One of America’s Most Vibrant Tech Communities
Located in Fairfax, Virginia, George Mason University is ideally situated to give students access to Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, locally referred to as “the DMV”. This region’s concentration of technology, government, and innovation provide an ideal environment for studying upcoming trends in gaming and design. Major gaming and entertainment studios call this area home, including:
Learn & Work Here, from Freshman Year to Post-Graduation
Researchers, designers, and developers in the DMV are creating and testing games that prepare law enforcement, medical professionals, and the armed forces, using new and growing applications like simulation and virtual reality – which you can explore as a Game Design student at Mason. Throughout the area, thousands of contractors explore how game design can be used to train and educate people in the federal space. U.S. federal government agencies and departments like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Education all foster and fund game design initiatives. Our students enjoy opportunities to network and intern with these kinds of teams, leading to great jobs right after graduation.
Start Your Own Company
Our partnership with the Virginia Serious Games Institute (VSGI) offers even more opportunities for students to join established companies and projects, or begin their own. VSGI provides residencies, where innovators work with for-profit and non-profit companies, as well as federal agencies, to advance cutting-edge research projects. VSGI also offers a business incubator, which enables students to start their own game studios right here in northern Virginia.