and teaching, Philip served as an assistant manager at the Media Development Authority of Singapore, working closely with Singaporean game developers to launch industry-wide initiatives and administer content development grants. He has also served on the steering committee of the International Game Developers Association’s Singapore chapter.
Early in his career, Philip produced and designed online PC games at The Education Arcade, an MIT research group that studied and created educational games. He complements his master's degree in comparative media studies with his work at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the MIT Media Lab; WMBR 88.1FM; and the MIT Assassins' Guild, where he earned the title of Master Assassin for his live-action roleplaying game designs. He also teaches DJ courses and founded a DJ crew at MIT.
Mikael Jakobsson
Research Scientist, MIT Game Lab
Mikael Jakobsson’s interest in game development began in the 1980s, the age of early home computers. With a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and a Master’s in Informatics, he went on to write his dissertation on social interaction design in virtual worlds. Prior to his time with MIT, he also worked as a game reviewer for a major Swedish newspaper. His research interests converge at the intersection of game design and game culture. Building on a foundation in interaction design, he approaches his research using a combination of design exploration, interaction criticism, and participatory design, with the objective of strengthening the voices of underprivileged stakeholders.
Through his research, Mikael frequently collaborates with the game development community, including organizations such as Tencent, Ubisoft Massive, and King, and with other industry partners such as Bose Corporation and Boston Consulting Group. His work has been published extensively in leading game studies journals and anthologies, and he has coauthored a book with Professor Mary Flanagan scheduled for release from MIT Press in 2023. He has presented his research to a global audience, including the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Tencent in Beijing, and the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. He also teaches classes in game studies, game criticism, game design, and interaction design at undergraduate and graduate levels. He has 25 years of experience in teaching, developing courses, managing research projects, and advising master’s and PhD students.
Senior Narrative Designer, Deep Silver Volition, Freelance Fiction Writer
Founder and President, Fire Hose Games
Audio Director and Cofounder, Hexany Audio
Product Manager and Game Developer, Multiverse
Get recognized! Upon successful completion of this program, MIT xPRO grants a certificate of completion to participants and 36 CEUs. This program is graded as pass or fail. Participants must receive 75% to pass and obtain the certificate of completion.
Download Brochure
After reviewing the information on the program landing page, we recommend you submit the short form above to gain access to the program brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions on whether this program is a good fit for you, please email learner.success@emeritus.org, and a dedicated program advisor will follow up with you very shortly.
Some programs do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the program landing page and in the program brochure. If you are uncertain about program prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at learner.success@emeritus.org for assistance.
This is a graded program. You must complete a combination of individual assignments, quizzes, and a final project. Each component carries a certain number of points, and a cumulative score of 75 percent is required to pass and obtain your professional certificate.
The primary objective of this program is to give you the skills you need to be prepared for a job in this field. While eligible participants will receive career coaching and support and may receive introductions to our hiring partners, job placement is not guaranteed.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the “Duration” section and in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.
You will divide your learning time between viewing recorded coding demos, and video lectures, contributing to class discussions, completing assignments, projects, and knowledge checks, and attending optional live sessions with industry experts and program leaders.
The program is accessed through the custom learning portal. This portal will give you access to all program-related content such as video lectures, assignments, and discussions. Live office hours will be conducted using a webinar tool.
The video lectures and assignments are accessible weekly throughout the program. In the event you miss a live session, a recording will be made available.
Faculty video lectures are recorded, allowing you to watch these on your own schedule. However, participation in optional live sessions and discussion boards is highly encouraged. Live sessions will give you the opportunity to draw on the coding experience of our industry-experienced program leaders to answer your questions and help reach your learning goals. The discussion boards are also an integral part of the learning experience, giving you and your peers the opportunity to learn together and receive guidance from the moderators.
You can download video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. However, the video lectures are only available for streaming and require an internet connection.
You can communicate with other participants through our learning platform. You will be able to form groups based on your interests and location. A direct messaging feature is also available through the platform.
More than 300,000 learners across 200 countries have chosen to advance their skills with Emeritus and its educational learning partners. In fact, 90 percent of the respondents of a recent survey across all our programs said that their learning outcomes were met or exceeded.
All the contents of the course would be made available to students at the commencement of the course. However, to ensure the program delivers the desired learning outcomes the students may appoint Emeritus to manage the delivery of the program in a cohort-based manner the cost of which is already included in the overall course fee of the course.
A dedicated program support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues, or anything else that may affect your learning experience.
Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what is required before you enroll. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the “Duration” section and in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programs are designed to fit into your working life.
This program is scored as a pass or no-pass; participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programs include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the program brochure. Please contact us at learner.success@emeritus.org if you need further clarification of any specific program requirements.
Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools, or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter, résumé, and/or display it on your LinkedIn profile.
The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the program, once grading is complete.
No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
No, there is no alumni status granted for this program. In some cases, there are credits that count toward a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the program brochure.
You will have access to the learning platform and all program materials (videos excluded) for one full year following the program end date. Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants per the terms of agreement.
To successfully complete this course/program(me) online, you must have access to a device meeting the minimum requirements, found here. In addition, Microsoft Office or similar product and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts in all programs. Technical programs might have additional tech requirements. Please check the learning platform on the first day of class.
Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet and video content is not available for download. You can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. Video lectures must be streamed via the internet and webinars and small group sessions will require an internet connection.
The program fee is shown at the top of this page and payment must be made in US dollars only.
Flexible payment options, group enrollment benefits, and referral bonus are available.
Tuition assistance may be available for participants who qualify. Please contact your program advisor to discuss.
Yes, you can do the bank remittance in USD via wire transfer. Please contact your program advisor for more details.
Yes flexible payment options are available for this program. We partner with loan providers to offer you flexible and transparent loan options. More information about loan financing is available here. Installment payments are also available—; you can find the options here.
Yes, the program fee is inclusive of any taxes with the exception of GST for Singapore residents.
After a participant has withdrawn, they will no longer be able to attend live sessions or 1:1 sessions with course leaders, mentors, or career coaches; submit work for review; or access their programme dashboard or curriculum.
Participants who would like to cancel their enrollment should email ProgramSupport@Emeritus.org or visit the “Support” tab in the learning platform to obtain a copy of the Withdrawal Request Form. This form must be submitted by midnight UTC of the last day of the trial period to be eligible for a full refund. No cancellations will be processed unless this form is received. Refunds will be issued within 30 days after the effective date of withdrawal or dismissal.
Participants have the option to request a deferral to a future cohort within the first 30 days from their program start date. Cohort changes may be made only once per enrollment and are subject to the availability of cohorts and scheduled at the discretion of Emeritus. Participants requesting a deferral must be in good academic standing. Participants who would like to defer their enrollment should email ProgramSupport@Emeritus.org or visit the “Support” tab in the learning platform to obtain a copy of the Deferral Request Form.
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Immediate repayment, interest-only repayment, and deferred payment options are available. Click here to know more
Monthly payments as low as $1,250. Click here to know more.
Flexible payment options available.