Adams and CUNY team up to get a college degree in video game design

Mayor Eric Adams wants to make New York a bigger player in the gaming industry.

Adams on Thursday announced a $2 million partnership with the City University of New York to establish a bachelor’s degree in digital game design.

The tech-savvy mayor said the program could reach more than 1,000 students over three years and will be hosted at the City College of New York – along with internships, mentorship, college events and eSports sponsorships.

“It’s time for us to lead in this digital gaming space industry,” said Adams, who will seek assistance from the mayor’s office of media and entertainment.

“New York City is a leader in many areas: technology, film, finance. So many different areas, we are leaders – but not yet here. When it comes to game development, we’re not in the top five. We want to change that in the next few years. We want to be number one. »

City officials also announced a new Game Development Industry Council to advise on policies and programs in the digital games sector – including 7,600 jobs, $762 million in salaries and $2 billion of economic output, according to the New York Digital Games Industry Economic Impact Report.

The announcement comes with ambitious goals to diversify the digital gaming workforce and thereby impact the city where gamers reside.

Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced a $2 million partnership with the City University of New York to create a bachelor’s degree program in digital game design.
Robert Miller

“We can almost process the game to help people with dementia remember things,” Adams told reporters at a news conference in Hamilton Heights.

“Game for people who want to learn financial literacy, how to buy a house, how to pay for college, play to deal with some of the hate crimes we see in this city: anti-Asian violence, anti-Semitism, attacks on LGBTQ community,” Adams said. “There can be games developed to teach us to enjoy our diversity.”

The program was also promoted as a college and career path for students from low-income families.

“I was a computer programmer when I was young,” Adams said. “I know how powerful it is, the skills you take forever.”

The program will be hosted at the City College of New York.
The program will be hosted at the City College of New York.
AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz

The City College of New York could also recruit at Hostos Community College, where students pursuing associate degrees in its digital games program could upgrade to a four-year degree.

“Young people in our communities, growing up in an environment where gaming and digital consumption skills are ubiquitous, are fully prepared to make gaming a pathway to strong careers for themselves and support the economic development of the city”, City College president Vincent Boudreau said in a statement.

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