Applying for post-secondary education can often be a stressful and overwhelming endeavour. Trying to sort through the numerous offerings is time consuming and can leave you even more confused than when you first started. To help with your journey into post secondary academia, we have compiled a list of the top institutions that have the best programs to prepare you for a career in the game industry.
Toronto Film School
Toronto Film School is one of the most renowned and prestigious film schools in the world, but also offers two of the best video game design programs available as well. Toronto Film school offers two, 18-Month accelerated programs that are designed to prepare you for a career in the game industry. The Video Game Design & Development Program teaches students all aspects of video game development, from concept to creation. Faculty members include active game developers who have worked on AAA games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA IV and Max Payne 3. Students will learn the ins and outs of game design and programming, as well as business and marketing strategies to launch a game. The Video Game Design & Animation Program will teach students both 2D and 3D game animation. Students will learn to design and produce artwork and animation in mid-large scale games.
Students who graduate from these programs will be prepared for a variety of careers including concept artists, game designers, level designers, audio programmers, and project managers. Due to the high quality graduates that these programs produce, studios such as Ubisoft, EA and Riot Games have all hired graduates of Toronto Film School.
Sheridan College (Oakville Campus)
Sheridan College’s Faculty of Art, Animation and Design offers a comprehensive catalogue of programs that offer something for everybody. With 6 different program’s lasting anywhere between 1-4 years, Sheridan College will more than likely have a program that fits your area of interest as well as your desired length of study. Honour Bachelor’s Degrees are available in both Animation and Game Design, while Graduate Certificates are available in Computer Animation, Digital Creature Animation, Game Level Design and Visual Effects. One of the highlights of Sherdian’s programs are the internship opportunities, which are integrated into both of the Bachelor programs. These co-op programs will place students in real workplaces and provide an opportunity to learn by doing.
Because of the work integrated co-op programs, many Sheridan graduates become top candidates for employers. Graduates of Sheridan will be prepared for careers that include game & level design, mobile/app development, modellers, creature animators, 3D animators and effects artists.
Seneca College
Seneca College’s faculty of creative arts, animation and design offers 3 different programs that prepare students for a career in the game industry. The Animation Program is a comprehensive three year advanced diploma program that focuses on both traditional and computer animation. The other 2 programs, Game Art & Animation and 3D animation are both 8 month post graduate certificates that can fast students into the workplace. One of the highlights of Seneca’s programs is the state of the art Digital Animation Lab. The lab is available to students in the faculty of creative arts, animation and design and offers the latest in industry technology and design programs.
In addition to the state of the art animation lab, Seneca College is affiliated with many industry leaders, including Toon Boom Center of Excellence, ACM SIGGRAPH, Computer Animation Studios of Ontario and the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International. Graduates of Seneca will be prepared for a variety of careers including texturing and lighting specialists, light artists, texture artists and digital animators.
Ontario College of Art and Design University
OCAD U is Canada’s largest and most comprehensive art, design and media university. OCAD U offers the most unique and diverse bachelor programs on our list, with two different, 4 year bachelor programs available. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Futures has students develop games, apps, VR and AR programs and wearable technology programs that will help shape the way we live, work, and play. This program is a mixture of art and design and features an integrated experiential co-op learning program that gives students the real world experience they need to succeed in the workplace. In the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Experimental Animation program, students will develop their 2-D, 3-D, stop motion and AR/VR animation skills. This program gives the students the ability to think creatively on their projects and take elective courses outside of animation. Students can elect to take classes in 3D animation, character design, sound design, advanced 2-D character animation, stop motion animation amongst many others. Graduates from OCAD U have found work in animation, video production, AR/VR development and game design and development.
