Dallas Games Industry
Richland is located right in the heart of Dallas, which is considered one of the top cities in the United States for game development and currently has over 30 game companies that employ around 1,000 people. Some of the larger companies that each employ a few hundred people include ID Software, which makes games such as "Doom," "Quake," "Rage" and "Wolfenstein," as well as Gearbox Software, which is responsible for the popular games series "Borderlands," "Brothers in Arms," "Duke Nukem Forever" and more recently, "Aliens Colonial Marines." Dallas is also home to Bottle Rocket Apps, which is a large mobile app and game developer that has produced over 50 apps and ranked number five in the top 100 places to work in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, from a list of over 10,000 companies.
Being so close to the industry gives us an advantage most other schools don't have, allowing our students special opportunities, like being able to visit a company and playtest soon-to-be-released games; having company tour days, where we pick a company and tour their offices; and lastly, industry days, where we invite professionals from these companies to come and see some of our students' latest work!
Advisory Board
Our two-year Associate in Applied Science degree introduces students to the art and technology behind video game design and creation through a diverse and challenging curriculum designed by a core group of industry leaders from some of the top local game companies in the area. These leaders make up the Advisory Board, which meets biannually to discuss new game industry trends and how these trends can apply to the program, classes and faculty.
Faculty
The faculty of the program have much experience and can offer students a wealth of knowledge, not only on the subjects being taught, but also helping students choose the best career path in the video game development profession. Because of the large games industry in Dallas, Richland has access to a talented pool of professionals, which it draws on when recruiting faculty. Some of our faculty work during the day at game companies in the area, holding such positions as Lead Animator, Art Director and Concept Artist. These instructors are brought into the program to teach early morning, nighttime or weekend classes at the campus.
Because of our close proximity to the games industry, Richland is a great place for companies to look for fresh new talent, allowing students to get their foot in the door through internships as game testers and to ultimately find their dream job making video games.
Industry Lectures
The ISGT program at Richland brings in professionals from across the metroplex to give special lectures to students
during the semester. This offers students a chance to hear unique perspectives directly from industry professionals.
Below are a few of the lectures which we have had at Richland: