Stanford undergraduates in the new interdisciplinary course Introduction to Game Design and Development, taught by mediaX Thought Leaders Doug James, professor of computer science, and Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, assistant professor of bioengineering.

Following enthusiastic participation in a game and interactive media seminar, led in part by Riedel-Kruse, he and James decided to offer a class that would actually have students create their own games.

For years, James, Riedel-Kruse and their colleagues and alumni who helped create this course have seen interest in video games at Stanford as an untapped educational opportunity.

“Games are an important part of our culture,” Riedel-Kruse said. “Similar to literature or film, they are something that really affects our lives and should be valued and explored by the students. Also, it’s an expressive medium, both when you’re creating these games but also when you play them.”

“The students learn a wide range of lessons about video games and what makes a good product,” James said. “We do that partly by having weekly projects but also by having industry speakers that come in and talk about different parts of game design – everything from artistic aspects to storytelling to good sound design.”

Read the entire Stanford News Story by Taylor Kubota HERE.