"Serious games are the special class of digital games: Not only are they fun, but they also leave their players smarter than before. At Fachhochschule Dortmund, students are now learning how to develop such games - because there is a huge demand for them. Application deadline: April 30, 2025.
So far, only very few games on the market have managed to combine two often separate worlds - fun and education. Firstly, the production company must be prepared to finance the research for the content to be conveyed in addition to the expensive development and programming of the game itself. For example, the real economic correlations for an exciting sustainability simulation or the current state of nutritional and sports science research for an athletics learning software.
The second, far more difficult prerequisite is that the didactic requirement does not detract from the enjoyment of the game, but that the game world and game mechanics are interwoven in such a sophisticated way that the enjoyment is actually increased. If, for example, the ancient everyday life of an open-world game is depicted historically accurate down to the last detail, then this world appears particularly vivid.
What's more, the players have learned about the culture of the time and know, for example, how politics were conducted in the marketplace and how colorful Greek temples looked back then - without it feeling like class for even a second.
The career prospects are open world
The "Serious Games and Digital Knowledge" study program provides students with both the didactic knowledge and the design and technical skills for game development. Game design, media education and computer science are intertwined here, so that one always thinks along with the other. After the seven semesters, students are able to develop first-class interactive games for all kinds of learning content - even and especially complex topics.
The career prospects are enormous: from established or self-founded game studios to educational and cultural institutions to UX counseling, interface development or publishing. Master's programs with an artistic, pedagogical or technical focus can also follow.
In addition to in-depth game design, programming and game art, the study program places particular emphasis on teamwork, media-pedagogical reflection and feedback culture. Projects, joint development and step-by-step work processes are a central component of the curriculum.
Practical, interdisciplinary, open to co-creation and available in German or English - an ideal choice for creative minds who not only want to use the digital space, but also fill it with meaning. In short: if education were a game, serious games would be God Mode.