NEW ORLEANS — If you think your kids spend too much time playing video games, that might not be a bad thing.
According to a new program at Tulane University, the love of the game could just lead to a career.
Tulane now offers a degree in digital design that focuses on game art and animation.
“Tulane being here to provide all of this training and new talent for the industry is really exciting,” says adjunct professor, Josh Jertberg.
These adjunct professors were recruited from a local video game company called “inXile Entertainment,” and they know a thing or two about the gaming world.
“I would say video games are pretty much the coolest things you can get into right now. Everybody wants to be in video games,” says another adjunct professor of the program, Jeff Hardouin.
They’re training students on 3D game art and animation.
One thing that students learn is the discipline and patience it takes to create a video game.
Sometimes, creating a game can take several years.
“It starts with a great idea and with that idea sparks the design of all of the characters and the environment and world that it’s all going to live in,” says Jertberg.
The industry has grown in popularity with games like Fortnite that attracted more than 125 million players in the year since it launched.
“Fortnite is successful because it’s a lot of fun. It has that competitive edge that everybody wants to do. It’s a sport now,” says Hardouin.
Tulane is using this program to keep up with the times.
They plan on launching students straight into the digital age to help prepare them for this special type of work force.