Teaching Soft-skills: Digital Game Development in a Multi-Discipline Environment

Abstract

While academic video game development has garnered widespread publicity due to the size of the industry and the potential impact on faltering Computer Science enrollment, many academic programs fail to address the expansive nature of modern game development. In addition, many game development companies are reluctant to hire recent graduates or co-op or intern students - not because of their technical skills, but rather due to their lack of real-world soft-skills. Most student courses fail to address the complexities, communication, and cooperative skill sets required in today's games, and the role that project management plays in development. This paper addresses the emerging approach that Drexel University is taking through a joint Digital Media/Computer Science partnership that serves as a foundation for university-wide application, and in particular examines the Game Development Workshop sequence of courses.