For many Duke students interested in designing video games, Duke Programming, Arts and Design is the gateway to the game development industry.
DPAD, a name that makes reference to the directional pad on console controllers, was founded in 2023 to offer undergraduates opportunities in game design through educational workshops, game developer panels and game nights.
“[Duke’s computer science] department is really extensive, but as far as things that are specifically for game development, this is really lacking for undergraduates,” said DPAD President John Schappert, a junior.
The club was established after a group of Duke students interested in game development competed in an international game jam, a competition where participants build a game from scratch based on a particular theme. According to Schappert, the group placed 33rd out of approximately 7,000 competitors.
“So we were all thinking, this is great. We want to do this more, and we want to find more people to do this with,” he said. “So the team that built that game represented many of the founding members of DPAD.”
Since its founding, DPAD has accumulated over 250 members and developed four games, according to Schappert. This summer, the team developed a game called Staccoons, where players stack raccoons to climb “absurdly tall buildings.”
Sophomore Education Chair Jules Gates added that the club’s mission “is not about finding people who are the most knowledgeable technical game developers … but rather making people excited about making games.”
Schappert spoke about the importance of having a game design club in the absence of a formal course of study in game design for Duke undergraduates.
Last year, the Pratt School of Engineering unveiled a new Master of Engineering in game design, development and engineering, with its first cohort beginning this fall.
“Even though we are getting a lot of new classes for the grad program, those are not going to be accessible to undergraduates,” Schappert said. “I really wish that there were more classes that undergrads could take to get involved.”
Gates noted that while the new master’s program is a “really great step in the right direction,” there are still challenges getting involved in game development as an undergraduate student.
“It's really hard because I feel like we have to pick and choose what we want to do and really stretch ourselves to fulfill our interests,” Gates said. “… I am personally a computational media major, but that was a hard decision for me because you put computational media on your resume, and game [development] studios don't know what that is.”
Schappert suggested that undergraduate students interested in game design can take classes such as Computational Media, Arts and Cultures 270: Constructing Immersive Virtual Worlds with Augustus Wendel, assistant professor of the practice of art, art history and visual studies, and Computer Science 345: Graphics Software Architecture with Michael Roland Reed, visiting professor of the practice. He added that DPAD is considering hosting a house course in game design for undergraduates students to “fill that gap” in programming.
DPAD is hosting a fall game jam on campus Friday through Sunday, which will be open to students new to game development.
Gates emphasized the wide variety of skills that are relevant to game design, including writing, art, music and marketing.
“We hope that students can disregard the preconceived notion that there's some barrier to entry and instead just come help us make our next big game,” Gates said. “You never know when you might be able to contribute your skills in some way.”
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