CAMBRIAN COLLEGE
Cambrian College Launches Ontario's First College Graduate Certificate in Serious Games

Video games and virtual reality are not just for recreation: they are serious tools of learning and business, and Cambrian College is ready to play.

This September, Cambrian is launching a new program, Serious Games - Design and Development.

It is the first graduate certificate program of its kind at an Ontario public college.

This one-year, two-semester program prepares students to design interactive experiences that transform how industry, educators, and organizations approach learning and workforce development.

Students will apply game mechanics, extended reality (XR) technologies, and gamification to create training tools and interactive experiences that apply to real-world challenges across many sectors.  Serious games principles and technology are used in corporate and industrial training, health care simulations, research tools, safety instruction, and community education.

"As industries modernize and adopt more immersive technologies, the demand for graduates who can combine game design with real-world applications is accelerating," says Janice Clarke, Vice-President Academic. "This new program puts Cambrian at the forefront of this growing field, giving learners the skills and applied experience to develop game-based solutions that have a real impact."

The program is flexible in its delivery, allowing students to participate in instructor-led classes either in person or online. Over the course of the two semesters, students will also complete a serious games project, graduating with a portfolio-ready application that demonstrates their ability to design purposeful, innovative game experiences.

"Serious games bridge the gap between learning and doing," says Dr. Aaron Langille, program coordinator of the new Serious Games program. "This program gives students the technical foundations and creative problem-solving skills needed to design experiences that help people build confidence, strengthen skills, and prepare for real-world tasks in a safe, interactive way." 

Those already working in game development can also use the program to specialize beyond entertainment and broaden their career opportunities in one of Canada's fastest-growing digital sectors.

For more information about Cambrian's new Serious Games - Design and Development program, visit https://cambriancollege.ca/programs.