Download - Community College Week

www.ccweek.com March 22, 2010 7
Community Colleges Offering Computer Gaming Degrees
Of the 254 colleges and universities offering video and computer gaming courses, 42 are located at community colleges.
Here is a list of community colleges as compiled by the Entertainment Software Association.
Mesa Community College
Glendale Community College
Pinnacle College
Cañada College - Redwood City - CA
Sierra College
Palomar College
Santa Ana College
The Academy of Entertainment and Technology
at Santa Monica College
Pensacola Junior College
McHenry County College
Harper College
Johnson County Community College
Bristol Community College
Anne Arundel Community College
Community College of Baltimore County
Hagerstown Community College
Montgomery College
Central Piedmont Community College
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Wake Technical Community College
Piedmont Community College
Mesa, AZ
Glendale, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Redwood City, CA
Rocklin, CA
San Marcos, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Santa Monica, CA
Pensacola, FL
Crystal Lake, IL
Schaumburg, IL
Overland Park, KS
Fall River, MA
Anne Arundel, MD
Baltimore, MD
Hagerstown, MD
Rockville, MD
Charlotte, NC
Fayetteville, NC
Raleigh, NC
Roxboro, NC
Concord Community College
Camden County College
County College at Morris
Raritan Valley Community College
Finger Lakes Community College
Westchester Com. Coll.
Peekskill Extension Center, New York
Mohawk Valley Community College
Edison Community College
Oklahoma City Community College
Austin Community College
Richland College
Houston Community College
San Jacinto College Central
Tidewater Community College
Bellevue Community College
Lake Washington Technical College
Clover Park Technical College
Edmonds Community College
Seattle Central Community College
Madison Area Technical College
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Concord, NH
Blackwood, NJ
Randolph, NJ
Branchburg, NJ
Canandaigua, NY
Peekskill, NY
Utica, NY
Piqua, OH
Oklahoma City, OK
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Norfolk, VA
Bellevue, WA
Kirkland, WA
Lakewood, WA
Lynnwood, WA
Seattle, WA
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Video and
Computer Game
Industry Facts
America’s entertainment software industry
creates a wide array of computer and
video games to meet the demands and
tastes of audiences. Today’s gamers
include millions of Americans of all ages
and backgrounds. More than two-thirds
of all American households play games.
This vast audience is fueling the growth
of this multi-billion dollar industry and
bringing jobs to communities across the
nation. Below is a list of the top 10
entertainment software industry facts:
U.S. computer and video game
software sales grew 22.9 percent
in 2008 to $11.7 billion.
Sixty-eight percent of American
households play computer or video
games.
The average game player is 35
years old and has been playing
games for 12 years.
The average age of the most
frequent game purchaser is
39 years old.
Forty percent of all game players
are women. Women over the age
of 18 represent a significantly
greater portion of the game-playing
population (34 percent) than boys
age 17 or younger (18 percent).
In 2009, 25 percent of Americans
over the age of 50 play video
games, an increase from nine
percent in 1999.
PHOTOS COURTESY AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CENTRAL PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Thirty-seven percent of heads
of households play games on a
wireless device, such as a cell
phone or PDA, up from
20 percent in 2002.
Eighty-four percent of all games
sold in 2008 were rated “E” for
Everyone, “T” for Teen, or “E10+”
for Everyone 10+.
Ninety-two percent of game
players under the age of 18 report
that their parents are present when
they purchase or rent games.
Sixty-three percent of parents
believe games are a positive part
of their children’s lives.
Source: Entertainment Software
Association
is growing; Computer and video
game software sales reached $22
billion in 2008. Computer and
video games companies directly
or indirectly employ more than
80,000 people, according to the
ESA.
Those kinds of numbers have
commanded the attention of community
colleges charged with
devising academic and workforce
development programs that can
lead to robust employment opportunities.
Dozens of two-year institutions
are among the colleges
offering degree or certificate programs
in video and computer
gaming.
Central Piedmont Community
College in North Carolina —
“The very same technology is used in
simulations like forensics and aviation.
It’s a very broad field.”
located near that state’s renowned
Research Triangle — was at the
forefront of the movement. In
2005, CPCC became the first college
of any kind in the nation to
offer a state-approved degree program
in simulation and game
— FARHAD JAVIDI
DIRECTOR
SIMULATION AND GAME DEVELOPMENT CENTER
CENTRAL PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE
development. Computer scientist
Farhad Javidi has been with the
program since its inception and
now directs the college’s Simulation
and Game Development
Center.
“Trying to establish the program
was difficult,” he said. “It
took three years. We had no
model to go on. We had to create
29 new courses, and we recently
added 11 more. As soon as the
courses are offered, they fill up.”
Like other community colleges,
CPCC’s simulation and
game development curriculum is
aimed at more than game enthusiasts.
It’s intended to provide a
broad background in simulation
and game development with practical
applications in creative arts,
visual arts, audio/video technology,
creative writing, modeling,
design, programming and
management. Students receive
hands-on training in design, 3D
modeling, software engineering,
database administration and
programming for the purpose of
creating simulations and games.
Graduates can get jobs as
designers, artists, animators,
programmers, database administrators,
testers, quality assurance
analysts, engineers and administrators
in the entertainment
industry, the health care industry,
engineering, forensics, education,
NASA and other government
agencies. Starting pay for a
software developer can be as
much as $55,000 a year; and
those with five years experience
can earn up to $90,000.
“People thought it was funny
that we were offering a program
See Games, page 8, col. 1