Press start: New game and media studies major focuses on cultural impacts of games

A new kind of game program is in the queue at UW-Stout.

A Bachelor of Science in game and media studieshas been approved by the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents and will begin in fall 2025. Enrollment is open.

The program will collaborate with UW-Stout's nationally ranked game design and developmentprogram, but the focus will be on the people aspect of games - the storytelling, the way activities are identified and organized as part of games; how games impact society and how society impacts games.

"I think it can be easy to assume video games rely primarily on two large skill sets - the computer science/coders and the artists who generate the visuals. Our game design programs are successful because we ensure these disciplines work together for success," said Provost Glendalí Rodríguez, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Cody Reimer, associate professor and director of the new B.S. game and media studies program, works with students in an English composition class. / UW-Stout

"Yet, this new program will dive deeper into a third critical aspect - the stories that unfold in games and, equally important, how they are identified through a study and appreciation of the consumer or end-user."

Students will examine game-playing - analog and digital - from the perspective of history, anthropology, sociology and psychology while also gaining insight via the perspectives of those who create the games, the designers, writers, programmers and artists.

Game and media studies majors will be deeply engaged in the study and understanding of context, applying critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills to work across teams.

"If students are interested in games and working with people but don't want to get into game design and development, this program is a great fit," said Program Director Cody Reimer.

Cody Reimer said the new program is a great fit for students interested in games but don't want to design them. / UW-Stout

Reimer, an associate professor in the English, philosophy and communication studies department, said a variety of career paths are available to students who earn the degree.

Studying how to create that successful end-user/consumer experience can be referred to as "user experience." Graduates will be prepared to work in user experience research, user experience design, software development, product management and project management.

"Given the breadth and depth of the curriculum, students will be prepared to succeed in a multitude of career paths, in keeping with the human component of experiences," Reimer said.

Job opportunities in game and media studies are expected to grow by 6.3% over the next five years. UW-Stout's latest First Destination reportfound an overall employment rate of 99% for recent graduates and an average starting salary of $58,000, both the best in the region.

Collaboration with game design program

One of the features of the new program will be several core courses paired with game design and development courses. Students will work in teams on shared assignments and have cross-disciplinary lectures.

In addition, two required field experiences will involve working with game design students' capstone design projects, which involve creating new games from scratch. Game and media studies' students will help research, organize, manage and promote the game release efforts at the biannual Stout Game Expo, SGX, largest in the Midwest. The next SGX is Wednesday, Dec. 11.

B.S. Game & Media Studies

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UW-Stout is a sponsor of the M+DEV Midwest game developers conference held annually in Madison, this year Thursday and Friday, Nov. 7-8. A large group of students and faculty typically attend, and last year a UW-Stout professor and student took home the event's top three awards.

All academic programs at UW-Stout have an experiential learning component.

UW-Stout's game culture includes the coed esports team, which will be playing in a new arenain 2025. The team won a state title earlier this year.

Along with access to game design labs and studiosand the gaming and digital innovation lab, game and media studies majors will conduct user experience testing in a research lab in Harvey Hall.

"Games benefit from extensive, rigorous play-testing. Our User Experience Center is an ideal space to facilitate the type of research that propels iterative design practices toward more fun, engaging and rewarding media. Moderated, in-person, usability testing is a fantastic way to learn how users' engagement differs from designers' intent," Reimer said.

Reimer has a Ph.D. in English from Purdue University and teaches in UW-Stout's professional communication and emerging mediaprogram, which focuses on professional communication, including journalism. The game and media studies major will focus on film, television and interactive media.

Reimer has published research on games and recently has written the rules for a board game and served as a copy editor for another board game.

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