Join us at Laurier

Becoming a Golden Hawk means more than just cheering on our (really good) varsity teams – it means being a student who cares about your community, who works hard in the classroom, and who takes advantage of all the learning opportunities that can happen outside the classroom, too.

Steps to Apply

Undergraduate Admissions Graduate Admissions

Steps to Apply

Undergraduate AdmissionsGraduate Admissions

Game Design and Development (BFAA)

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Want to create play with a purpose? Our Game Design and Development program will help you learn to communicate through playful experiences such as analog and digital games. Through play, today’s designers can explore social, cultural, and environmental issues while innovating on and challenging the conventions and assumptions embedded in existing games. You will create gameplay that pushes the medium forward, exploring, expanding, and innovating how games engage players, share experiences, and transform lives.

Apply Your Learning

Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you. Volunteer work, campus clubs, leadership programs, studying abroad, work experience – there are so many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world.

Here are just a few examples of the experiences you’ll have access to in the Game Design and Development program:

  • Apply to the Game Changers Residence Learning Community to live and learn with other first-year Game Design and Development students.
  • Work with a team of students on a game design experience with BGNlab or a game organization over the summer.
  • Participate in Designer Days to test your designs, try other prototypes, and build your professional network.
  • Attend our sandbox workshops and the entrepreneur speaker series to learn more about how to start your own business venture through games.

Check out the Game Design and Development Experience Guide.

 

2020 graduates who secured employment or went on to postgraduate studies

 

Laurier ranks in the top 6 percent of universities worldwide*

 

students who gained hands-on learning experiences at Laurier in 2019/20

*Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)

Admissions

Format: full time      Duration: four years     Start: September (fall term) or May (spring term)     OUAC code: UGM
Ontario High School Admission Requirements
  • Minimum admission range: low 70s.
  • Competitive admission range based on last year’s admitted students: low 80s.
  • English at 70%.
Canadian Admission Requirements (Outside of Ontario)

Students applying to this program from a Canadian province outside of Ontario are encouraged to review our course equivalents by province chart. This chart will show you what courses from your province are equivalent to the admission requirements listed under Ontario High School Admission Requirements.
International Admission Requirements

Students applying to this program from an international curriculum are encouraged to review our curriculum-specific requirements; you must also meet all program-specific requirements listed under the Ontario High School Admission Requirements section.

English-Proficiency Requirement

Laurier's language of instruction is English, and so we may require you to provide evidence of your English proficiency to help make sure you experience success in your academic courses.

Your three most recent years of full-time education must be in English without taking any ESL (English as a Second Language) courses. If you do not meet this requirement, you must provide evidence of your English proficiency.

We reserve the right to request an English-language test from any applicant.

If you do not meet Laurier's English proficiency requirement but are academically qualified for your program, you may be eligible for a conditional offer of admission.

Laurier English and Academic Foundation (LEAF) Program

The Laurier English and Academic Foundation (LEAF) program is an academic English program for Laurier applicants who have to prove English proficiency. If you have received an offer to Laurier with a condition to meet our English- proficiency requirement, you can meet that condition by successfully completing the LEAF program.
College Pathways

Completed the first year of a college program:

  • Minimum admission average of 70% for part-time studies in a Bachelor of Fine and Applied Arts (BFAA) program.
  • Minimum admission average of 75% for full-time studies in a BFAA program.

Completed a two-year diploma or two years of a three-year advanced diploma:

  • Minimum admission average of 70% for part-time studies in a BFAA program.

Completed a two to three-year advanced diploma:

  • Minimum admission average of 70% for full-time studies in a BFAA program.
Note: Possession of the minimum admission average does not guarantee admission. Unless otherwise noted, you are considered for admission into full-time studies.
Other Admission Requirements

Visit our admission requirements section to find specific requirements for university students, indigenous applicants, mature learners, homeschooled applicants, senior citizens, refugees, and more. 

Your Next Steps

Apply Now Strengthen Your Application Important Dates

Program Options and Courses

Options and Minors

These are a few of the many popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge:

  • Business Technology Management Option
  • Leadership Option
  • Minor in Professional Writing
  • Minor in Psychology
  • Minor in Youth and Children's Studies
  • User Experience Design specialization

Check out other options to enhance your degree.

First-Year Courses

  • Critical Game Design
  • Escape Room and Puzzle Design
  • Ethics in Game Design
  • Games as Art
  • Gamification and Gameful Design
  • Meaningful Interactions
  • Web Game Development

Sample First-Year Electives

  • Business in a Networked Society
  • Human Rights Violations: Advocacy and Analysis
  • Leadership and Personal Development

Sample Upper-Year Courses

  • Escape Room and Puzzle Design
  • Mobile Game Development
  • Solo Critical Game Development

Similar Programs

Community Service-Learning

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Community Service-Learning (CSL) courses at Laurier integrate service in the community with what you are learning in your classes. Placements are approximately 10 weeks and take place on a weekly basis from the second week of classes to the final week, typically for two hours per week.

CSL placements consist of volunteering at a local community service, such as a soup kitchen or a children's treatment centre. It’s a great way to apply classroom knowledge and gain practical experience in your field of study. Build your resume, develop your network, and graduate with experience.

Interested? Learn more about Community Service-Learning.

Tuition and Scholarships

Getting a university education is an investment in your future.

At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

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“If you're really interested in making games in an educational environment and/or want to get ahead of your peers if you plan on going into AAA, then this program is best suited for you. I really like how playing games is our homework. The program is the definition of ‘work is play.’”

Joshua Barillas, Game Design and Development graduate

"This program will give you lots of opportunities to start your career as a game designer. The program provides job opportunities or the assistance to work on your own effectively."

Gregory Edgar, Game Design and Development graduate

Your Career Awaits

It’s not only about the journey; it’s about the destination. Let us help you get to where you’re going.

Here are just some examples of our graduates' destinations. What’s yours?

Sample Career Options

Note: Additional training and education may be required.

  • application or web game designer
  • educational and experiential learning game designer
  • junior design director
  • game designer
  • game writer
  • indie game entrepreneur
  • project manager
  • playful experience designer

Explore more careers.

Support After Graduation

Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.

Brantford Campus

The Brantford campus is woven into the downtown core of the City of Brantford and is home to more than 3,000 students. Close to great walking and biking trails, you get the best of both worlds.

There are many ways to tour our Brantford campus, whether that's on a guided tour with one of our Laurier student ambassadors, on your own using virtual reality, or even on-demand through one of our pre-recorded tours. See our campus spaces and start to picture yourself at Laurier.

“Laurier's Game Design and Development program is quite different from other institutions because it focuses on the principles and mechanics of games and that was what attracted me to pick it.”

Son Le, Game Design and Development graduate

Interested in More Info?

Email chooselaurier@wlu.ca, call 519.884.0710 x3385 or see all contact information.

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