Moody College of Communication is proud to announce that beginning in Fall 2026, students from throughout The University of Texas will be able to minor in digital game industries. The coursework will give students an opportunity to learn about the digital game industries and how to take a game idea from a concept to the console.

“I’m really excited about the launch of this field of study,” Ben Bays said, associate professor of instruction in the Department of Radio-Television-Film (RTF) and director of the Karch Gaming Institute. “I believe it will be a great contribution to UT and will go above and beyond the academics we already provide. Now is the right time for this minor and students are already voicing interest.”

The launch of the new field of study marks a significant step in preparing students for careers in one of the world’s fastest growing, and most profitable, sectors of entertainment. With the digital game industry projected to continue its rapid expansion, the college’s innovative curriculum aims to equip students with both technical and creative skills required for success in this field.

“The digital game industry is made of up some of the most talented artists and communicators – some of whom create the actual gameplay while others are focused on the art of storytelling,” said Cassandre Giguere Alvarado, Moody College’s senior associate dean for undergraduate education and teaching excellence. “As a result, this minor is a natural fit for our curriculum here at Moody. The minor will give students a broad and multidisciplinary view of the game industry which, we’ve been told by industry experts, is greatly needed to move gaming forward and into the future.”

Alvarado says that students who are enrolled in the 2026-2028 catalog can declare the digital game industries minor starting in August. Two courses will be offered in the fall including “Video games: Concept to console” and a game usability analysis course, with more classes to be added in subsequent semesters.

Designed in collaboration with leading industry professionals, the program will offer courses in game development, storytelling, interactive design and business strategies unique to digital gaming. The minor will primarily be led by faculty in the Department of Radio-Television-Film.

“This minor is very closely aligned with Radio-Television-Film,” Alvarado said. “RTF faculty spend so much of their time helping students understand the art of storytelling and that’s a huge component of gaming. What’s the story? What is the character’s responsibility? But there’s also elements of production, directing and more, even spanning into our other disciplines like advertising, building online communities and more. So, the minor really connects with everything we do at Moody as a whole.”

Bays says that as part of the curriculum, he hopes to bring in multiple industry experts to discuss all things gaming with enrolled students.

“I’m already planning guest speakers, and I believe we’ll be able to bring in big names,” Bays said. “Whether they are discussing financing for games, concept art, the industry itself verses more traditional business, gaming experts love to talk about games in the most interesting ways, from gaming theory to history, and I think that variety will greatly benefit students.”

As the demand for skilled professionals in the digital game industry continues to climb, the minor and Moody College’s Karch Gaming Institute positions its graduates to become innovators and leaders in this exciting industry.

“Moody students are incredibly smart, and they understand that there’s more than one place to put their skills to good use,” Alvarado continued. “A lot of students are interested in this not necessarily because they’re deep into gaming themselves but because they understand this is a huge market where their talents can be used.”