# 2026-2027 Course Catalog
**Source**: https://catalog.illinois.edu/graduate/ischool/minors/game-studies/
**Parent**: https://catalog.illinois.edu/graduate/graduate-minors/
*for the Graduate Minor in Game Studies*
---
The Game Studies Graduate Minor serves students whose graduate research or professional interests intersect with the study and design of games, gaming, game design, digital narratives and storytelling, and the digital, VR/XR and AI technologies involved with the crafting of interactive systems and interfaces relevant to the game, film, education, and media industries, and a range of other emerging professions. The minor will foster critical thinking and research on the history, cultural meaning, social impact, ethics, educational uses, theoretical basis, and increasingly significant role of games, gaming, and interactive media in an inclusive and diverse society, as well as advanced methodological, computational, aesthetic, and design aspects of games broadly defined. This versatile minor is intended to offer interdisciplinary support for game-related research being done within students’ primary disciplines. Students whose work is unrelated to games will also benefit from this minor, since it offers training in and experience with cutting edge technologies and design processes as well as a critical lens through which to understand these new technologies.
*for the Graduate Minor in Game Studies*
---
Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Required Colloquium | | 1 |
| [GSD 500](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=GSD%20500 "GSD 500") | Colloquium in Game Studies & Design | |
| Students are required to take this course only once for credit. In subsequent semesters students will be encouraged to sit in, as will affiliated Game Studies faculty from across campus. Graduate students enrolled in the Graduate Minor will be expected to return to the seminar at least once, towards the end of their program, to share their work. This transformation in role from student to speaker will serve to provide community, continuity, mentorship, and professional development for Graduate Minor degree students. | | |
| Required Seminar | | 4 |
| GSD 501 | | |
| [GSD 502](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=GSD%20502 "GSD 502") | Seminar in Game Studies | |
| If both courses are taken the second serves as an elective in the minor | | |
| linkurl^../electivescourselisttext" target="\_blank"> required electives</a>/^<a href="<http://catalog.illinois.edu/graduate/ischool/minors/game-studies>/ | | 8 |
| An approved elective game studies course at the 500 level | | |
| An approved elective game studies course at the 400/500 level | | |
| Minimum Total Hours | | 13 |
*for the Graduate Minor in Game Studies*
---
At least three **Elective Graduate Course**s (12 credit hours) from the following list.
Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION | | |
| [CI 437](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=CI%20437 "CI 437") | Educational Game Design | 3 or 4 |
| CI 439 | | 3 or 4 |
| [CI 482](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=CI%20482 "CI 482") | Social Learning and Multimedia | 3 or 4 |
| [CI 499](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=CI%20499 "CI 499") | Issues and Development in Education (Sections "Attention Learning & Tech" and "Technology Apps for Teachers" only.) | 2 to 4 |
| FINE & APPLIED ARTS | | |
| [FAA 499](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=FAA%20499 "FAA 499") | Special Topics (Section "Escape Rooms as Interactive Theatre" only.) | 0 to 4 |
| ART | | |
| [ART 499](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=ART%20499 "ART 499") | Special Topics in Art | 1 to 4 |
| [ARTD 418](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=ARTD%20418 "ARTD 418") | Advanced Interaction Design | 3 |
| [ARTD 451](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=ARTD%20451 "ARTD 451") | Ethics of a Designer in a Global Economy | 4 |
| [ARTD 499](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=ARTD%20499 "ARTD 499") | Special Topics in Design | 1 to 4 |
| [ARTS 444](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=ARTS%20444 "ARTS 444") | Interaction II | 3 or 4 |
| [ARTS 445](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=ARTS%20445 "ARTS 445") | Special Topics in New Media | 3 or 4 |
| [ARTS 499](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=ARTS%20499 "ARTS 499") | Special Topics in Studio Art | 0 to 4 |
| DANCE | | |
| [DANC 451](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=DANC%20451 "DANC 451") | Individual Study/Creative Investigations (Section "Social Impact thru Arts Tech" only.) | 1 to 4 |
| [DANC 465](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=DANC%20465 "DANC 465") | Screendance | 3 |
| MUSIC | | |
| [MUS 407](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=MUS%20407 "MUS 407") | Elect Music Techniques I | 3 |
| [MUS 409](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=MUS%20409 "MUS 409") | Elec Music Techniques II | 2 |
| [MUS 499](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=MUS%20499 "MUS 499") | Proseminar in Music (Sections "Audio Coding with SuperCollider", "Audio Recording Techniques I", and "Critical Audio Listening for Audio Engineers" only.) | 0 to 4 |
| THEATRE | | |
| [THEA 409](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20409 "THEA 409") | Stage Management Workshop | 3 or 4 |
| [THEA 410](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20410 "THEA 410") | Dramaturgs Workshop | 3 or 4 |
| [THEA 411](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20411 "THEA 411") | Playwrights' Workshop | 3 |
| [THEA 418](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20418 "THEA 418") | Devising Social Issues Theatre | 3 or 4 |
| [THEA 426](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20426 "THEA 426") | History of Decor | 3 |
| [THEA 427](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20427 "THEA 427") | Scenic Painting I | 3 |
| [THEA 428](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20428 "THEA 428") | Scenic Painting II | 3 |
| [THEA 445](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20445 "THEA 445") | Costume History I | 3 |
| [THEA 446](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20446 "THEA 446") | Costume History II | 3 |
| [THEA 448](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20448 "THEA 448") | Costume Crafts | 3 |
| [THEA 453](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20453 "THEA 453") | Introduction to Theatre Sound | 3 |
| [THEA 454](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20454 "THEA 454") | Sound Design I | 3 |
| [THEA 455](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20455 "THEA 455") | Sound Design II | 3 |
| [THEA 456](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20456 "THEA 456") | Properties Design | 3 |
| [THEA 461](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20461 "THEA 461") | Introduction to Media Design | 3 or 4 |
| [THEA 481](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20481 "THEA 481") | Content Creation 1: Camera and Editing for Media Design | 3 or 4 |
| [THEA 482](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=THEA%20482 "THEA 482") | Content Creation 2: Motion Graphics & VFX for Media Design | 3 or 4 |
| COMPUTER SCIENCE | | |
| [CS 418](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=CS%20418 "CS 418") | Interactive Computer Graphics | 0 to 4 |
| [CS 419](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=CS%20419 "CS 419") | Production Computer Graphics | 3 or 4 |
| [CS 498](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=CS%20498 "CS 498") | Special Topics (Section "Video Game Development" only.) | 0 to 4 |
| GAME STUDIES & DESIGN | | |
| [GSD 403](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=GSD%20403 "GSD 403") | An Introduction to Top Down Video Game Design | 3 |
| [GSD 405](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=GSD%20405 "GSD 405") | Introduction to the Video Game Development Process | 3 |
| [GSD 409](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=GSD%20409 "GSD 409") | Design & Programming of Narrative Games & Simulations | 3 or 4 |
| GSD 501 | (Both GSD 501 and 502 must be taken for one to count as an elective.) | 4 |
| [GSD 502](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=GSD%20502 "GSD 502") | Seminar in Game Studies (Both GSD 501 and 502 must be taken for one to count as an elective.) | 4 |
| [GSD 590](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=GSD%20590 "GSD 590") | Special Topics in Game Studies & Design | 1 to 4 |
| [GSD 597](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=GSD%20597 "GSD 597") | Independent Study in Game Studies & Design | 1 to 4 |
| INFORMATICS | | |
| [INFO 416](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=INFO%20416 "INFO 416") | Makerspace: Game Studies | 3 or 4 |
| [INFO 418](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=INFO%20418 "INFO 418") | Makerspace: Escape Rooms | 3 or 4 |
| [INFO 490](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=INFO%20490 "INFO 490") | Special Topics ( Only sections: "Video Game Dev Process", "Makerspace: Game Studies", "Escape Room Design", "Design & Programming of Narrative Games", "Programming & Design of Interactive Fiction", "Musical Informatics", "Computer Music") | 0 to 4 |
| INFORMATION SCIENCES | | |
| [IS 410](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=IS%20410 "IS 410") | Storytelling | 2 to 4 |
| [IS 426](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=IS%20426 "IS 426") | Museum Informatics | 4 |
| [IS 457](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=IS%20457 "IS 457") | Data Storytelling | 3 or 4 |
| [IS 490](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=IS%20490 "IS 490") | Topics in Info Foundations ( Section "Playful Design Methods" only.) | 2 to 4 |
| [IS 597](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=IS%20597 "IS 597") | Advanced Topics in Data Analytics & Data Science (Section "DS" Only.) | 2 to 4 |
| JOURNALISM | | |
| [JOUR 430](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=JOUR%20430 "JOUR 430") | Augmented and Virtual Reality | 3 or 4 |
| [JOUR 460](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=JOUR%20460 "JOUR 460") | Special Topics ( Section "Basic Video Production" only.) | 1 to 4 |
| MEDIA AND CINEMA STUDIES | | |
| [MACS 480](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=MACS%20480 "MACS 480") | Advanced Filmmaking | 3 |
| [MACS 481](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=MACS%20481 "MACS 481") | Advanced Filmmaking Studio | 3 |
| [MACS 485](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=MACS%20485 "MACS 485") | Making Video Essays | 3 or 4 |
| [MACS 496](https://catalog.illinois.edu/search/?P=MACS%20496 "MACS 496") | Advanced Media/Cinema Topics ( Sections "Collaboration in Interactive and Immersive Media" and "Advanced Media Practicum" only. ) | 3 or 4 |
*for the Graduate Minor in Game Studies*
---
**Game Studies & Design**\
Contact: Katryna Starks \
[Game Studies & Design Minor website](https://informatics.ischool.illinois.edu/game-studies-grad-minor/)\
[game-studies@illinois.edu](mailto:game-studies@illinois.edu)\
(217) 333-5518\