Oklahoma Christian University

Oklahoma Christian University provides a wonderful opportunity to get a degree in gaming and animation. Game artists and animation students are introduced to the tools and principles used by the animation and game development industries. Integral to the university’s game development philosophy is the notion that you don’t just spend your time in classes, but also go on studio and conference field trips, and explore animation and game development career opportunities. The curriculum is pretty broad, covering traditional, 3D, and experimental animation. Their classes do not just concentrate on 3D modeling, but also involve learning texturing, rigging and game production. Also included are courses on the history of film, video, and animation, which can serve as an excellent way to get the necessary background knowledge for game development.

The Garvey Center for the Arts is the home of the program. It offers spacious studios and labs, drafting/drawing tables, easels, model stand and ample computer equipment as well. Plus there’s a 1,200-square-foot University Art Gallery, where works of prominent artists and students are featured.

years

For eight years running, this program has been selected as one of The Princeton Review and PC Gamer Magazine’s top institutes for game design in North America.

ToP 10

Game Design

Named among the “Top 10 Game Design Schools and Colleges in the Southwest” by animationcareerreview.com.

27 BEst

Colleges

Named among the “27 Best videogame Colleges” by SuccessfulStudent.org.

Quote from The Staff

Oklahoma Christian University offers both BFAs, BAs and BSs in videogame Design. Degree plans focus on the complete artist, technology, artistry and art history. Students learn over 30 industry standard applications such as Maya, 3DS Max, Substance Tools, Unity and Unreal. Several classes incorporate team projects in the gaming and animation pipeline. Students complete creative internships all over the continental United States as well as abroad.

Oklahoma Christian University’s (OC) Gaming and Animation (G+A) program now boasts three state-of-the-art studio spaces:

The Sparks Advanced Visualization Lab is our hub for Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). It features 20 workstations in pods of four. Each individual station features a high-powered PC with a 27” display and a dedicated 22” Dell Canvas drawing tablet. Each four-person pod surrounds a 65” HD display for group collaboration. The lab hosts a Formlabs 3D printer, Glowforge CNC plotter, Playstation development kits, Xbox development kits, and all the latest VR and AR equipment—such as the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Microsoft HoloLens.

The Baugh Motion Capture Studio features a Optitrack Motion Capture system, as well as workstations for students.

The Cox Digital Art lab is a workhorse for graphic design, digital painting, and 3D modeling. Recently reconfigured and upgraded for more effective teaching and collaboration, the lab houses 24 workstations, each with a i7 iMac and a paired Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet.

Currently, more than 150 students are dreaming and creating in these labs—making G+A one of the University’s largest and fastest growing programs. These students are learning the technology and art of videogame design and animation (traditional, 3D, and experimental animation). They are exploring contemporary techniques and genres, as well as the history of film, video, and animation. Their classes cover virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, motion capture, sculpting and game production.

Jeff Price

Professor of Gaming + Animation at Oklahoma Christian University

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STAFF

Jeff Price

Professor of Gaming + Animation program at Oklahoma Christian University

Now teaching Gaming and Animation at Oklahoma Christian University, Jeff Price draws from over 20 years of experience. Price's experience in the design and development of websites and web-based communications, as well as interactive multimedia and CD-ROM projects, led him to launch Price Media Group in 2000. Price has won several industry awards in video, animation, interactive, and print design.

STAFF

Tim Wallace

Professor

Paolo de Guzman

Professor

Success Stories

OC’s G+A Faculty and their talented students have built a nation-leading program. The entire faculty are involved in external research and creative consulting. Many of our instructors are working film animators, game designers and art directors. Several successful students have gone on to work for studios such as Dreamworks, Treyarch, Sony Imageworks, Rooster Teeth, Riot Games and several others.