Game and Digital Media Design, BFA

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game and Digital Media Design develops the skills and expertise to succeed in electronic gaming careers.

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Overview

This exciting program is cross-disciplinary, meaning you will learn about gaming and digital media design from several critically important points of view including digital imaging, technical computer skills using advanced computer-aided design software, and fundamental business management concepts to prepare you to succeed in a dynamic and entrepreneurial industry.

New England College’s BFA in Game and Digital Media Design emphasizes engaged, hands-on learning and internships designed to build expertise and real-world skills. You will produce interactive content within your first year of study, and internship opportunities are numerous.

Program Details

Live What You Learn

Application of specialized technical skills: You will build an advanced toolbox of skills demonstrating knowledge of audio/video technologies, motion graphics, and graphics production in both 2D and 3D. You will use advanced computer-aided design (CAD) software such as Autodesk 3ds Max, apply physics simulations in CAD programs, and understand programming languages to write code in order to give behavior to game assets and prototype game designs in game engines.

Business management: The gaming industry is entrepreneurial. Most gaming software is sold online, and new-generation game developers are often directly responsible for marketing products and managing profit and loss. This requires a fundamental knowledge of business strategy and effective management. You will learn business concepts that include marketing, entrepreneurship, and small-business management.

Design: Learn the essential tenets of high-quality design and apply your design skills to interactive content as you build games for both entertainment and more serious learning applications.

Internships: While not required, NEC strongly encourages you to complete an internship during your senior year. New Hampshire is positioning itself to be a gaming hub of the Northeast. Game Assembly, a non-profit organization in Manchester that supports workspace collaboration for gamers, established game design businesses such as Retro Affect (Meredith, NH) and Skymap Games (Manchester, NH). You will also be near established gaming hubs in Boston and Montreal that provide excellent opportunities for students.
Career Opportunities
Industry-wide growth is projected to increase dramatically. The talent to power this growth is coming from recent college graduates, with 70% of all game developers under 34 years of age, and an average industry salary of $75,573, according to the industry group Game Developer Research.

Future growth in the industry will not just be driven by entertainment. A new area of industry development is that of “Serious Gaming,” cross-sector applications in industries such as defense, education, scientific exploration, healthcare, emergency management, city planning, engineering, and politics.

NEC’s program prepares students for entry-level positions such as:
- Game Designers
- Game Developers
- Level Designers
- Environment Artists
- Animators

Student Work

Faculty

Albena Dimitrova
Assistant Professor, Game and Digital Media Design
Office: Manchester Campus
Phone: 603.428.2437
Email: adimitrova@nec.edu

Expertise and Awards

Expertise:
- Game design and development
- Coding
- Multimedia and graphic design
- Engineering
- 3D modeling, 3D and 2D animation, technical drafting
- Painting and drawing
- Instructional design
Awards:
Ferretti-Karnstedt Award, Starkville, MS

Educational Background
MA in Graphic Design, Suffolk University
MBA, Daniel Webster College
MS in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Radio Communication Systems for the Navy, Varna Technical University, Bulgaria
BSIS in Graphic Design and Electrical Engineering, Mississippi State University

Research Interests
Game application in education

Bio
Albena Dimitrova began her career at NEC in 2017 as a Visiting Professor in Game and Digital Media Design for the newly created Game Design major, bringing with her 15 years of academia and industry experience. She gained an Assistant Professor position at NEC in 2019. Before joining NEC, Albena worked as a Program Chair in Digital Media at Mount Washington College. There she developed content for online and on-campus courses, training materials, and course guides. She served as a subject matter expert integrating instructional approaches and technologies. Her prior experience includes 10 years at ITT, where she held the position of Program Chair in Game Design and Multimedia. Among her responsibilities were course and faculty development and supervision of the instructors in the program.

In her professional career, Albena has consulted academic and industry organizations on a number of game design and multimedia projects. She worked for Daniel Webster College on course development for their newly established Game Design program. She served as a Creative Director at Maxion Systems and as a Usability Interface Designer at Synaptic Global Learning, where she developed educational games and adaptive learning courses. She also worked on several projects for Altscale Cloud Services that included web design and multimedia.

Before coming to the United States, Albena worked as a professor in radio communications for six years at the Maritime Academy in Bulgaria and as an adjunct professor at Varna Technical University.

Albena has volunteered for the Bulgarian Center of New England and the Bulgarian School in Boston in the creation of web and digital content for promotional campaigns. She is fluent in the Bulgarian and Russian languages. In her free time, she likes watching disaster movies and painting, using both traditional and digital mediums.

Degree Requirements

Art Core Requirements

Concentration Courses

(32 credits)

AHT 2550 - History of Digital Media
AN 1100 - 2D Animation I
GD 1260 - Game Design I
GD 2410 - 3D Animation I
GD 2350 - Game Design II
GD 3360 - Game Design III
Selected in consultation with Faculty Advisor:
- Game and Digital Media Design Elective Credits: 4
- Art course outside the discipline Credits: 4

Liberal Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum, Bachelor's Degree

Electives

Select additional electives to reach 120 credits for a Bachelor's degree.