Aspiring programmers, digital artists, and designers can transform their creativity into career opportunities through the newly-retooled Game Design and Development (GDD) program at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).
Offered under the School of Management and Information Technology (SMIT), the pioneering program combines technical training, artistic development, and entrepreneurial skills to prepare students for roles in the fast-growing game development industry.
The curriculum covers game design and programming for mobile, desktop, and console platforms, alongside studio management and collaborative workflows. Students also gain hands-on experience with emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Extended Reality (XR), ensuring they are equipped for the evolving digital landscape.
“GDD has an industry-responsive curriculum, ensuring alignment with the evolving needs of the game development sector. Through direct partnerships with organizations such as the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) and the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), it remains at the forefront of global standards and industry trends,” GDD Chairperson Norman Lee, MIT, said.
Game Programming equips students with the technical expertise to conceptualize, design, and develop games. Using industry-standard tools like Unity, Unreal Engine (4.18 and above), Visual Studio, and Visual Code, they master programming game mechanics, physics simulations, AI algorithms, and scalable backend systems.
The curriculum also covers cross-platform development and immersive technologies, including VR and AR.
Game Art focuses on the visual and aesthetic aspects and empowers them to create 2D and 3D assets, characters and environments, and animations. They utilize industry-standard tools like Blender, Autodesk Maya 2023, ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Substance Designer for polished and immersive graphics.
Learners work together on team-based projects using high-performance Dell Alienware and Acer Predator machines, alongside VR equipment such as HTC Vive and Meta Quest headsets.
GDD thrives through active partnerships with key industry players and ensures students receive practical and relevant training. Collaborations with GDAP and CG Arts Japan support the development of micro-credentials and certifications, as well as workshops, seminars, and on-the-job training.
GDD also partners with Secret 6, Inc. and offers specialization in VFX through hands-on experiences, workshops, and seminars.
Aligned with the Philippines Skills Framework (PSF) for Game Development, this 10-trimester program trains graduates to excel in a wide range of roles. They may begin as Junior Technical Artist, Junior Programmer, Junior Concept Artist, UI/UX Designer, Level Designer, Systems Designer, and Narrative Designer in AAA and indie game development.
With over 40 award-winning capstone projects and more than 60 nominations and finalists in the annual GDAP Game On Competition, GDD holds the distinction of being the most decorated in the Game of the Year Awardee (School Category), which further highlights its commitment to excellence and industry readiness.
SparkUp is BusinessWorld’s multimedia brand created to inform, inspire, and empower the Philippine startups; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); and future business leaders. This section will be published every other Monday. For pitches and releases about startups, e-mail to bmbeltran@bworldonline.com (cc: abconoza@bworldonline.com). Materials sent become BW property.